The changing media landscape is forcing existing news outlets to think creatively. It has also made for some surprising foxhole alliances, as onetime competitors begin working together on reporting projects. Such coalitions are visible in the strategic collaboration of the Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times, or the joint investigations of Pro Publica and dozens of smaller newsrooms around the country. Locally, the newly formed Northeast Florida News Collaborative unites a broad mix of local media representing distinct, sometimes divergent audiences. The collaborative includes the Baker County Press, the Jacksonville Business Journal, the Jacksonville Free Press, Jacksonville Today, WJXT News4Jax, the Florida Times-Union and The Tributary, and its first joint reporting focus is affordable housing. We ask four members what the confederacy will look like in practice and the promise of the new partnership.

Guests:

• Robert Brown, news director at WJXT News4Jax
• Deirdre Conner, publisher and CEO at The Tributary
• Jessica Palombo, news director, WJCT News, and editor, Jacksonville Today
• Paul Runnestrand, executive editor at the Florida Times-Union

Political flower power

Can a floral arrangement convey political priorities? According to a former chief White House florist, it can do that and more. Laura Dowling spent six years creating displays, wreaths, bouquets and centerpieces crafted to communicate official policy positions, welcome foreigners and set the table — quite literally — for important strategic discussions. Dowling is the keynote speaker of the Garden Club of Jacksonville’s 2026 Designer of Distinction fundraiser on Wednesday and Thursday.

Guests:

• Laura Dowling, floral designer, author and former chief florist at the White House
• Sonja Jones, CEO, Garden Club of Jacksonville

We’ll do it live!

And, a three-day festival celebrates the power of live performance. The third annual Festival of Stories & Songs brings nationally acclaimed storytellers and musicians to Amelia Island, from folk duo Flagship Romance to humorist/singer-songwriter/storyteller Andy Offutt Irwin, reporter/author Craig Pittman and Carmen Agra Deedy, award-winning writer and host of the Emmy-winning children's program Love That Book! The festival also features a storytelling workshop and children’s story hour. The first performance kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday at Story & Song Center for Arts & Culture.

Guests:

• Donna Paz Kaufman and Mark Kaufman, co-founders of Story & Song Center for Arts & Culture