As newsrooms across the country have downsized, consolidated, and shuttered, one group hopes to fill the gaps left in their local communities: retired journalists.
Rather than moving to retirement communities and settling in beside the pool or playing pickleball, retired journalists are stepping into news voids nationwide, launching local and regional media outlets or serving on their boards, mentoring young journalists, advocating for press freedoms, and continuing to gather and report information not otherwise being covered. In some cases, they’re returning to their roots in local news, spending their retirements reviving the kinds of local newspapers and news sites that have been particularly hard hit by the consolidation of the industry by big media companies and hedge funds.
For Nieman Reports, Jon Marcus wrote about the journalism veterans who have come back to the field, the news outlets they've built, and how they aim to contribute to a contracting industry. We hope that you take the time to read it.
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