Why Local News Matters with Charlie Sennott

Join MV Times publisher Charles Sennott for a conversation about the national crisis in local news, and how it has everything to do with the crisis in our democracy. This event will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, August 5th at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, located at 51 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven (above Tisbury Town Hall). Free and open to the public. No registration required.

Sennott, who took on the role as a local news publisher in January of 2024, is the founder of the national, non-profit GroundTruth, which launched Report for America, a service program that has been featured on CBS News' 60 Minutes and applauded nationally for its pioneering approach to addressing the spread of "news deserts." Since 2018, Report for America has placed more than 700 reporters in more than 300 newsrooms across all 50 states. 

The recipient of the 2024 World Press Freedom Award for his work locally and globally as the head of GroundTruth, Sennott brings lessons learned from Report for America newsrooms across the country here to the Island where he lives year round with his family. He will share details of an approach that he calls "a hybrid" business model through memberships which call the community together to join in support of local news gathering as a public service.

For more information, please contact the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org or (508) 696-4211.