Sept. 19 Marks 45th Anniversary of Black Monday — Dateline: Youngstown, Ohio. Sept. 19 will mark the 45th anniversary of what some call the birth of the Rust Belt. Others refer to it as the death of America’s working class. Call it what you will, but in Youngstown, it’s simply called Black Monday. It was on that fateful day…

I Drove 4,000 Miles. Here’s What I Learned About News Today — After a 4,000-mile drive across the country and back this July, here’s what I learned about the state of news: If there is a national conversation taking place in America today, no one knows it’s happening. The national news bubble — driven by news produced out of New York —…

People love to hate the media. How much depends upon many factors. Stories that appear in the news are a trigger, for sure. How they are covered is another issue. …

Episode 5 of FMC’s Local News in America Project — In an area of the country that inspired Thorton Wilder’s “Our Town,” one New Hampshire newspaper has been chronicling the life and times of its community since 1799. Today, it covers everything you’d expect from a local paper: A new mayor elected by a landslide, a zoning change to create…

Tech Brought Many Formats, Different Rules — What the heck happened? That’s really all people want to know about news today. Older generations refer to what they were taught in school — “news is *supposed* to be fair and objective” — while younger generations generally have no idea what news is. …

It’s a Symptom of Something Bigger — This is one of those things the public doesn’t notice. At least, not at first. And that’s precisely how the news media manages to get away with it. The “it” in this scenario is breaking news. How it’s handled is a vital indicator of the health of a news outlet. …

EP4 of Local News in America Project Takes Us Back to 1785 — The Register-Star covers both sides of the Hudson River. It prides itself on maintaining legacy newspapers, the oldest of which dates back to 1785, and training reporters to go on to more prominent journalism careers. The farm team culture means it is often if not always, hiring. In Episode Four…

The ‘News Surprise’ is an Annual Tradition. Buckle Up! — Publishing for the sake of publishing is the mantra of the apprentice, not the master. October isn’t a notable month so much for what it ushers in but rather for taking strange things and making them seem normal. For instance, pumpkin spice in our coffee. Christmas decor stuffing the aisles…

Local News in America Series, EP3 — How the Santa Fe New Mexican became a testament to the importance of local news ownership is straightforward: The independent daily was sold to Gannett. A decade later, it was back to its previous owner. The cost-cutting measures for which Gannett is famous didn’t sit well with Robert M. McKinney…