This free one-hour Solutions Journalism Network webinar will explore the basic principles and pillars of solutions journalism, talk about why it’s important, explain key steps in reporting a solutions story, and share tips and resources for journalists interested in investigating how people are responding to social problems. We will also explore additional resources we have on hand for your reporting, including the Solutions Story Tracker, a database of more than 15,000 stories tagged by beat, publication, author, location, and more, a virtual heat map of what’s working around the world.

Keeping the Light On: Holding Government Accountable

A free, public event on government transparency and the First Amendment

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides for the “right of the people to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” But what does that mean and how does it work?

On Monday, March 10, from 5:30 p.m. to  7 p.m. at the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications and the New England First Amendment Coalition (NEFAC) are celebrating Sunshine Week with an expert panel discussion, Keeping the Light On: Holding Government Accountable. The event will be held at the Nackey S. Loeb School, inside the NH Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH.

It is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required.

Hosted annually in celebration of Sunshine Week, this panel will examine the values of open and responsive government and how we all play a role. The conversation, moderated by Annmarie Timmins, reporter at NH Public Radio, will feature Gilles Bissonnette, legal director, ACLU of  New Hampshire; Emily Gray Rice, City Solicitor for the city of Manchester, NH; and Gregory V. Sullivan of Malloy & Sullivan, a First Amendment law specialist and board member of the host organizations. 

Sunshine Week is a national initiative supported by the Society of Professional Journalists to educate the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of excessive and unnecessary secrecy.

Join us on March 13 at the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law for a vital discussion on the crisis in affordable healthcare. With healthcare costs continuing to rise, the affordability crisis is threatening federal, state, and family budgets, with almost 70% of people in New Hampshire delaying or going without healthcare in the last year due to cost.  Federal and state policy responses are in flux.   

Award-winning health reporter Noam N. Levey, a senior correspondent with KFF Health News, and Health and Life Sciences Law Professor Lucy Hodder will discuss federal and state responses to this crisis and their prospects for making healthcare more – or less – affordable.

Recent developments that could have major consequences include cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, drastic changes to the ACA and its individual marketplace coverage, and a departure from previous Trump and Biden administration efforts to cut prescription drug prices.

The discussion will be moderated by Laura Knoy, Community Engagement Director for Rudman Center.  

When: March 13, 2025, 5:45 – 7:15 p.m., followed by a reception.

Where: The UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, 2 White Street, Concord, NH, Room 282. (Please use the entrance on the corner of Washington and Rumford Streets.) 

A Zoom link will be provided for those who prefer to join remotely.

Registration is required.  Please register here by March 12.

This event is generously sponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, which provides support for an annual fiscal responsibility symposium at the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law.

Sunshine Week, March 16-22, 2025, celebrates the importance of open government to citizens and journalists. On Tuesday, March 18, InDepthNH.org is holding an online seminar on the state’s Right-to-Know statute featuring a panel of experts. Gain an understanding of the statute and how it can be used to access government records. Learn how to file a written RTK request, what records are not subject to RTK, and pending legislation.

Join Annmarie Timmins, NHPR Senior Reporter, Nashua resident Laurie Ortolano, known for active involvement in advocating for her city, Barbara Tetreault, Berlin Sun reporter who has successfully navigated the challenge, Constitutional Law Expert Attorney Rick Gagliuso, and Nancy West, founder of InDepthNH.org. Damien Fisher, investigative reporter for InDepthNH.org, will speak to the topic as well as give us a preview of our next Zoom session that will take you into the world of investigative reporting. All sessions are free and open to the public starting at 6 p.m.

The Trump administration has already had a significant impact on how the U.S. implements public health policies domestically and on a global scale. The president temporarily paused health-related communications from several federal agencies, has frozen foreign aid, and attempted to halt federal spending for public health research. And the Senate confirmed Robert F Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services Secretary.

These actions present new challenges for journalists covering public health policy, especially as some traditional sources of vital information have become unavailable in wide swaths or made more difficult to access.

Join the National Press Club Journalism Institute from noon to 12:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 25 to learn how to adapt to this new environment and innovative ways to tell critical public health stories.

This program is part of the Institute’s inaugural Public Health Reporting Fellowship, funded by the Common Health Coalition. It’s being opened to the public at no cost.

Newsletters remain one of the most powerful tools for driving audience engagement and loyalty, but how do you make yours stand out in an increasingly crowded inbox? In this free webinar, we’ll dive into proven strategies to create newsletters that not only captivate readers but also grow your subscriber base.

Learn how to craft compelling subject lines, optimize content for your audience’s needs, and use personalization to boost open rates and click-throughs. We’ll also explore how to leverage segmentation, automation, and analytics to refine your strategy and keep your readers coming back for more.

Host: David Arkin, CEO of David Arkin Consulting

If you are a local nonprofit news publisher, editor, reporter, board member or donor, please mark this on your calendar: On Thursday, April 3, from 7 to 8:15 p.m., the What Works project on the future of local news, part of Northeastern University’s School of Journalism, will sponsor a free webinar titled “The Ethics of Nonprofit News: What Board Members and Donors Need to Know.” Issues will include conflicts of interest and understanding the boundaries between the news and fundraising sides of a community journalism organization.

Our panelists will be Josh Stearns, managing director of programs at the Democracy Fund; Kara Meyberg Guzman, CEO and co-founder of Santa Clara Local, a nonprofit startup; and Joe Kriesberg, publisher of CommonWealth Beacon, a larger nonprofit based in Boston. The moderator will be Dan Kennedy, a professor journalism at Northeastern University and the co-author, with Ellen Clegg, of “What Works in Community News: Media Startups, News Deserts, and the Future of the Fourth Estate” (Beacon Press, 2024). Clegg and Kennedy also host a podcast and write about developments in local news at the What Works website.

The What Works project is part of Northeastern’s School of Journalism.

Space is limited, so please register today. Information on how to log on to this free webinar will be sent out closer to April 3.