Former New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet believes the erosion of local journalism is helping drive America’s civic and political divisions.

In this conversation recorded at Local Media Fest 2026 in Chicago, Baquet explains why strong local reporting gives communities a shared identity, helps residents understand the decisions affecting their lives and strengthens democracy.

Baquet also shares a lesson local newsrooms can take from The New York Times: Ask what journalism you can provide every day that your audience cannot get anywhere else. He discusses the need for news organizations to communicate their value, become more transparent about editorial decisions and own their mistakes.

Baquet now leads The New York Times’ Local Investigations Fellowship, supporting reporters pursuing ambitious accountability journalism in communities across the country.

In this episode:

• Why the erosion of local news affects the entire country

• What local publishers can learn from The New York Times

• How news deserts weaken accountability

• Why communities must financially support local journalism

• How transparency can rebuild audience trust

• Baquet’s work supporting local investigative reporters

Keep It Local is a podcast of Local Media Association, hosted by Ryan Welton. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, or if you'd like to sponsor it — email Lindsey Estes at lindsey.estes@localmedia.org and Ryan Welton at ryan.welton@localmedia.org.

What does the local news crisis actually cost communities?

According to new research from Rebuild Local News, the answer is about $1.1 billion every year in higher borrowing costs alone.

Keep It Local host Ryan Welton sits down with Matt Baker, director of research at Rebuild Local News, to discuss the organization's latest report and why communities without watchdog journalism pay more to finance schools, roads and public infrastructure.

They also explore the broader consequences of news deserts, including civic engagement, public accountability, financial misconduct and the growing body of research showing that local journalism delivers measurable economic value.

• Why lenders charge more when local news disappears
• The connection between watchdog journalism and taxpayer costs
• Examples of communities where accountability reporting made a difference
• The broader economic impacts of news deserts
• Why rebuilding local journalism will require more than one solution

Guest: Matt Baker, Director of Research, Rebuild Local News

Learn more about Rebuilding Local News at https://www.rebuildlocalnews.org/

If you'd like to be a guest on the Keep It Local podcast or, perhaps, to sponsor Keep It Local — reach out to Lindsey Estes at lindsey.estes@localmedia.org and Ryan Welton at ryan.welton@localmedia.org

Artificial intelligence is creating new possibilities for local newsrooms — including finding stories that they might not otherwise know about.

In this episode of Keep It Local, host Ryan Welton sits down with Jim Haddadin, investigative editor at Connecticut Public, and Susan Bell, senior director of data and digital services, to discuss the organization's award-winning Public Meeting Monitor.

The AI-powered system analyzes government meetings, identifies potentially newsworthy developments, and helps reporters uncover stories happening across communities throughout Connecticut.

The conversation also explores Curio, Connecticut Public's audience-support chatbot, along with broader lessons about newsroom adoption, transparency, audience trust, and the future of AI in local journalism.

Topics discussed:

• Why Connecticut Public built the Public Meeting Monitor
• How AI reviews and summarizes public meetings
• The role of human journalists in the reporting process
• Stories that originated from AI-generated news tips
• Building audience-service tools with AI
• Lessons for local news organizations exploring AI
• Where newsroom innovation is headed next

Guests:

Jim Haddadin, Investigative Editor, Connecticut Public

Susan Bell, Senior Director of Data and Digital Services, Connecticut Public

Hosted by Ryan Welton for Local Media Association's Keep It Local podcast.