If we want local news to survive in the 21st century, we need to think about what it means to be local and reconsider how local news is funded

Christopher Ali, an assistant professor of media studies at the University of Virginia and the author of “Media Localism: The Policies of Place,” argues that “if we are really serious about local media in the 21st century,” three things need to be considered and changed: First, Ali says “we need to have a more inclusive conversation on the issue of local media”; second, “we need to think long and hard about what it means to be local in the digital age and the communication technologies that provide local media”; and third, “we need to reconsider how we fund and support local media, especially local news.”

+ “I think there are always more great stories than reporters to tell them. Part of what we’re hoping to do is to build on a rich and thriving landscape. The model for ProPublica is collaboration, and always has been,” says ProPublica Illinois editor in chief Louise Kiernan in a Q&A with Columbia Journalism Review (CJR)