By RHIANNON EVANS
Local journalists said on June 14 that voter participation is higher and interest rates on loans for public projects tend to be lower in communities with dedicated newspapers or news sites.
In turn, they said, news organizations that have the support of the communities where they publish tend to be more successful.
Editors from College Park Here & Now, Greenbelt News Review, The Bowie Sun, The Intersection Magazine and WTOP weighed in on the value of hyperlocal journalism at a panel discussion sponsored by Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, which publishes College Park Here & Now.
The monthly newspaper hosted the event to celebrate the fifth anniversary of its founding in 2020.
“Being able to have local voices, creating the local stories, and ensuring that our community sees themselves in the papers that they are receiving is something that’s very important,” Marta McLellan Ross, the president of the board of directors for Streetcar Suburbs Publishing, said.
In response to questions from moderator Sharon O’Malley, the managing editor of College Park Here & Now, the panelists focused on issues such as funding and the benefits of local journalism within communities during a time when local news outlets are in crisis.
According to the Medill Local News Initiative’s 2024 report from Northwestern University, roughly 130 local news organizations across the country closed in 2024.
“It’s a laborious and intensive profession, and if you don’t have the money to pay for that labor, it’s very challenging to have the type of content that you want,” Catherine Hollingsworth, the founder of The Bowie Sun, said.
One of the biggest obstacles these news organizations face is the need for funding, according to multiple panelists. Hollingsworth, Ross and Anna Bedford-Dillow of Greenbelt News Review said they rely on volunteers to report and write for them.
“We have about 50 volunteers, which I think is so amazing to have as many people interested in writing for their communities,” Ross, a volunteer who also works full-time as the senior vice president of government and external affairs at NPR, said.
The editors said they make up for their lack of paid staff by working with University of Maryland and Bowie State University journalism students, including some who get class credit.
The editors said they also work with non-student residents who live in their communities to write columns.
“We have people who report for the Golden Age Club, or there’s someone who likes to write theater reviews for us, things like that,” Bedford-Dillow said. “When we have to do some investigative reporting and it’s not a volunteer-led thing, we’re very grateful for our interns. The partnership with the University of Maryland is invaluable.”
Delonte Harrod, founder of The Intersection Magazine, said local editors can help train community volunteers and college interns as the next generation of local journalists.
Harrod said he taught a journalism course for community members in Southern Prince George’s County, where he trained them in how to produce quality stories about their neighborhoods.
“I was amazed by how many people are interested in being journalists,” Harrod, whose publication covers Southern Prince George’s County, said. “Like, they want to start a career freelancing and hopefully getting to become a full-time journalist.”
Monique Hayes, the morning news director for WTOP, said the broadcaster covers national, regional and local news, noting that one reporter is dedicated to Prince George’s County.
“I run the editorial meeting and I just have to make sure that we have a story every day from the county,” Hayes said.