This episode will air on October 13th, 2025 at 12:00pm.
In our episode we will explore how news can be reimagined to serve communities by providing the information people actually need and building trust, equity, and a more responsible local journalism system.
Guests
Genn Son
While collaboration may be new to some in journalism, Eugene Sonn has been getting newsrooms to work together since 1998. Gene first did this as a reporter, then as WHYY’s news director and since November 2020, he has led the Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative. Gene is excited to continue leading the collaboration of 30 newsrooms in its new home at the Center for Community-Engaged Media at Temple’s Klein College of Media and Communication. When not helping reporters and editors work together, Gene can be found biking, brewing beer or sharing his rabid love of the Boston Red Sox with his two sons.
Danielle Smith
As the Editorial Director of Community News at Resolve, Danielle leads our printed community newsletter and the Equal Info Text Line, while also guiding the Info Hub Captains program, a group of neighborhood leaders who help shape our reporting by sharing the most pressing issues in their communities. Her career began on the assignment desk at ABC News Radio in New York City, followed by nearly a decade abroad that broadened her perspective before she returned to work as a freelance writer and later as an editor for Mommy Poppins, a national parenting website. She went on to serve as Development Director at Smith Memorial Playground in Philadelphia, and ultimately found her way back to journalism at Resolve.
Sarah Alvarez
Sarah Alvarez, a nationally recognized journalist known for creating new ways to serve economically challenged communities, is the James B. Steele Chair in Journalism Innovation and an Associate Professor at Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication. She started her career as a civil-rights lawyer before founding Outlier Media, a Detroit-based news and information service focused on investigative and accountability journalism. Under her leadership, Outlier has earned national recognition for its innovative work, including using SMS-based reporting and distribution systems to help low-income residents navigate challenges with landlords, utility companies, and public agencies.