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More than 40 community supporters attended BenitoLink’s “Let’s Talk Journalism” dinner on Oct. 25 where three panelists discussed a range of top-shelf issues affecting the rapidly evolving news and information field, from artificial intelligence and fact-checking social media discussions, to the status of the for-profit and nonprofit news industries.
Held at San Juan Oaks in Hollister, the dinner and presentation included panelists- the New York Times’ Marcia Parker, who is the board chair of the Institute for Nonprofit News; Katherine Rowlands, the owner of Bay City News, a news story provider for the greater Bay Area; and Mauricio Palma, who handles journalism philanthropy for the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Rowlands stressed the importance of local news providers in an increasingly financially challenging global and local environment.
“With all of the sometimes overwhelming news on the world, national and state levels, community members can take heart in knowing that acting locally – and supporting the local news outlets that inform and connect us – can result in real and almost immediate positive impact,” she said. “Local news matters and being an ambassador for the outlets doing this critical work will make our communities stronger.”
Palma congratulated BenitoLink and the Community Foundation for San Benito County for the community’s determination to build its own local news outlet and its 14 years of success. Palma said BenitoLink is a model that he uses when he speaks to other community foundations that need local news and information.
During her presentation, Rowlands said there needs to be guardrails and policies for newsrooms using AI, which uses software to perform human-like tasks such as learning, reasoning and problem solving.
She said there are areas where AI can make journalists’ jobs easier, such as creating transcripts of public meetings, but that newsrooms must be clear about how they use AI tools. (BenitoLink does not use AI in its reporting at this time, and would note in the story if it was used.)
No matter how it’s used, she said, humans need to have oversight of anything produced by AI.
According to multiple studies and surveys, with the most recent being Pew Research Center, trust in national news has decreased over time.
Meanwhile, the Institute for Nonprofit News has helped support over 500 newsrooms in America over the last decade and most of the growth is occurring in smaller communities, according to BenitoLink executive director Leslie David.
Parker spoke about newsroom sustainability, saying it’s very hard for a news organization to survive just with news articles. She cited the New York Times’ games, cooking content and sports as a powerful revenue stream which offsets the costs of news gathering.
Rowlands said for nonprofit news organizations, support must come from diverse sources including subscriptions, sponsorships, grants and large and small individual donations.
Palma spoke about the opportunities organizations have for partnering on projects which could help fund journalism, regardless of the “borders” between communities.
The guests were primarily residents who have taken part in past BenitoLink gatherings, or interacted with, financially supported, volunteered for or contributed articles to the nonprofit news organization on a regular basis.
The panelists also spoke about various Bay Area youth programs teaching students journalism skills that are applicable to whatever line of work that interests them.
The panel was asked to address whether the media has a role in the political polarization of the nation. Parker said news outlets need to analyze their operations to understand what they are doing right or wrong, or what can be done better.
This was BenitoLink’s second Let’s Talk Journalism event. In 2022, foreign correspondents Ralph Jennings and Cindy Sui shared their experiences reporting for major news organizations in China.
The evening closed with BenitoLink’s announcement of its annual Fall NewsMatch campaign which starts Nov. 1 and ends Dec. 31. Last year, the campaign raised a total of $135,756, which includes matching funds from local donors and the Institute for Nonprofit News.
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