In this episode, Rebecca talks with Walt Potter and Elizabeth Stephens of the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri about the Potter Digital Ambassadors program, which sends student digital natives into small community newsrooms for an intensive week of hands-on work. Stephens explains how ambassadors help newsrooms with little or no digital staff launch email newsletters, build social media templates, set up analytics, and find workflow efficiencies that free up capacity. Potter shares how the program grew out of conversations with community publishers, including a small-town publisher who simply asked for a journalism student to help build her a website, and why he believes local papers remain essential as trusted sources in their communities.

They also discuss how the program balances listening to what newsrooms ask for with introducing what they may not know they need, including the growing role of AI tools and the shift in how readers find news. Stephens reflects on what makes the change last after the ambassador leaves, from leadership buy-in to a first-time fundraising campaign that brought in significant revenue, and Potter looks ahead to how the program might help publishers tackle revenue challenges. They close with how newsrooms in Kansas, Tennessee, Iowa, Vermont, and Missouri can get involved.