Sure, it’s a promotional piece for Microsoft products, but the story it tells of Katherine Ann “Kat” Rowlands’ journey from summer intern for Bay City News Service to its owner 35 years later is a tale that we think more people should know. The Exedra is proud to support Rowlands’ efforts at keeping local news alive and pleased to feature stories from the newswire and Local News Matters on our site.
From the piece:
Her efforts are being lauded within the industry, as it seeks survival while struggling to tell its own story.
“There’s a core need in a democratic society to have fact-based information,” says Joaquin Alvarado, a consultant for media companies such as The Seattle Times. “But most consumers and readers don’t know how local news happens. The critical coverage news organizations like Bay City News provide might feel mundane, until it’s gone.”
Thousands of communities have lost their local newspapers, and the lack of oversight has increased costs for local governments, research shows — a burden borne by taxpayers.
So those who are innovating to keep reporters at work are “heroes of the local journalism movement,” Alvarado says. “Kat is the exact kind of person we need leading in this space. We need people like her who are committed enough, stubborn enough, courageous enough to take on these legacies and transform them before they go dark.”