Photo by Stephanie Loftus
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November 12-13, 2026
Join us for the third annual Newsapalooza
at Point Park University!
As always, at this two-day festival celebrating the future of local journalism, you’ll learn from and connect with the next generation of journalists, national and local industry experts, creators, and community members and leaders. And this year, we’ll celebrate a decade of innovation, as the Center for Media Innovation turns 10 years old!
While we get to work behind the scenes, take a look below at some of the best moments from Newsapalooza 2024!
Day 1: Celebrate local journalism at a kickoff reception
Gather with us at the Center for Media Innovation to:
—Showcase the next generation of journalists with the Pittsburgh Pitch Story Competition
—Recognize outstanding local journalism
—Celebrate the Center for Media Innovation’s 10-year anniversary
—Enjoy light bites, drinks, and participate in activities
—Meet and mingle with people who love local journalism, too!
When: 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12
Where: The Center for Media Innovation
West Penn Building, 14 Wood St., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222
Day 1 registration includes hors d’oeuvres and one drink ticket.
The day begins with a keynote conversation featuring Heidi Przybyla, an award-winning investigative journalist, president and founder of Get Real News, and former correspondent for NBC News, POLITICO and USA TODAY. Przybyla will be joined by Lexi Belculfine, assistant vice president and managing director of the Center for Media Innovation, for a discussion about the evolving media landscape and the future of journalism.
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Then, we’ll host conversations and opportunities to connect with fellow journalism and community leaders on topics including:
Journalism costs money, and the old business model isn’t coming back. Nonprofit newsrooms are leaning on donors and foundations. Legacy papers are rethinking print, subscriptions, and advertising. Independent outlets are piecing together revenue. This panel brings together leaders from different corners of the industry to talk frankly about how they are working to sustain local news.
Jess deRivera
associate director of programs,
LION Publishers
Tammy Schuey
publisher/general manager,
Butler Eagle
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Cindi Lash
vice president, news
90.5 WESA
What happens to a community when no one is covering it anymore? In towns across Southwestern Pennsylvania, local papers are shrinking or closing. This panel will talk about what a news desert looks like from the inside — and what it takes to bring reliable local information back to a place that has lost it.
Rob Amen
managing editor,
TribLive /Tribune Review
Bri Erskine,
mayor,
Bellevue Borough
Sadie Harvey
managing editor,
Centre Documenters
Local news doesn't always land on the doorstep anymore. Across our region, people are building new outlets and reimagining old ones. This panel brings together some of those builders to talk about reaching audiences, earning trust and staying in business.
Jeff Freedman
co-creator
QBurgh
Chris Maury
president, Pittsburgh City Paper
founding executive director, informup
Teresa Lindeman
managing editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
More on this year’s theme, "Local News Lives Here"
In many parts of the country, local news is disappearing. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, local news leaders are collaborating.
The Center for Media Innovation’s Pittsburgh Media Partnership offers the region a collaborative local news ecosystem and has created a space where more than 40 newsrooms across 10 counties are still showing up to keep the public informed.
Working together, we’re telling the stories of our communities: what decisions are being made, who is making them, where public money is going, what problems are being ignored, what neighbors are building — and how community members can be heard by covering school boards, borough councils, neighborhoods, courts, culture, business, elections and public life.
Newsapalooza celebrates the strength of journalism in Southwestern Pennsylvania, one of America’s local news capitals, and beyond, inviting everyone into the celebration of local news living here.
Video by Day 7 Creative.
Learn how to craft your own video news segments and podcasts at the Center for Media Innovation's cutting-edge studios.
Experience live storytelling jams across the region, where citizens and reporters collaborate with traditional newsrooms to bring stories to life.
Go behind-the-scenes of a local newsroom and gain insights into the day-to-day operations of news creation.
Expand your knowledge on citizen access to public information, identifying misinformation, and enhancing online media literacy.
Gain valuable insights into the evolving world of media and journalism from those at the forefront of the industry.
20% off early bird pricing is available on all levels on purchases placed before July 1.
CLICK & GET YOUR TICKETS NOW
Photos by Stephanie Loftus
