Why Hyper-Local News Can Pivot Faster Than Big Media (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Everything we read is that local journalism is dead, and you look alive.

[00:00:03] Speaker 2: I'm trying my best to look alive, at least.

[00:00:06] Speaker 1: We always talk about media as a dying business. It's been dying as long as I've been in it, and it's still kicking.

[00:00:11] Speaker 2: For me, it's not so much that it's dying as much as it's reshaping, but it's really difficult when you look at the larger media landscape to see what I would call tanker ships. It's hard for them to pivot and to turn in the middle of the ocean. I consider myself riding on a jet ski. It's really easy for me to pivot. I might not be able to make it across the ocean, but that's why I focus on hyper-local. I can stay near the coast.

[00:00:31] Speaker 1: Is it very like parks and recreation?

[00:00:33] Speaker 2: Yeah, I describe it that way all the time. If you watch parks and rec, and you see a Shana Mollway tweet who's sitting in the corner asking questions, that is actually me showing up to city council meetings with my little reporter badge in my notebook asking questions, yeah.