A new mini-documentary by Northeastern’s Dan Kennedy looks at the future of local journalism. It features three media experts including WHAV’s Tim Coco.
Kennedy, associate professor at Northeastern University’s School of Journalism, said one purpose behind his production, “New Directions in Local News,” was to show students how to use inexpensive tools to achieve professional results.
“My philosophy is that every journalist needs to know how to make a decent video with the tools at hand,” Kennedy said in a post at his Media Nation website. He interviews
Josh Stearns, director of journalism and sustainability at the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; Meg Heckman, a University of New Hampshire journalism professor whose master’s thesis at Northeastern University was on the role of women at digital startups; and Tim Coco, president and general manager of WHAV.
“The new WHAV is much like the old WHAV. Hyperlocal, local people, local stories, lots of local names. Subjects some would consider boring—school committee, city council, the Haverhill police log—but nevertheless that’s exactly the kind of news that’s missing these days,” Coco said during the interview.
The interview may be seen here.
Besides his work at Northeastern, Kennedy contributes media and political commentaries to WGBH News and The Huffington Post. He is also a regular panelist on “Beat the Press,” a weekly roundtable program on media issues, on WGBH-TV. His most recent book is “The Wired City: Reimagining Journalism and Civic Life in the Post-Newspaper Age.”