It’s Happening Here, by Central Current Ep. 2 - Public Policy Approaches to the Local News Crisis

Journalist and local news advocate Steven Waldman speaks with Central Current’s Executive Director Maximilian Eyle about public policy options that would strengthen regional newsrooms. Through tax credits and other subsidies, he argues that government can play an ethical and effective role in reversing the decline of local journalism. Waldman and Eyle discuss the New York State Local Journalism Sustainability Act and the ways in which local news investments can help repair our fractured information landscape while saving taxpayers money. Steven Waldman is the founder and president of Rebuild Local News. He is also the co-founder and former president of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in newsrooms across America. Before becoming an advocate for local journalism, Waldman was a journalist covering national politics for Newsweek, U.S. News and World Reports and Washington Monthly. He has also been published in The Atlantic, The New York Times, and the Washington Post, among other publications. Later, while serving as Senior Adviser to the Chairman of the FCC, Waldman authored a report outlining the information needs of communities.