The decline of local news has had deeply detrimental effects on society. Studies show that in regions without local reporting, known as "news deserts," there's a marked decrease in civic engagement, and an uptick in corruption and financial mismanagement. When people lack access to news about local, shared concerns, they often become passive consumers of divisive national narratives. Without a healthy political environment, addressing critical challenges such as economic disparity, climate change, and global conflicts becomes very difficult.
We are a non-profit with the mission to foster an informed and engaged citizenry by revitalizing local news in an economically sustainable way.
We are based in Arlington, Massachusetts.
Before Nano Media, Winston founded Voice Dream to create software for people with learning differences and visual impairment. Voice Dream Reader, the flagship product, is a 2021 Apple Design Award winner. In addition, he worked on media technology at MIT Media Lab. Winston holds an MBA from Kellogg School at Northwestern.
David Trilling was the Central Asia correspondent for The Economist and has contributed to many other publications, including Foreign Affairs and The Guardian. David earned a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University and was later a Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia Journalism School.
Andrew Heyward is a Research Professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and a senior advisor at MIT’s Center for Constructive Communication. Previously, he was President of CBS News from January 1996 to November 2005. Andrew is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard.
We offer a comprehensive platform for launching and operating independent local news websites. We deploy the all of the most advanced technology to automate news gathering, production and distribution, allowing a part-time editor to run a local news outlet. Initially, we're concentrating on local governance, employing AI to transcribe and summarize government meetings. Our platform and services are free.
To see an example of our technology in action, check out Inside Arlington.
