Jessica Mahone, a celebrated researcher and advocate for local journalism, has been named interim director of the Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media.
Mahone, who previously served as CISLM’s research director, steps into the leadership role with a decade of experience in media research. Her career has focused on the sustainability of local news organizations and the role of journalism in fostering informed communities.
“Local journalism is vital to the health of our communities and democracy,” Mahone said. “I’m honored to step into this role at CISLM and continue the Center’s work in supporting news organizations through this critical time.”
CISLM, housed within the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, works with local news outlets across North Carolina and the country to provide research, resources and innovative strategies for long-term success.
Before joining the Center, Mahone was a research associate at the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy at Duke University. There, she studied the intersection of media policy, technology and democracy, work that has helped inform public discourse on the future of journalism in a digital age. Her work there has been featured on “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj.”
She’s also worked at the journalism support level, working at Democracy Fund and Report for America on the research, impact and evaluation fronts.
Her expertise also includes developing strategies for supporting local newsrooms as they adapt to the rapid changes in the media industry. At CISLM, Mahone has led studies on labor issues, newsroom unionization, information ecosystem mapping and more.
As interim director, Mahone will continue to focus on integrating research with education and outreach programming by incorporating a research component into newsroom training program and leveraging center resources to share knowledge with the field.