Jtm-pnw-session-not-hyperlocal

Participant List: Jim Mcginley - Ashoka Chris Nilsson - Campaign Shoutin' Don Smith - Post Globe Daniel Lathrop - Investigate West Michael Bradbury - REALScience Chris Zarm - Deutscher Presse Verbrand Daysha Eaton - Superstringer.com Susan Gleason - Yes Magazine David Beers - The Tyee Lawrence Pintak - Murrow College of Communications (WSU) Jessica Partnow - Common Language Project Alex Stonehill - Common Language Project

Topic: How can we (re)connect local audiences with quality international and national reporting?

We talked about why we should care about the reduction of international and national coverage:

• Audiences benefit from international perspective - increased political understanding - avoid insulation from global issues
• Its a shame to lose the depth of knowledge and experience foreign correspondents had
• Hyperlocalism may prove to be a fad

Spent some time articulating/bemoaning our problem:

• International and national reporting is expensive
• This has traditionally been "prestige" coverage for papers and networks, that was supported by other kinds of reporting, so as their revenues have eroded, this is the first stuff on the chopping block
• Bad content gets more clicks than good content
• Chicken and egg of global ignorance in American culture (media has had a causal role)

And talked about new opportunities and solutions:

• Advertising can support issue based national and intl. coverage
• Reporting international stories explicitly tailored/relevant to local audeinces
• Natl and Intl. stories/outlets tailored to niche audiences
• Advocacy groups funding freelance reporting to raise awareness of their issues
• Foundations like Pulitzer Center also increasingly supporting international freelancers
• More quality reporting is being produced by local journos in other countries (so we don't need American journos going overseas as much)
• A new global generation is coming of age now (cultural commonality between youth around the globe)
• Seattle is a globally oriented city, so we have an easier audience to engage than in most cities
• Tap in to local immigrant communities as a source and audience for intl. reporting
• The Global Post Model (Venture capitalists seem to think they'll make $, but they don't pay reporters very well)
• The al-Jazeera model (Convince Oil Billionaires that international coverage is important)
• Re-envision world news to appeal to a teenage audience
• Education and media literacy today to cultivate thirst for intl. reporting tomorrow