Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
The Rise, Fall, and (Perhaps) Rise Again of Local News
Speaker
Greg Moran
Coordinator
Michael Lipman
In the past two decades, more than 3,000
newspapers across the U.S have closed, an
astonishing collapse of a once-mighty industry
which now finds itself struggling for profit and
relevancy. This talk will explore the factors that drove
the rapid devolution of the news industry (maybe
not what you think it was), the mistakes that were
made, the impact of corporate ownership and the
current state of play. Learn about the impact of
shrinking newsrooms, the rise of “news deserts”,
the implications of less independent, fact-based
reporting on civic life and democratic values, and
what the future of local news will have to look like.
newspapers across the U.S have closed, an
astonishing collapse of a once-mighty industry
which now finds itself struggling for profit and
relevancy. This talk will explore the factors that drove
the rapid devolution of the news industry (maybe
not what you think it was), the mistakes that were
made, the impact of corporate ownership and the
current state of play. Learn about the impact of
shrinking newsrooms, the rise of “news deserts”,
the implications of less independent, fact-based
reporting on civic life and democratic values, and
what the future of local news will have to look like.
Speaker Bio
Presenter: Greg Moran covered state and federal
courts for the San Diego Union-Tribune before
becoming an investigative reporter working
both on his own and as part of one of the Union-
Tribune’s investigative teams. He began working
at inewsource in 2024, where he covers elections,
extremism, legal affairs and the San Diego
housing crisis. One of the first local nonprofit
newsrooms in the country, inewsource has
brought a new model of award-winning news
to Southern California. Greg received a B.A. in
english literature from Carlton College.
courts for the San Diego Union-Tribune before
becoming an investigative reporter working
both on his own and as part of one of the Union-
Tribune’s investigative teams. He began working
at inewsource in 2024, where he covers elections,
extremism, legal affairs and the San Diego
housing crisis. One of the first local nonprofit
newsrooms in the country, inewsource has
brought a new model of award-winning news
to Southern California. Greg received a B.A. in
english literature from Carlton College.
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