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In Memphis, a Lab Experiment for Local News

James Fallows

November 08, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Memphis, Tennessee

Over the past dozen years, The Commercial Appeal, once the top morning newspaper in Memphis, Tennessee, slowly succumbed to the same ownership changes and downsizing that has plagued numerous other local papers across the country. Hungry for local news after The Commercial Appeal had left a gap, Eric Barnes and Andy Cates created the Daily Memphian. The paper is an online-only, subscription-based service owned by a new 501(c)3 non-profit, Memphis Fourth Estate Inc., which has no editorial control over the paper's content.

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‘We're Doing It for Love of Community'

James Fallows

October 16, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Harvard, Massachusetts

All over the country, budgets for local newspapers are drying up and these small institutions are dying with them. But in Harvard, Massachusetts (which has no connection with the university), one local paper may have found a solution for survival. The Harvard Press operates on a shoestring budget with borrowed and donated equipment and a volunteer labor force. The paper also trains students and young people from the community in order to increase its presence throughout Harvard.

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There's Hope for Local Journalism

James Fallows

September 18, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Provincetown, Massachusetts

The retention of local ownership provides a more viable business model for small newspapers. In Provincetown, Massachusetts, the Provincetown Independent eschews the profit-maximizing, private-equity business model in favor of a weekly publication that is focused on local issues. The newspaper operates on the basis of a hybrid business model, blending its publication with non-profit activities, such as training new journalists and other projects.

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'Local, Local, Local': How a Small Newspaper Survives

James Fallows

August 30, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Eastport, Maine

Getting away from daily publishing helps local newspapers focus on serving their audience. The Quoddy Tides, a family-owned newspaper in Eastport, Maine, publishes only twice monthly. Publishing less frequently allows the newspaper to include more local stories, which are of interest to their community of readers, many of whom either live in, or have ties to the community. By avoiding the 24-hour news cycle, the newspaper can focus on local discourse and civic engagement.

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Three Big Lessons From One Small Town

James Fallows

July 18, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Danville, Virginia

The town of Danville, Virginia survived the downfall of the mill industry by using creative financing and investing in solid economic infrastructure that will remain sustainable into the future. The town has invested in broadband and used funds from a tobacco settlement to re-install city money into local institutions.

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Bitwise Goes Big

James Fallows

June 19, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Fresno, California

A company called Bitwise in Fresno, California thinks beyond financial gain and factors social background and economic justice into their developer training programs. Bitwise offers a coding school as well as a custom software business that hires graduates from their training program to help with commercial projects.

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How a 'Communiversity' Works

James Fallows

May 30, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Columbus, Mississippi

Bucking the stereotypes of strained town-gown relations and the removed university, the Mississippi Communiversity is bringing together a community college, research university, local high schools, state and local government, federal government, private businesses, and local individuals to build a truly collaborative academic center. The academically structured, industrially aligned program enjoys funding from all of the above parties mentioned.

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An Unusual Way to Bridge the Town-Gown Divide

James Fallows

May 01, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University and Muncie, Indiana, are forging an inventive town-gown partnership. In 2018, the school became the first public university to assume responsibility for the city's public schools. The transition has involved intentional community engagement and sparked community enthusiasm that had waned in recent decades and resulted in a dramatically declining school population.

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Fort Wayne Makes Its Own Luck

James Fallows

April 26, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne, Indiana follows the national trend that transforms old abandoned buildings into new economic powerhouses by converting what was once the massive GE campus into a mixed space of residential, business and retail space. While some cities tore down older structures in the '70s and '80s, cities who kept their open-space warehouses -- cities like Fort Wayne -- are now taking advantage of the empty spaces and making room for economic growth and civic participation.

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A Renewable Energy Revolution in Small-Town America

Nicolas Pollock Deborah Fallows James Fallows

November 03, 2016 |

The Atlantic |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Spearville, Kansas

Small towns across America are leading the shift towards renewable energy. Part of a series called "American Futures", this video visits Kansas, Pennsylvania, and California to learn more about green initiatives in biofuel, wind, and solar power. Although each solution is different, each are a new way of generating income for the residents of the towns and often comes with societal acceptance as well.

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