Tag: CAI

GBH News unveils a four-person equity and justice reporting network

GBH News, the local news division of public media powerhouse GBH, has unveiled a new, four-person equity and justice reporting network. Here’s the press release.

GBH News has launched its new Equity and Justice reporting unit, a team of journalists dedicated to reporting on equity and opportunity gaps in Greater Boston and beyond. GBH News Executive Editor Lee Hill will oversee the unit, which will be led by newly appointed Equity and Justice unit senior editor Paul Singer. Also joining the Equity and Justice unit are newly hired reporter Trajan Warren, senior digital producer Meghan Smith and community producer Magdiela Matta.

Based at the GBH newsroom in Brighton, the Equity and Justice unit has begun developing multiplatform regional and national stories that aim to explore and expose injustice at all levels of society. Key to the effort is a continued and expanded commitment to community events, engaging directly with audiences and elevating community voices.

“GBH News has built a remarkable body of award-winning local journalism over the years that lays a strong foundation for this investment in deep listening and collaboration with the communities that most need to be heard,” said GBH News Editor-in-Chief Dan Lothian. “We know that the trust our Equity and Justice unit builds with sources and audiences is key to producing the reporting on the critical issues of inequity that an informed citizenry relies on.”

The GBH News Equity and Justice unit will extend its reach throughout Massachusetts through a new content collaboration with MassLive, the top digital news source for Western Massachusetts. The collaboration between GBH News and MassLive will result in distinctive local stories being shared across radio, digital, and social media platforms from both news organizations. A MassLive reporter will work with the GBH News Equity and Justice unit to produce stories that will also publish on MassLive, and will join GBH News programs to provide context.

Content produced by the Equity and Justice unit will be distributed across all GBH News properties, including GBH flagship radio shows, YouTube, social and digital platforms, and via GBH News’ Connecting the Commonwealth partners, New England Public Media (NEPM) in Western Massachusetts; CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station; and the New England News Collaborative (NENC).

“Many of GBH News’ most impactful stories have touched on systemic injustices and the ways in which marginalized communities are blocked from progress. We’re thrilled to assemble this accomplished group of journalists fully dedicated to bolstering our capacity to listen and engage with underserved audiences,” said Hill. “Together, our Equity and Justice unit, with the added power of our reporting and distribution collaboration with MassLive, will also be a resource to inform all of GBH News’ reporting, ensuring that overlooked angles are considered from pitch to publication.”

The GBH News Equity and Justice unit began reporting in August 2024 with stories about the selling of vacant lots, land previously owned by Black and brown families, by the city of Boston; rising awareness about kids and adults who are neurodivergent or have autism following a viral moment at the Democratic National Convention; concerns about health inequities surrounding Tobin Bridge repairs in Chelsea; and more.

GBH News will partner with other public media outlets to offer statewide coverage

GBH headquarters in Allston. Photo (cc) 2011 by WGBH.

At a time when public media operations are cutting back, GBH News is leveraging partnerships with other stations in order to bolster its statewide coverage. It strikes me as a smart way of doing more with less following cutbacks at both of Boston’s news-focused public radio stations, GBH and WBUR, and at public broadcasters across the country. (I should note that CAI is actually part of GBH.) Below is a press release from GBH.

GBH News Joins with CAI: The Cape & Islands NPR station and New England Public Media to Expand Coverage Statewide

GBH News, CAI and New England Public Media (NEPM) today announced a partnership to report and expand news coverage statewide, reaching listeners from Springfield to Provincetown and points between. Connecting the Commonwealth, the first initiative of its kind in Massachusetts, will build upon a longstanding relationship between the three public media outlets, as well as GBH News bureaus in Worcester, at the State House, and in Boston.

Coverage will focus on the stories that matter to audiences locally and statewide, including education to the environment, the economy and inequality. From breaking news to in-depth human interest stories, Connecting the Commonwealth will weave regional and local enterprise reporting through radio and digital storytelling daily across all three media outlets’ digital and broadcast platforms.  Jennifer Moore, GBH’s first Statewide and Features Editor, will lead the collaboration.

“There’s an immense need for local journalism on issues that matter to Massachusetts residents. Through our relationships with NEPM and CAI, we’ll partner to create content of interest to all of the state’s 7 million residents, something few media outlets in Massachusetts can do,” said Dan Lothian, editor-in-chief of GBH News and The World. “Jennifer Moore will lead our collaborate efforts, creating new content and sharing reports from all of our newsrooms, allowing us cover more breaking news and enterprise features that shape the conversation.”

“NEPM is excited to strengthen our partnership with GBH and CAI to deliver even more timely and comprehensive coverage of the news and issues facing residents of western Massachusetts,” said John Sutton, VP of content and audience strategy for NEPM. “This collaboration will help us to better report on topics of statewide importance and to build the type of community connections that lead to a healthier commonwealth.”

“Having a statewide editor overseeing the efforts of all three newsrooms will allow us to bring these important stories to our listeners in a timely manner,” said CAI Managing Director of Editorial and Host and Producer of The Point, Mindy Todd. “We look forward to working closely with GBH and NEPM to cover even more local and regional stories.”

Moore was previously features editor at GBH News. Earlier in her career, she served as the news director and content coordinator at the NPR & PBS stations in Springfield, Missouri. As a freelancer, she’s reported for The New York Times and NPR, including from the Middle East.

“Each Massachusetts community is unique. At the same time, they all need news and information about many of the same issues, whether that’s education, the environment, the economy or our elections. We believe Connecting the Commonwealth will be a trusted destination for news from across the state,” said Moore. “I look forward to hearing from our audiences about what matters most to them and reaffirming our commitment to impactful daily journalism.”

Connecting the Commonwealth reporting will appear across multiple platforms at each organization, including GBH 89.7FM, gbhnews.org, and the GBH News YouTube channel; 88.5 NEPM and nepm.org; CAI 90.1 FM, 91.1 FM, and 94.3 FM and online at capeandislands.org.