Last week in New Orleans, I saw:

• The French Quarter 

• Bourbon Street (it was 7 in the morning and I was on a walk, but it counts)

• And the power of local journalists telling stories we all need to hear about local news

I saw it in the many, many sessions that featured local journalists and in the work that the Online Journalism Awards recognized at the end of the conference. 

The latter is worth pausing for a moment over.

At the Online Journalism Awards, at least 15 of the wins went to local newsrooms, and more than 30 local newsrooms were finalists. 

This is significant.

If I’m counting correctly, that is the highest number of local winners since the awards began.

This year, we have examples of great local journalism from legacy newsrooms that are evolving for digital and from digital natives. Honolulu Civil Beat won for General Excellence in the small newsroom category (and has been a consistent winner over the years.) NJ Advance Media’s The Force Report won two awards. KPCC and City Bureau won for engaged journalism, and on and on and on.

We saw a similar swell of great local journalism in this year’s Pulitzers. 

My takeaway then, and now, is that these awards are a necessary reminder that local journalists are still pushing limits and going out of their way to serve their communities.


New Orleans pre-ONA. (Photo by Kristen Hare)

While you’re here:

• If you’re a parent or thinking about becoming a parent, I got to be part of a great session at ONA on parenting while being a journalist. Here are some Twitter takeaways.

• Check out the second podcast featuring API’s Better News. 

• And speaking of great work, what are you proud of? Share it and I’ll reach out if we feature it! 

• This week I’m off to the Society for Features Journalism conference in Detroit and looking forward to presenting what I’ve learned about digital storytelling from all of you.

See you next week! (And thanks to everyone who said “Hi, I read your newsletter,” in NOLA. You made my conference.)