Local Journalism Researchers Workshop

Building Resilience: Policy Levers for Local News and the Future of Civic Information

The DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy at Duke University and the Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media at the University of North Carolina are pleased to be hosting the 2026 Local Journalism Researchers Workshop. Organized with the support of the Knight Foundation, the Workshop will bring together researchers across the academic, industry, non-profit, and government sectors. The 2026 workshop will be held April 16th and 17th at Duke University’s Washington, DC facilities. 

This year’s workshop theme is Building Resilience: Policy Levers for Local Journalism and the Future of Civic Information. As local news and information ecosystems continue to evolve, and as policy actions (and inactions) related to local journalism continue to be a focus of deliberation, this year’s workshop will be devoted to local journalism as a public policy issue. Specific topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

• Political, economic, and cultural rationales for policy interventions to support local journalism

• Concerns and challenges associated with government support for local journalism

• Changes in regulations governing the media and/or tech sectors, and their implications for local journalism

• Innovative policy proposals for supporting and sustaining local journalism

• The future of local public broadcasting in the face of funding cuts

• State and local government initiatives to support local journalism

• Assessments of the impact of policy initiatives directed at supporting local journalism

• Analyses of the policy processes related to local journalism

Interested participants can submit a participation proposal of no more than 500 words below. Note that proposals do not need to involve the presentation of completed research projects. 

The Local Journalism Researchers Workshop brings together researchers across the academic, industry, non-profit, and government sectors.