4 insights about news audiences from building AI chatbots for local newsrooms
From our Local NewsBot Studio report, local news audiences are open to engaging with AI, if it’s helpful, honest and relevant.
State and local legislative support for local news is on the rise — why?
While public policy initiatives to support local media aren’t new, they are rapidly changing — here’s an overview of where we are now and how we got here.
4 states introduce local news bills for the first time while others strengthen existing support
Local news legislation is growing: Since our last update, 38 news bills were introduced across 15 states, more than the total number of bills introduced in the previous two years combined.
Why we’re building chatbots with local newsrooms
Our newest research experiment is a model we’re proud of: A hands-on, newsroom-centered pilot combining product development with industry-focused research.
6 takeaways from the AI and Future of Local Journalism pre-conference
Participants gathered on March 16 for a deep dive into one of the industry’s pressing issues: AI’s role in the future of local journalism.
5 takeaways from the 2025 Local Journalism Researchers Workshop
The 2025 workshop highlighted the importance of inclusive, community-engaged research and the importance of connecting this research with the larger journalism field.
Q&A with news deserts researcher, Brittany Shaughnessy
“We wanted to test if the general public had the same perception of nonprofit news and what those organizations do as people working in the news industry.”
Jessica Mahone named interim director of CISLM
At CISLM, Mahone has led studies on labor issues, newsroom unionization, information ecosystem mapping and more.
Q&A with news and info researcher, Michael Lipka
“If I had to pull out one lesson, it would be to be very conscious that people are getting local news from all sorts of different sources, not just local news outlets.”
11 news orgs grow audience through election funnel training
Here’s how 5 news orgs improved their digital footprint to get their reporting in front of new voting audiences.
Kent State students produce statewide politics coverage
Lorenz was one of 52 faculty across 24 states who was selected, as university partnerships with news organizations to fill coverage gaps continues.
Q&A with local news researcher, Andrew Trexler
“I think the increasing attention to the challenge from not only academics and from journalists, but also from public policy scholars and from local and state governments is really exciting.”