Community forum focuses on how we want to get our news

Those who want to weigh in on the changing media landscape in New Orleans will have that opportunity at a public forum Wednesday. The event, organized by the New Orleans Coalition on Open Governance, and cosponsored by Foundation for Louisiana, Greater New Orleans, Inc., and Loyola’s School of Mass Communication, will focus on what kind of news local residents want, and how they want it delivered.

The forum will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in Nunemaker Auditorium in Monroe Hall at Loyola University, which is located at the edge of campus at 1700 Calhoun St., just off St. Charles Avenue. A reception will precede the event at 6:30 p.m. All events are free and open to the public.

The goal of the event, says The Lens managing editor Steve Beatty, is for readers, viewers and listeners to help chart a course for journalism that is accountable, innovative, sustainable and serves the audience. To that end, a panel of national experts will discuss new media in the current era, followed by a question-and-answer session with and survey of attendees.

Speakers include Kevin Davis, CEO, Executive Director of the Investigative News Network; Kelly McBride, Senior Faculty, Ethics, Reporting and Writing for the Poynter Institute; Chris Sopher, Journalism Program Associate for the Knight Foundation; Jamal Watkins, Chief of Staff of the Center for Social Inclusion; and Keith Woods, Vice President for Diversity in News and Operations for National Public Radio.

The forum also will be live-streamed online below. Please note that the stream will not be active until about 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday, when video streaming will begin.

Renee Peck is editor of NolaVie.