Rotarian Gary Bonnewell introduced our speaker, Maurice Jones, vice president of news for WHRO, who delivered a compelling presentation on the decline of local news reporting in Hampton Roads and what WHRO is doing to reverse the trend.
Jones recalled his days at The Virginian-Pilot in the mid-2000s, when nearly 500 local journalists between the Pilot and Daily Press covered the region. Today, the number is about 50. “If Hampton Roads isn’t a news desert,” Jones said, “it’s at least very dry.”
WHRO approached Jones to lead a newsroom transformation, enhancing its coverage of local news and deepening in-depth investigative reporting.
Jones jumped in with both feet. WHRO now has 15 journalists dedicated to telling the stories others aren't telling. His goal is to grow the journalism staff to 50 in the next year or two. New coverage beats include the various cities in Hampton Roads, business, health, education, the military, climate change and city-specific coverage across the region.
WHRO publishes a daily newsletter that comes out at 4 a.m. each morning and has a new podcast in the works. You can subscribe at WHRO.org.
