News and Posts
The Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media is proud to host original article series, reports from faculty and researchers, and events promoting collaboration among researchers, journalists and universities. Browse our library of articles, videos, interviews, announcements, upcoming events and more.
Forbes cites Penny Abernathy in COVID-19 coverage article
This Forbes piece examines a paradox of the coronavirus pandemic: While COVID-19 is one of the biggest stories of a generation, spiking readership and viewership of almost every type of media, advertising dollars — still a main revenue source for…
UNC Table Stakes participants ‘heroes’ for their COVID-19 coverage
A recent Q&A with PEN America spotlighted the COVID-19 coverage of Scalawag Magazine, a member of Cohort 1 of the UNC-Knight Foundation Table Stakes Newsroom Initiative. Part of PEN America’s “Local Journalist Heroes” series, the piece highlights the work of…
Case study: Sling TV
Sling TV has continued its momentum as a front-runner of the streaming TV pack. Even more customers are turning to online avenues to view programming. Of an estimated 5 million subscribers, nearly half chose the Dish Network service as their provider. But despite…
Covering COVID-19: How one small weekly is coping
Poynter’s Kristen Hare examines how a two-person weekly in Virginia — the Greene County Record — is innovating to cover the COVID-19 pandemic in a piece that cites the U.S. News Deserts research of UNC Knight Chair in Journalism and…
UNC Table Stakes participant providing free at-home content for NC students
UNC-TV, a three-time participant in the UNC-Knight Foundation Table Stakes Initiative, is providing free, curriculum-informed content for North Carolina students, over-the-air and streamed online. By executive order of the governor, public schools across North Carolina are closed due to COVID-19…
A review of Our Chatham
Our Chatham was born less than two years ago. UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media Associate Professor Ryan Thornburg had an idea — and around June of 2018, he brought it to a Reese News Lab student, Alexis Allston,…
What history teaches us: How newspapers have evolved to meet market demands
Throughout history, newspapers have had to adapt to constantly changing business conditions. This excerpt is from an article published in the SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society, which will serve as a reference for undergraduate and graduate students.…
Cultivating digital ‘oases’ in the local news landscape
The Google News Initiative announced Project Oasis today in a blog from UNC CISLM Director Susan Leath. In my 30 years of working in journalism, I’ve seen first-hand the value of trusted news sources that help citizens connect and engage.…
A conversation with the News & Observer’s Robyn Tomlin: Local news coverage in the time of COVID-19
Robyn Tomlin is the Executive Editor at the News & Observer and Southeast Regional Editor for McClatchy. A Carolina native, Tomlin majored in journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill and was an editor of the Daily Tar Heel. She went on to become the…
Penny Abernathy’s local news research cited in articles about media’s challenges covering COVID-19
As media outlets across the nation work to cover COVID-19, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of local news. Publications across the nation have cited UNC Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics Penny Abernathy’s groundbreaking local news research…
Penny Abernathy interviewed on supporting local news during COVID-19
This New York Times piece quotes Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics Penny Abernathy’s U.S. News Deserts research in a piece examining coronavirus’ effect on local news as the pandemic cuts off ads and live events, hitting outlets…
LISTEN: Penny Abernathy interviewed for three-part podcast series on the state of local news
UNC Knight Chair in Journalism and Digital Media Economics Penny Abernathy provided her insights for a three-part podcast series produced by Pew Charitable Trusts examining the issues facing local news and signs of hope for the industry’s future. The first…