Connecting the dots between the cybersecurity challenges of today and the topics that matter to you.
Join us for the 9th annual Aspen Cyber Summit in Washington, DC, on September 18!
Connecting the dots between the cybersecurity challenges of today and the topics that matter to you.
Join us for the 9th annual Aspen Cyber Summit in Washington, DC, on September 18!
Ken Doctor at the Local News Summit. Photo: Jessica Yurinko.
It was a hellish winter for journalism. More than 500 journalists lost their jobs in January alone, and the layoffs continued into February and March.
Speaking at the 2024 Local News Summit hosted by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism and Aspen Digital, Christopher Baxter, the CEO and president of Spotlight PA said publishers must focus on retaining their talent.
“Reporters are the beating heart of what we do. We need to recognize that and think about how we support staff and make sure their salary, benefits, culture are fair and keeps people around.”
– Christopher Baxter, Spotlight PA CEO & President
Here are some of the ideas shared and needs identified around how to retain talent:
“Lots of people who work in newsrooms don’t understand organizational development. We need instructions on how to develop culture.”
– Cierra Brown Hinton, Blue Engine Collaborative Development Director
“It shouldn’t be about how cheaply you can do it, but what you can do to support the staff and community. More largely, we need to focus now on re-professionalizing this business, both in the newsrooms and on the business side.”
– Ken Doctor, Lookout Local Founder
“News deserts are also food, transit, and broadband deserts. Does the need for news outweigh those other concerns,” asked S. Mitra Kalita.
Lessons from the 3rd annual Local News Summit show how local news leaders are tackling the challenges of our time.