The Challenges and Future of Local Radio: Implications for Democracy 2/24/21

Marking the 30th anniversary of WJFF Radio Catskill, this special webinar will feature an address by Paul Cheung, Director/ Journalism + Technology Innovation, Knight Foundation and a panel of local news professionals: Mike Sakell, News Director, Bold Gold Media Group; Edward Lundquist, Associate Editor, Manor Ink; Laurie Stuart, Publisher, The River Reporter; Duncan Cooper, former editor-in-chief, The Fader and member, WJFF Board of Trustees; and Jason Dole, Program Director, WJFF Radio Catskill. Participants will be able to pose questions through the Zoom chat function.

Thane Peterson, president of the WJFF Radio Catskill Board of Trustees, will moderate the panel discussion. “We are living in a time when local news may be hard to find, fact-based news hard to distinguish from opinion, and a flood of sources difficult to navigate,” says Peterson, a former journalist, who believes that without comprehensive news coverage of local events and decision making or analysis of pertinent state and national events at the local level, democracy is at risk. “New ways of consuming news and opinion are increasing rapidly in our digital world,” he says. “We need to examine what is changing and how it might affect our ability as citizens to make informed choices.”

James Lomax, a former Board of Trustees President and long-time WJFF Radio Catskill volunteer, will close the 90- minute program.