Journalism in the United States is imagined as a public good, an institution that aids in the maintenance of democracy as it holds people in power accountable for their actions. Journalists are also tasked with helping citizens understand how their communities are run. However, that’s becoming increasingly difficult as local new rooms around the country shrink or are shuttered completely. Journalism and news deserts are the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Tom Stites

Stites is a seasoned writer, editor and entrepreneur with a passion for strengthening journalism and democracy.  Currently he is a consulting editor for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the founder and president of the Banyan Project  which aims to strengthen democracy by pioneering a sustainable and easily replicable new model for Web journalism. As an editor he has supervised reporting that has won an array of major journalism awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes; as an entrepreneur he has been the founding publisher of two print magazines and three Web publications.