Greetings all, it’s Wednesday November 12. Last Friday, NC Local’s WNC Senior Reporter Lilly Knoepp and I got to do something really special. We spent the day in Asheville with dozens of super smart, passionate people from across the Southeast working on answers to this question:

How can community colleges equip more people to get, share, and discuss reliable information about what’s happening in the places where they live?

The gathering was part of the Community College Civic Info Challenge, an initiative of The New School’s Journalism + Design Lab. Lilly and I shared our experiences developing partnerships with community and local news organizations. EdNC’s Caroline Parker moderated a panel of WNC community college leaders about their roles during Helene. BPR's Jose Sandoval discussed the importance of language access during times of crisis and everyday news and information. And everyone learned from the teams developing ways to involve students and the larger community in local news projects anchored at community colleges. One key point that emerged from discussions: 

“In today’s world, acting journalistically isn’t optional: it’s a survival skill.” 

Today, we chat with the J+D Lab about how community colleges are tapping into this sense of urgency and, as they develop their projects, looking to find solutions to many of the questions we are also asking about how to “help people feel like they aren’t just surviving the news ecosystem, but that they are thriving within it.” 

Also coming up:

• The federal shutdown may be coming to an end, but food insecurity is a perennial issue. Help your community access food with NC Local’s searchable food directory.
  
  

• "It wasn't just a publication — it was an incubator." Journalists across NC pay tribute to Charlotte magazine ahead of its final issue.
  
  

• The North Carolina Local News Lab Fund announces nearly $600,000 in grants for 23 local news and community organizations.
  
  

• And, it’s been a hard year for WNC news and info providers. Join NC Local and Resources for Resilience for a bilingual event on December 11 to bring you connection & tools to get through difficult times. Free, with lunch provided. Register here. 

Glad you’re here, let’s get started.

How community colleges can help strengthen local news ecosystems

Scalawag's Mustafah Greene answers prompts during an interactive walk-through of the Community College Civic Info Challenge projects. 

Last spring, the Journalism + Design Lab put out the call for community colleges across the Southeast to pitch their ideas about how they could play a role in strengthening local news and information in their communities. The ideas from the winning teams in the Community College Civic Info Challenge are both inspiring and practical:

The Community College of Baltimore County is taking a twofold approach: a podcasting initiative called ForReal Media to teach students audio and storytelling skills while amplifying their voices through partnerships with local media outlets; and the News Literacy Institute, weaving media literacy workshops and classroom modules across disciplines to help students and faculty become trusted messengers.

Florida State College at Jacksonville’s project ELEVATE aims to equip students with civic literacy and leadership skills so they can become peer information ambassadors through student-led podcasts, bulletins, and community briefings. 

Jones College in Ellisville, Mississippi is responding to widespread news deserts across the state and the need for more trained journalists to work at small, community news outlets. Their goal is to develop an eight-week, non-credit certificate in digital community journalism skills that could expand across the state and form a Mississippi Community College Journalism Coalition.

Working in an academic environment, the teams know there are some unique challenges to address: 

How can we best support community college students—many of whom balance work, family, and study—in becoming consistent creators and consumers of credible local information?

What equipment do we need? What technology & tools are freely available? 

Could the program be run through workforce development? And what opportunities are available for them after they complete the program?

How can you fund programs that allow them to be independent? How do you navigate political hot-topics?

How do we sustain these projects long term?

Journalism + Design Lab will guide the teams as they set out to answer these questions and some of the issues many of us are facing as we work to build sustainable news organizations that are responsive to community needs. Today, we chat with J+D's Valerie Popp to learn more about the program and what opportunities might exist for the 58 North Carolina community colleges serving the state’s 100 counties. Find the full Q&A here or by clicking the button below.

While there are no NC-based teams participating in this current J+D challenge, we do have some initiatives already underway in the state, including JMPro Community Media's partnership with AB Tech and McDowell Technical Community College on Community Reporter courses in WNC. 

Valerie says they see a real opportunity for the community colleges that were involved in Helene response and recovery to educate all of us about how moments of crisis can lead to more resilient news and info systems. 

And, if you work at a community college and/or have connections at one and want to learn more about this current Challenge cohort and expanding or building community journalism on campus, get in touch with Valerie at poppv@newschool.edu and her colleague Cole Goins at goinsm@newschool.edu.

J+D also just published a "Community News Roles" framework to help people and organizations think through and identify all the different roles (and people) that keep communities informed.  The resource helps newsrooms and community groups understand the set of actions that anyone can play to produce, share, and act on reliable information. 

A Searchable Food Directory

Last week, we shared an idea: what if we could create a statewide database of food resources to help people navigate not only the current crisis with SNAP benefits but also the ongoing problem of food insecurity? We gathered information from food banks, nonprofits and small businesses, and today we’re pleased to share the initial release of the NC Food Resource Directory, which so far includes 1400+ providers across the state. Newsrooms & community groups, we want you to use this tool too! There are multiple ways you can use it to help your audiences:

• Republish this stand-alone page in a place on your site that is prominent (as a banner ad or header or in the right rail).

• Embed the Directory’s map and/or table of resources in articles you’re writing about SNAP, food banks, nonprofits, donation drives and other related topics. Email me at catherine@nclocal.org if you’d like embed instructions.

• Use the Directory to find organizations and groups to highlight in your coverage of these topics.

Here’s what the team is working on next with the Food Resource Directory:

• Social media copy & graphics you can customize to promote the Food Resource Directory in your communities.

• Adding helpful information to the Directory, including more hours and eligibility requirements. 

• You can help! Please email any food resources you are compiling to food@nclocal.org. See a community org offering details on pantries, meal programs or free fridges? Send us their name and/or screenshot their social post and email it to us.

Much gratitude to all who have sent in food resource information & helping us build this tool. Thanks also to freelance journalist Mosi Secret, the Composition Collective’s Abby Reimer and NC Editorial Director Laura Lee for all their work the past week getting this resource off the ground. 

📰 News about the news 📰

‘It wasn't just a publication — it was an incubator’

Ahead of its final issue next month, former contributors to Charlotte magazine are sharing eulogies for the 57-year-old publication. The Charlotte Ledger broke the news last week, after contributors began hearing that their planned stories were no longer needed.

"Charlotte has been spoiled for years by the caliber of storytelling that came out of Charlotte magazine. It wasn't just a publication — it was an incubator for some of the best writing in the city, a place where long-form reporting and deeply human features were the standard, not the exception,” said Axios’ Emma Way, who started her career there. 

Georgia-based Morris Communications owns Charlotte magazine and has not yet published a reason for its shutdown.

NC Rabbit Hole’s Jeremy Markovich also got his start in longform, narrative journalism at Charlotte magazine, when editor Rick Thurmond took a chance on his pitch about a local resident, who is blind, hiking the Appalachian Trail. That story led to another and another and then national opportunities and a staff position at Our State magazine. 

“Charlotte itself, which admittedly has a wealth of media outlets, is losing a perspective that’s going to be impossible to replace,” wrote Markovich. “Charlotte magazine (and Matt Crossman) gave you an oral history of the 1988 Charlotte Hornets. It gave you a civil rights hero you’d never heard of. It gave you a heartbreaking story about the loss of a dog that would go on to form the basis of a book… It cast a thoughtful gaze on politics. On the growing pains of a rapidly expanding city. Every month, it asked the same question: What’s it like to be a Charlottean?”

Tommy Tomlinson and Michael Graff also have pieces on the personal, professional and community impact of Charlotte magazine. The final issue will celebrate “Charlotteans of the Year.” 

North Carolina Local News Lab Fund announces $590,000 in funding for 23 news and community organizations

With a second round of grants this year, the North Carolina News Lab Fund has invested nearly $1.5 million into news and community organizations in 2025. Pointing out the increased challenges faced by many organizations, from federal funding cuts to climate-fueled natural diasters, Fund Director Lizzy Hazeltine said recipients are ensuring communities can access reliable and useful information 

“Local news and community organizations make it possible for people to stay informed about what’s most essential – whether it’s understanding shifting policies about healthcare and food access, figuring out where to get a flu shot, or making sense of who was on Tuesday’s ballots,” said Hazeltine.

The latest round of grants includes:

• Casa Azul de Wilson, which supports Hispano/Latino youth and families in rural Eastern North Carolina by sharing bilingual information about important topics, including local government, health resources, and education. 
  
  

• Emancipate NC, which provides news and information in communities with high rates of incarceration, juvenile detention, and poverty, and supports these communities in shaping the media narrative about incarceration and police violence.
  
  

• Hola Carolina, which shares culturally relevant news, information, and recovery resources within Spanish-speaking communities in Western North Carolina. 

The Fund, which is also the home to Press Forward North Carolina and Press Forward Charlotte, also announced a number of grants to news and community organizations in Charlotte, including the 147-year-old Charlotte Post, the 35-year-old La Coalición Latinoamericana, the Sarah Stevenson Tuesday Forum, QCity Metro and The Election Hub from The Charlotte Ledger.

Earlier this year, the Fund announced grants for NC Local, Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, WNC Health Network, Code the Dream and others.

Have something to share about your news and information organization? Send a note to catherine@nclocal.org.

Reconnecting Through Hard Times & Listening Circle for WNC Reporters

WNC journalists have been at the center of providing vital news and information in the immediate aftermath of Helene and the ongoing rebuilding efforts. Combined with the pressure of ongoing news events and the impact on communities, the job can bring stress and burnout. 

But there are tools and practices that can help! NC Local is pleased to be teaming up with Resources for Resilience to provide an event offering learning and connection for WNC reporters. This three-hour, bilingual gathering will help participants learn simple, powerful strategies for managing stress during difficult times and how to support others after a crisis.

Cenzotle will be providing interpretation for Spanish-speaking reporters and community information providers. 

📆 Thu, Dec 11, 2025 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

📍Haw Creek Commons, 315 Old Haw Creek Rd, Asheville, NC 28805

✅ Lunch provided. Register here. 

Questions? Reach out to Catherine at catherine@nclocal.org or to Claire Burnet, who is organizing the workshop, at claire.burnet@resourcesforresilience.com

Help shape North Carolina's annual gathering of journalists, publishers, educators, media lawyers, FOI experts, and local news supporters!

The NC News & Information Summit returns Friday, March 27, 2026, at NC State's McKimmon Center, hosted by NC Local and North Carolina Open Government Coalition. 

We're seeking your ideas for sessions on topics like:

• Access to news and information

• Climate change and environmental issues

• Community engagement and civic health

• Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in news

• Fundraising, revenue and sustainability

• Government transparency and accountability

• News product innovation, artificial intelligence and technology

Have a session idea you'd like to lead? Have a suggestion for a topic or presenters? Fill out this form  by Tuesday, December 31. 

Contact NC Local Summit Program Manager Diara J. Townes at diara@nclocal.org.

Bulletin Board

Jobs

📌 Editor in Chief, CityView, Fayetteville 💰

📌 Higher Education Reporter, The News & Observer, Raleigh 💰

📌 News Director, Blue Ridge Public Radio, Asheville 💰

📌 Development Communications Specialist, Blue Ridge Public Radio, Asheville 💰

📌 Digital Fundraising and Marketing Associate, WUNC 💰

📌 Senior Programs Manager, News Product Alliance (Remote) 💰

📌 Radio and Advertising Strategy Contract, Beacon Media (Remote in NC, WNC Preferred) 💰

📌 Investigations Editor, Data Editor & Investigative editor/reporter, Open Campus (Remote) 💰

Internships:

📌 Audio & Social Media Intern, Beacon Media (Remote in NC, WNC Preferred)

📌 Summer 2026 News Interns, News & Observer & Charlotte Observer

Events & trainings

📅 NC Local's Lilly Knoepp Welcome Reception: Meet Lilly Knoepp, NC Local's newest journalist and Franklin native, at The Lazy Hiker's Sylva Taproom. Learn about NC Local's work and the launch of their WNC initiative: The Trailhead. First round is on us for registered attendees! November 13, 5:00-7:00 pm, Sylva.

📅 A Short Hike with NC Local's Lilly Knoepp: Join journalist Lilly Knoepp for a short hike on the Lake Powhatan Loop (about 20 minutes from downtown Asheville), followed by coffee, donuts and conversation about NC Local's work and The Trailhead initiative. November 14, 10:00 am, Asheville.

📅 Community Conversation: Lessons From The Troubling Past: Davidson Local, PBS NC, JLD Community Solutions and partners present a special screening of American Coup: Wilmington 1898, a PBS documentary about how misinformation and outside influence fueled fear, division, and the destruction of a community newspaper in 1898. Following the screening, there will be a public discussion on guarding against misinformation and strengthening community unity. Available with Spanish subtitles. November 13, 5:30-7:30 pm, Lexington.

📅 Save Time, Money, and Clients with Clear Project Scoping: A panel of veteran audio freelancers shares guidance on avoiding scope creep, negotiating strong contracts, managing shifting project responsibilities, and knowing when to walk away. Applicable to freelancers working in any medium. November 14, Noon.

📅 Is indie journalism right for me? An interactive session for recently laid off journalists: An interactive session exploring considerations for recently laid off journalists wondering about going independent, whether through paid newsletters, YouTube channels, or worker-owned collectives. November 24, 1:00 pm.

Are you regretting going to bed early last night like me? The images I'm seeing of the Aurora Borealis across NC are spectacular. You can check out many of them at NC Weather Authority's FB page. I'll be looking at these whenever I need a dose of awe and joy. Okay, that's it for this week. Thank you for reading and as always, know you are appreciated for all you do to support NC's news and information ecosystem. —Catherine