The Society of Editors (SoE) will take part in a debate this week on the future of local journalism staged jointly by the Consulate Generals of the UK and Canada in New York.
‘Getting to the Truth: Why local news matters’ will discuss the changing face of local news in Britain and Canada as well as the USA and focus and how it can survive.
Taking part will be Ian Murray, executive director of the SoE as well as Jeanette Ageson, publisher of The Tyee in British Columbia and Hasani Gitten, deputy editor of the New York-based The City.
Moderating the event will be Thomas Kent, adjunct associate professor at Columbia University.
Ian Murray commented: “The challenges to local news are international, but the solutions may differ. This should prove a fascinating discussion.”
The video event is free and registration can be found here. (Attendees will receive a Zoom link the day before the event.) The debate begins at 1pm EST (6pm in the UK) on Thursday, June 25.
The event is expected to shine a spotlight on the importance of local journalism in creating an informed citizenry and fostering a sense of community as well as tackling some of the economic challenges local outlets face.
In July 2019 the UK and Canada hosted the first ever Global Conference on Media Freedom, which examined the challenges facing journalists around the world and included a large focus on building trust in the media, countering disinformation, and ensuring media sustainability.
In December 2019 the UK and Canadian Consulate Generals in New York held an event called “Getting to the Truth: journalism, technology and the (un)reliability of information” in partnership with Reuters at which CNN Anchor Brian Stelter and Washington Post Opinion writer Jason Rezaian participated.
*The Tyee is an independent online Canadian news magazine that primarily covers British Columbia. It was founded in November 2003 by its editor-in-chief, David Beers, an award-winning writer and former features editor at The Vancouver Sun
* The City launched in April 2019 as a non-profit, nonpartisan, digital news platform dedicated to hard-hitting reporting serving the people of New York.
New York image courtesy of The Telegraph
