Democracy Happy Hour Presents: Local Media & Its Impact on Democracy
Wednesday February 26, 5-6:30 pm PST
Location: Zoom (please register)
Description: Local journalism is in crisis—2,100 newspapers lost since 2005. How does this impact democracy? Join us for a panel discussion with journalists and media scholars about the impact of shrinking newsrooms, media consolidation, and digital disruption on democracy—and discuss how we can sustain local journalism in the modern era.
Fix Democracy First is a nonpartisan pro-democracy organization. We host a weekly Democracy Happy Hour on Wednesdays to share the latest news on democracy across the country and hear from experts on a variety of democracy related topics.
Chardonnay Beaver
Author & Multimedia Storyteller, The Facts Newspaper
Chardonnay Beaver is an award-winning multimedia storyteller, speaker, and author from Seattle. A proud University of Washington alumna and third-generation media professional, her work has been featured in Cascade PBS and The Facts Newspaper, to name a few.
An advocate since age 12, she has spoken on issues concerning community well-being and youth. She's collaborated with TED x Seattle University, Seattle Public Schools, Justice for Girls, and others. She executive-produced Fulfill The Promise (2024), a documentary on Seattle’s Central District and more.
In 2020, Chardonnay transitioned her inspirational Instagram page Words of Wisdom by Char (WOWbyChar) into a weekly column in The Facts Newspaper. In 2024, she self-published Words of Wisdom: A Compilation of Life Principles, Inspired by Truth & Guided by Purpose, Vol. 1, and its companion journal, offering readers valuable insights for personal growth.
Michelle Goldchain
Social Media & Video Editor at WTOP News
Michelle Goldchain is a D.C. area-based content creator with over a decade’s worth of experience in local journalism, social media, as well as photography and videography.
She works as the Social Media & Video Editor at WTOP News, an award-winning news, traffic, and weather radio station based in Washington, D.C. Her bylines include Vox, Curbed, Eater DC, Recode, Washington City Paper, DCist, Washingtonian, and Washington Business Journal, among others.
In 2019, Arcadia Publishing published Michelle’s book, "D.C. by Metro: A History & Guide," which offers insight on the fascinating histories of notable historic sites near every WMATA station in the D.C. area. It has since been featured in The Washington Post.
Florangela Davila
Executive Director of the South Seattle Emerald
Florangela Davila is a newsroom leader and journalist who has been working in Seattle media for 30 years. Her reporting as the race and immigration reporter at The Seattle Times earned local and national awards. She built the newsroom when Crosscut (Cascade PBS) merged with KCTS9 and as managing editor, she initiated equity and arts reporting initiatives and anchored TV news shorts. Most recently she transformed the KNKX Public Radio newsroom where she led the team to dozens of accolades, including the 2024 national Edward R. Murrow award for Overall Excellence. She is the new Executive Director at the South Seattle Emerald. Florangela was born and raised in Los Angeles, the child of immigrants from Colombia and Peru.
Joanne M. Lisosky, Ph.D.
Professor Emerita at Pacific Lutheran University and Coauthor of the League of Women Voters Journalism Study
Joanne M. Lisosky, Ph.D., taught journalism at Pacific Lutheran University for 23 years until retirement in 2018. During her tenure she served three Fulbright awards teaching journalism in Uganda, Azerbaijan and Trinidad/Tobago. She also co-authored a book titled, “War on Words: Who Should Protect Journalists?” Since retirement, she has been an active member of the League of Women Voters Local News Committee where she was one of the authors of the study, “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy.” She served as a consultant on the recent WSU comprehensive investigation into local news outlets in Washington state.
Andrea Otáñez
Professor of Journalism and Public Interest at the University of Washington
Teaching Professor Andrea Otáñez is an educator and journalist who has written, edited and developed packages on a variety of beats, including environment, science, politics, medicine, communities, religion and consumer affairs. As part of the University of Washington’s Communication Department, she teaches in the Journalism and Public Interest Communication program, focusing on foundational courses and topics that examine power and difference in journalism and other media. She has also worked in book publishing as an acquisitions editor with a focus in Chicano Studies.