The Maine Community Foundation (MaineCF) announced Wednesday the launch of a new initiative to strengthen Maine communities by ensuring strong, local news coverage in all parts of the state. MaineCF applied and has been selected by the nonpartisan philanthropic initiative Press Forward to become one of 36 independent chapters nationwide.

Press Forward and Press Forward Maine share the goal of strengthening communities by reinvigorating local news. Press Forward Maine will be housed within MaineCF and led by Senior Advisor Lisa DeSisto, former CEO of Maine Today Media and the Maine Trust for Local News. The initial focus will be building a broad-based advisory panel to identify and prioritize the best ways to reimagine and expand access to local reporting.

“Our own research and the ‘Strengthening Maine’s Civic Life’ report we funded last year tell us two things,” said MaineCF CEO Deborah Ellwood. “One, most people in Maine are interested in reading and learning about their communities but, two, may encounter barriers for understanding how they can engage and participate locally. Press Forward Maine will bring people and resources together to close that gap because quality reporting means people can learn about any issue, understand how to get involved, have their voice heard and find solutions together. We are very pleased Lisa DeSisto is joining to help lead this effort as senior advisor and excited to get to work with our donors and partners.”

DeSisto, who also worked at the Boston Globe for 17 years before leading Maine’s largest media organization through many changes over 13 years, said, “I know all too well that these are changing times in the news business. This is important work and am glad to continue as senior advisor to Press Forward Maine. We are committed to contributing to a vibrant media ecosystem by partnering with large and small news organizations. As a nonprofit community foundation with a 42-year record of working in communities across all 16 Maine counties, Maine Community Foundation is the perfect institution to convene media partners and craft new models for collaboration and innovation to better engage with Maine people.”

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The Center for Community News at UVM annual benchmark study reveals significant growth in university-led reporting programs in 2025. Among the more than 200 news-academic programs across the country, 48 new ones have been initiated since the data was last collected in 2024.

“Colleges of every size are stepping up to help fill critical information gaps in their communities,” said CCN Director Richard Watts. “And their students are getting invaluable hands-on experience in the process.”

News-academic reporting programs have emerged as one viable solution to the crisis facing local news, and an opportunity for the next generation to engage with their communities. The Center for Community News at UVM is the only organization in the nation tracking the growth of this field and its potential to help reimagine a sustainable future for local journalism.

2025 was a big year for news-academic reporting programs. CCN found that public and Minority Serving Institutions are leading the pack. Other attributes of strong news-academic programs include the presence of experienced faculty-practitioners and statewide collaborations across colleges.

Here are a few key findings from the 2025 data:

• 172 colleges and universities in the U.S. have existing or emerging news-academic partnerships today.
• There are 227 total news-academic programs in existence or emerging (some schools now offer multiple programs).
• There are 48 emerging news-academic programs in 2025, a 27 percent increase over 2024.
• Minority Serving Institutions now run 40 news-academic reporting programs.
• 69 percent of news-academic reporting programs are at public institutions and 31 percent are at private institutions.

Learn more and read the full report

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has announced the 2025 Hall of Fame inductees and special honors recipients, recognizing influential figures who have made significant contributions to journalism. Among the honorees are two Boston-area journalism leaders: Callie Crossley and Gregory L. Moore.

Callie Crossley, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1988, is a member of the prestigious Academy of New England Journalists and a recipient of the Yankee Quill Award in 2019. She has made a lasting impact as a respected commentator, radio host, and advocate for media diversity. Her work on GBH and in broader journalism circles has elevated critical conversations about race, culture, and community.

Gregory L. Moore spent many years at The Boston Globe, rising through the ranks to become managing editor in 1994. During his tenure, he supervised coverage of major events such as the September 11 attacks and the Charles Stuart case. Moore’s leadership at the Globe set the stage for his subsequent role as editor of The Denver Post, where, during his tenure, The Denver Post won four Pulitzer Prizes.

Both will be honored during the #NABJ25 Convention & Career Fair in Cleveland, OH, Aug 6 – 10, 2025. The Hall of Fame Induction and Luncheon will be held on Friday, Aug. 8, at 12 PM EDT.

Read the full announcement from NABJ here to learn more about all of this year’s inductees and their remarkable careers.

Among this week’s Pulitzer Prize winners, the Local Reporting award, shared by the Baltimore Banner and the New York Times, showcased how data and collaboration fuel breakthrough journalism at scale. The broader collaboration behind this effort—documenting how the fentanyl crisis has disproportionately affected a generation of older Black men—included Stanford’s Big Local News and nine other news outlets across the country, from the Boston Globe to the San Francisco Standard. Each publication reported and ran stories that leveraged the same underlying data from the CDC, but with the proper context for each city.

The nature of this collaboration was one of the topics at last month’s Story Discovery at Scale convening at Stanford University, hosted by Big Local News. In its third year, the event brought together about 70 data journalists, product folks, academics and multi-hyphenates of local news. Over two days, they shared the latest best practices and worked on new ideas for tools, training and collaborative approaches to help newsrooms unlock stories, add context and increase output.

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As the summer and fall months approach, it’s an ideal time for journalists to consider opportunities for professional development, networking, and industry insights. Conferences provide a valuable chance to connect with peers, exchange ideas, and sharpen your skills in an ever-evolving media landscape.

If you can’t get out to one of the live events, there are numerous free or low-cost webinars available year-round. NENPA curates a list of these at https://www.nenpa.com/calendar/. In addition, the NENPA University’s summer webinar series will be starting up soon, offering virtual training sessions designed to keep you up to date on the latest industry trends, tools, and strategies.

Whether you’re a conference veteran or a first-time attendee, this is the season to engage with colleagues, discover best practices, and gain fresh perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing journalism today. From large industry gatherings to specialized events focused on investigative reporting, digital transformation, and community journalism, there are numerous options to consider.

Poynter has curated a growing list of journalism conferences happening throughout 2025, including both in-person and virtual options. If you know of one they’ve missed, be sure to let them know. Check out the full list here to start planning your professional development for the year ahead.