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No images? Click here  Dear Reader, Yesterday, The Conversation’s local team brought you the story of Kim Page – a Detroiter who, with the help of a professor at Michigan State, is fighting to save her home. Why? As unbelievable as it sounds, someone was able to file a fake property deed in an attempt to steal the home. It’s a moving personal story, and one that describes a system desperately in need of reform. Stories like Kim’s are why The Conversation needs a team of editors who are passionate about their communities and focused on local news. It’s a logical extension of our successful national model. I’m proud to have built local teams working not just in Detroit, but also in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, South Florida and Colorado. Every day, we publish stories in deep collaboration with researchers that focus on issues local readers have told us are important to them – issues like housing, public safety and the cost of living. My small-but-mighty teams know their communities and spend time talking to news outlets about what their readers want and need. We tackle complex topics that small newsrooms often don’t have the expertise to pursue. With every story we publish, we’re helping scientists and true experts on local subjects share their research with the places they call home. That’s important to them and useful for the communities they are a part of. Readers in these communities are responding: A story in Denver looking at how removing parking requirements led to more houses being built drew 1,800 comments on Facebook and was shared 212 times. A story about maternal health was republished in both of Pennsylvania’s flagship dailies. And one day after Kim’s story went live on our site, it has already been republished by two major nonprofit newsrooms in Detroit – and one is planning to adapt it into a video for YouTube and TikTok. It goes beyond readership. We’re seeing the impact of this work when an author’s research gives context and perspective to policy discussions taking place in city council chambers or statehouses. Please support The Conversation Local. Help us celebrate and sustain the vitality of local news. We plan to expand because every city – every community – needs evidence-based journalism. As a special thank-you gift, we’re sending all of our donors two e-book collections with some of our most interesting recent articles: the first covers America's 250th birthday (many from our team in Philadelphia), and the second details the uses and abuses of AI. Whether you can give $5 or $500, we appreciate your gift. With thanks, Emily Costello The Conversation US, Inc. is a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. All donations made are fully tax deductible if you itemize. Our tax ID number is 46-0906774. How to donate: |
