Fueled by Dab’s Cafe’s delectable breakfast, a crew of Maconites flew from Middle GA Regional Airport to Baltimore this morning for the Intercity Tour. NewTown #MaconGA + Visit Macon organized the excursion, to see B’more’s innovative economic development practices + how to engage the community.

Make @5calls.org every day. It’s a necessary antidote to our worry/anger/grief/apathy. buttondown.com/5calls

Absolutely

Todays hero

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s mother, Maithreya Murthy, filming him from the front row might just be my favorite takeaway from Knight Media Forum. @knightfoundation.org

“Giving people the option to choose their own adventure.” - Jay Graber, @bsky.app CEO, on what makes Bluesky unique Here for your bright, young leadership and aim in “having more people investing in it” to deter billionaire mindset of social platform owners @jay.bsky.team @knightfoundation.org

Are mkt. dynamics undermining the viability of Latino-serving media offerings? FCC Comm. Gomez and FTC Comm. Bedoya talk mkt. failures threatening the sustainability of journalists, creators + content distributors serving Spanish + Eng.-speaking Latino audiences in the U.S. @knightfoundation.org

In the year since its public launch, Bluesky has grown to over 32 million users. What makes this social network unique? What are CEO Jay Graber’s plans to position Bluesky for a competitive future? Listening! @maribel-wadsworth.bsky.social @knightfoundation.org @bsky.app

Combatting Censorship and the Chilling Effect in Civic Institutions - Listening to personal experiences of pushing back on censorship and promoting a vibrant culture of free expression and information sharing @knightfoundation.org

“Journalism is being unbundled and turning into the gig economy. More journalists are starting Substacks—it sounds glamorous, but it’s dangerous. Without institutional protection, it’s harder to challenge power.” @juliaangwin.com

“What is the impact of AI on journalism? Content deals between AI firms and news publishers are shaping a future where AI chatbots become the default source of information.” @randomwalker.bsky.social

AI: Reality or hype? The audience at #KMF25 was split—and so was our panel, moderated by @juliaangwin.com, featuring @randomwalker.bsky.social, Miriam Vogel and Luke Hogg. 🧵

“Sharing makes our cases stronger for the resources that we need.” - Kristina Newman-Scott, on partnerships @knightfoundation.org

“United States Artists was created because there was no funding for artists at the time.” There are partnerships to create. Judilee Reed United States Artists @knightfoundation.org

“Compare the scientific method and the creative method. They are the same. One of them is celebrated.” - Val Gay, Philadelphia Chief Cultural Officer The gaps are perception only. We fill the gaps. @valgay.bsky.social @knightfoundation.org

“Creative economy — where we all benefit from the intrinsic value of the arts.” - @valgay.bsky.social Chief Cultural Officer, Philadelphia @knightfoundation.org

What is the economic impact of the arts from workforce development to community revitalization? @knightfoundation.org

Filling critical coverage gaps in communities: Local news leaders highlight underrepresented areas of cty. journalism. Feat. Sara Just, @pbsnews.bsky.social Richard Young, @civiclex.bsky.social Kimi Yoshino, @thebaltimorebanner.com Elinor R. Tatum, @elinortatum.bsky.social @knightfoundation.org

What do we do? JG: Pick your fav. resource. JS: Each news org. has to take responsibility. Carlos: Move the $. The trouble is not the $. Mitra: It’s not if you need help, but when. @mitrakalita.bsky.social @jodieginsberg.bsky.social @joelsimon.bsky.social @connectas.org @knightfoundation.org

As democracy + media face renewed threats, how do we protect journalists? What are the concrete action that newsrooms and supporters must take to safeguard them? From physical violence and harassment to digital surveillance and more… w/ @mitrakalita.bsky.social @connectas.org @knightfoundation.org

“We need a Press Forward in Latin America.” - Carlos Huertas, Director @connectas.org @knightfoundation.org

Press Forward, a Knight-funded initiative, is a national movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news. @knightfoundation.org @pressforward.social

Our journalism problem: “It’s an economic problem, a civic problem, a national problem.” - Jim Brady, VP Journalism @jimbrady.bsky.social @knightfdn.bsky.social

Joy in the newsroom? Necessary. “If you really want to build audiences, [you have to cover more].” - Dean Baquet, Executive Editor, @nytimes.com

“Our job is to listen…not to jump to conclusions” - Anne Galloway, Founder and Editor-at-large, Vermont Digger @vtdigger.bsky.social

“This is a really urgent moment in journalism.” “We need to be alive to [the fact that] the unity among news organizations in the United States…I think that’s under threat.” @jodieginsberg.bsky.social, CEO, Committee to Protect Journalists

“The power to make change is not lost. It’s local.” - @maribel-wadsworth.bsky.social @knightfdn.bsky.social with a shout out to #MaconGA’s power in building community in #DowntownMacon, first!

First Amendment: How we distinguish between speech that should be protected vs. promoted? Legal scholars Mary Anne Franks + Jacob Mchangama in conversation with Lawfare’s Ben Wittes about this fundamental democratic value. @lawfare.bsky.social @maryannefranks.bsky.social @knightfdn.bsky.social

¡Hola, Miami! #MaconGA is here to join the @knightfdn.bsky.social Media Forum conversation. “Trust in institutions is eroding, economic divides are widening and the pace of technological and social change is testing our shared values…we believe there are opportunities for communities to thrive…”

The sky may not always be blue, but because we know it has been, we know it can be. History rhymes.