8:00am – Registration
9:00am – Revenue Sharing Ideas
Bring your best ideas to share with attendees, you may even win a prize!
10:30am – Keynote Speaker – Dr. Nicholas Mathews
Dr. Nick Mathews is an award-winning journalism scholar, veteran newsroom leader and author whose work explores what happens to communities when local news disappears — and how journalism can adapt to survive.
A leading researcher of rural and local news, Mathews studies the everyday consequences of limited access to news and information and the economic and technological forces reshaping journalism. His research examines how residents navigate communities with little or no local news, how changing information environments affect the way people connect with their communities and what journalists and news organizations can do to remain relevant and viable. His scholarship has earned honors at national and international conferences and has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals.
Mathews is the author of Deserted: Life Without Local News in Rural America, published by the University of Illinois Press in September 2026, and co-author of Reviving Rural News: Transforming the Business Model of Community Journalism in the U.S. and Beyond, published by Routledge in 2024.
Before earning his doctorate from the University of Minnesota, Mathews spent two decades in the news industry, including leadership roles as sports editor of the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press and of the Houston Chronicle and regional editor-in-chief for Berkshire Hathaway based in Charlottesville, Va. That experience continues to shape his work as he brings together the perspectives of journalists, news organizations and the communities they serve.
Noon – Luncheon
1:00pm – Building Relationships Statewide
Press Forward Indiana is a statewide initiative formed with leadership from the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, Lumina Foundation, and Glick Philanthropies to strengthen access to trusted local news and information
1:30pm Session – Legislative Update for 2027
The Corydon Group lobbyists will present the legislative work happening in Indiana and discuss the What Are They Hiding Now Website and Social Media campaign.
2:00pm – Local News Initiative
Lisa Renze, Director of Strategic Partnerships with Free Press Indiana will moderate a panel to discuss projects and resources that are available for anyone who might want data support, legal support, and reporting support. Questions from attendees encouraged!
Panel includes:
- Kris Cundiff – Local Legal Initiative Attorney with RCFP
- Niki Kelly, Editor for the Indiana Capital Chronicle
- Kathleen Johnston, Founding Director, Michael I. Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism at Indiana University
- Lindsey Erdody, Editor-in-chief, Free Press Indiana News
3:00pm – HSPA Annual Report and Membership Update
3:30pm – HSPA Foundation Annual Report
4:00pm – Closing Remarks
