North Carolina Local News Workshop

02/12/2025

When Triad City Beat announced late last month that the time had come to shut down, readers weighed in on the role this scrappy news outlet played in the community over the last decade:

This is very sad news especially at this political moment.
I have appreciated y'all's integrity and willingness to hear feedback.
A huge loss to local news reporting.
Your presence made a difference.
You guys definitely made an impact.
Damnit
Damn

“I’m really proud that we were able to just do it at all,” said Co-Founder Brian Clarey. “That we were able to stake our territory, that we were able to speak truth to power for the time that we did and train up so many folks to go on and do things in this industry.”

For Managing Editor Sayaka Matsuoka, it’s bittersweet but she also has no regrets. She says TCB’s ethos of not adhering to the myth of objectivity, of calling out racism and bigotry, comes from a long tradition of movement journalists and organizers before them.

“Anywhere you look in your community, there are going to be people who are pushing back against the atrocities of the world, injustices big and small. So I’m heartened by that. That’s actually the thing that allows me to do this work. If I didn’t feel like there was some semblance of hope and resistance at all times, it would be impossible to do this job,” said Matsuoka.

As TCB prepares to sunset at the end of the month, we had the opportunity to chat with Brian and Sayaka about the role TCB has played in the local news ecosystem, lessons learned from a decade of publishing, what’s kept them going all these years and details on their "Last Anniversary" party happening February 28, from 6-9 pm, at Scuppernong Books.

Find a link to our Q&A in the comments.

01/13/2025

⏰Deadline alert! Get your pitches in today for workshops, panels, trainings & other types of sessions at the 2025 NC News & Info Summit, happening 3/12 in Durham and co-hosted with the Sunshine Center of the North Carolina Open Government Coalition. Don't have a fleshed out idea yet? That's ok! Organizers will help you refine your pitch.

Details: https://airtable.com/appP80Znvhp2jfo4E/shrWgwLYDxLAWgP6r

01/08/2025

Corinne Saunders wouldn’t let a layoff get in the way of providing Outer Banks audiences with accountability and service journalism. She’s four months into the launch of her new publication, Outer Banks Insider, publishing 80+ articles covering everything from dredging permits and federal subpoenas of county officials, to a community chorus going global and a group of kids making their first seafaring mini boat.

This week, we chat with Corinne about her winding journalism career, the people who’ve supported her along the way and what goes into building a new local news organization from the ground up. Learn more below!

01/07/2025

Pitch a session for the NC News & Information Summit, March 12 at NC Central University in Durham!

The annual Summit, hosted jointly by the NC Local News Workshop and the NC Open Government Coalition, coincides with Sunshine Week, a national initiative that promotes access to public information.

Our general themes include community-centered news and information; access to public records and open government; transparency and public institutions; collaboration; sustainability; and diversity, equity and inclusion.

To pitch a session, fill out the form at bit.ly/NCNewsSummitPitch. Deadline extended to January 13th.

Don’t worry if you don’t have all the details finalized just yet. We’re most interested in learning about your proposed topic and purpose. We’ll help you finalize the description and format once selected.

Plus, up to two facilitators for each session will receive free access to the Summit.

12/19/2024

In the early days of Helene, one of the only places to get news and information was Blue Ridge Public Radio. With no cell or internet, community members pulled old radios out of storage and invited neighbors to gather around. Some transcribed what they heard on BPR on paper, then taped it to windows and utility polls. A local hamburger joint, Juicy Lucy’s, put BPR’s frequency on their marquee.

For weeks, BPR staff provided round the clock information on where to get water, food and other necessities. They alerted folks to the volunteer efforts, interviewed countless public officials, and made their way to some of the hardest hit communities. Seven days a week, they aired the Buncombe County press briefings, which staff recapped afterwards to highlight key information. They added Spanish language briefings and news, and packaged overnight programming.

Along the way, they stayed flexible, constantly asking their audience to send in questions and launching new products to serve them.

“Sometimes when you’re making newsroom decisions or strategic decisions about audience distribution, you can let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” said BPR News Director Laura Lee. “The one freeing possibility of something that is this horrible and chaotic is that you can just go ahead and try something.”

As we wrap up 2024, we chatted with Laura Lee to learn about how she and her team approached North Carolina’s biggest story of the year and the lessons learned that other local news and info orgs can use to prepare their own teams for when a disaster strikes. Find a link to our Q&A in the comments.

12/13/2024

Last night we celebrated our Western NC journalists, partners and supporters. We’ve all been working closely over the past couple of months in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, and journalists here continue to cover essential information for WNC communities while still navigating changes to their hometowns. Recovery is not fully complete. The story is not over. We’ll continue our support for newsrooms and communities by working closely with this diverse, engaging collaborative of news and information partners.
To our WNC partners: we are so inspired by you! ❤️

.103.7 & more

12/06/2024

Pate McMichael, the new director of the North Carolina Open Government Coalition, isn’t daunted by the erosion of government transparency in North Carolina. He sees the rollbacks as a call to action that motivates him everyday:

“Getting in here and being an advocate for open government is appealing, especially in these troubled times we’re in, because it gives us purpose.”

Originally from Georgia, McMichael’s worked as a journalist and educator in a number of swing states and finds that many communities are facing the same challenges in keeping public records public. He’s been digging into the history of public records law here in North Carolina, and has plans to use next year’s 90th anniversary of the measure to raise more awareness about its importance to a functioning democracy.

“It’s really interesting how they got it through the legislature and the fact that it didn’t seem to be all that controversial in its day. There was not a big fight over it. If anything it was viewed as a common sense solution to a long term problem of not having good record keeping.”

We had the chance to chat with Pate about his new role and the challenges and opportunities surrounding open government in North Carolina. Pate would also love to assist you in your public records questions, provide trainings to your newsrooms and highlight your stories using public records. Find our Q&A and ways to get in touch at link in bio.

11/27/2024

The news and information business has certainly felt non-stop the past few months so this week’s NC Local newsletter is all about pausing, reflecting and lifting each other up.

We collected your short stories of gratitude and, individually, they are testaments to the bosses that listened, coached and opened doors; the colleagues who offered support when we needed it most; the sources and subscribers at the center of what we do; and the funders who recognize the importance of this work.

Collectively, these tributes demonstrate how our efforts to serve and inform communities are woven together, the threads made stronger and more vibrant as we connect, convene and collaborate.

Thanks to all who contributed to this special edition of NC Local including , .high, , Lexi Solomon, , & .

Read their full gratitude stories at link in bio.

08/12/2022

We're thrilled to welcome six talented news professionals to our inaugural leadership development program for journalists of color in North Carolina. Read more about our vision for this program and the journalists participating:

https://www.elon.edu/u/nclnw/2022/08/09/a-focus-on-retaining-journalists-of-color-and-helping-them-succeed/

06/10/2021

What’s ahead for NC local news? Our founding executive director, Melanie Sill, shares thoughts as she passes the baton. Read her blog post via the link in our bio.

06/02/2021

Welcome Shannan Bowen, our new Executive Director! She brings deep industry, experience, ideas, and passion for local news and democracy. Follow link in our bio to learn more!

06/01/2021

We're delighted to announce that Shannan Bowen has been named our new Executive Director. Her experience, from front-line reporting to audience and content strategy, and her passion for local news as a community service, all add up to a powerful combination that will serve North Carolina well. https://www.elon.edu/u/news/2021/06/01/shannan-bowen-named-executive-director-of-the-nc-local-news-workshop/

The former director of product engagement at McClatchy brings a wealth of media experience to the local news initiative focused on informing and educating North Carolina residents.

06/01/2021

NC journalists: Join us June 2 at 11 am for "Census Prep for NC Media." We're teaming up with Carolina Demography to help prepare for covering the release of Census 2020 data that will be used for redistricting and other purposes. Learn more and register: https://www.elon.edu/u/nclnw/june-2-11-am-noon-census-prep-for-nc-media-what-do-we-know-and-what-should-we-be-doing-now/

05/21/2021

We support Nikole Hannah-Jones' tenured appointment at UNC Hussman. Our statement: https://www.elon.edu/u/nclnw/2021/05/21/we-support-nikole-hannah-jones-tenured-appointment/ Also, watch this page for information on a learning session next week for journalists reporting on The 1619 Project and education issues related to teaching about race and racism.

05/10/2021

Welcome to another where today we are introducing you to Tamara Jeffries. Tamara is the associate professor and chair of the Department of Journalism & Media Studies at Bennett College. Jeffries is experienced in journalism education, freelance and magazine editing. An experienced writer and editor, her work has been published widely in national and regional publications, and she held several executive roles, including executive editor of Essence magazine and editor in chief of HealthQuest magazine. To meet the rest of our advisory board, click the link in the bio and check them out on our website!

05/06/2021

Asheville Watchdog, born out of a chat during a cocktail party before the pandemic, is celebrating one year in operation as a free, nonpartisan, nonprofit digital news service with a volunteer staff. Publisher Bob Gremillion writes about the mission, celebrates the year's highlights, thanks a lot of partners and calls for ideas for the work ahead in an anniversary post. Head over to this week’s newsletter so see what he had to say!

05/03/2021

Happy ! Today we are introducing you to Ryan Thornburg. Ryan is an associate professor of journalism at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media and visiting lecturer in digital media at Duke University’s DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy. At UNC, he inaugurated the Carolina Data Desk and is a go-to advisor for North Carolina reporters pursuing data journalism questions. To see more of our incredible advisory board, click the link in our bio!

04/29/2021

Mark your calendars! In May 14 we are partnering with the Asian American Journalists Association. We will host a Zoom panel and discussion focused on how North Carolina media can advance better connections and coverage for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and for journalists in our newsrooms. The event aims to help North Carolina stakeholders gain from important dialogue that emerged in response to recent violence and rhetoric targeting AAPI people, including resources for accurate and ethical coverage and best practices identified by AAJA and other sources. WUNC's Anita Rao will moderate the conversation, which will include journalists and community leaders. Click the link in our bio to learn more and register!!