'Don't count us out': Joy Fox talks local newspapers, transparency in government

Joy Fox owns Beacon Media, which publishes the Warwick Beacon, Cranston Herald and Johnston Sun Rise, along with The Reminder, a weekly shopping guide. She bought the news organization last year from legendary publisher John Howell and expressed optimism about the sustainability of the local newspaper model."Don't count us out because I believe that the trends right now are actually coming squarely over local news," Fox said. "People really want to know what is happening at their city hall, what is happening in their schools and what's happening next door."Fox, who started reporting in high school for the Herald, has also had a career outside media, working as a communications specialist. She worked both privately and for various government agencies and politicians, including former Gov. Gina Raimondo and Rep. Jim Langevin. (She also ran and lost for a seat in the U.S. House in 2022.)In recent weeks, Fox's team has been looking into an issue in Cranston where there's been a proposal to end the long practice of publishing special meetings in the local newspaper. Local governments often pay to advertise meetings in local news outlets, which means the advertisements help Fox's business. But she also highlighted that doing away with such advertisements damages transparency in government, and there are questions still circling around how the proposal emerged."I am confident to say the Cranston Herald won't go out of business over legal ads, and that's good," she said. "To me, the larger issue is we should be increasing transparency and the ease of it for people to access information."Later in the show, Kim and Eli discussed the "Stories We Wish We Wrote," which included a cooking segment Kim did for "The Rhode Show" ahead of Thanksgiving. Other stories included (not all mentioned on air):Kim's picksInspector General uncovers ‘grossly mismanaged’ Pope’s Island Marina by Colin Hogan, The New Bedford LightThe Last Don of Providence by the Target 12 Investigators and 12 News.Eli’s picksFamily disputes police account in death of Woonsocket man by Corey Plante, The Valley BreezeRI Energy drops plan for $150 million in winter bill discounts by Ted Nesi and Sarah Guernelli, 12 NewsWatch “Behind the Story” Thursdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on the WPRI 12+ TV app.How to download the free WPRI 12+ smart TV appIt airs on TV (Sundays at 8 a.m. on FOX Providence and 11 a.m. on The CW Providence), and will be available on demand through the WPRI 12+ app and right here on WPRI.com.“Behind the Story” is hosted by Eli Sherman and Kim Kalunian of 12 News, along with Dan McGowan of the Boston Globe.