NEWSAPALOOZA Presented by Point Park University’s Center for Media Innovation

Performance Dates: September 27, 2024 9:00 AM
Location: Pittsburgh Playhouse

350 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Click here for Google Maps

Performance Time
Friday, September 27; all-day event
Doors open 9:00AM

Ticket Price

$10: All Day Access to Newsapalooza
$300 Membership: Membership that includes tickets and reception with Marty Baron, retired Washington Post executive editor, on Sept. 14; invitation to a Newsapalooza kickoff reception at the National Aviary on Sept. 26; Sept. 27 Newsapalooza access with preferred seating at all events; a Fall/Winter 2024 guided tour of Center for Media Innovation with founder Andrew Conte, Ph.D., Opportunities in 2024/25 to engage the founding team of the Next Generation Newsroom; Newsapalooza t--shirt and tote bag.

For more information about accessibility please visit this page.

About Newsapalooza

Robert Costa, CBS News’ chief election and campaign correspondent, starts Newsapalooza’s day of powerful sessions on lost local news and its community impact with a 9:30 am keynote. Dr. Andrew Conte of Point Park University and Ken Rice of KDKA open the event and welcome Robert.

Robby Robinson, of Boston Globe “Spotlight” movie acclaim, leads the afternoon keynote at 3:10 pm with Chris Baxter of Spotlight PA about “Who watches the powerful?” Robinson’s work unmasked years of sexual abuse within the Catholic Diocese in Boston – and inspired the Academy Award-winning film, “Spotlight.” He was played by Michael Keaton.

The evening event at 5 pm celebrates local journalism with The Pittsburgh Pitch – an interactive, audience-guided party to choose tomorrow’s news. Enjoy drinks and light food from the stage of The Pittsburgh Playhouse while listening to local journalists make the case for their best story ideas. Audience members vote to award $1,000 each for the best pitches.

Newsapalooza is a first-of-its-kind event for Pittsburgh: a celebration of story, journalism, and facts created by the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University.

Also appearing:

Presidential Politics in the Rust Belt & Appalachia. — 10:20 am How do we talk to each other and why you should. Salena Zito, national political reporter; Annafi Wahed, founder of The Flip Side; Marita Garrett, a former mayor and founder of Civically. Moderator: Jon Delano, KDKA political editor.
Is Pittsburgh still a City of Champions? — 11:20 am Tim Benz, staff writer, Trib Total Media; Jennifer Bullano Ridgely, chief communications officer, Pittsburgh Penguins, Josh Taylor, KDKA, and Michael DeCourcy, senior writer, the Sporting News. Moderator: Bernie Ankney, dean of the school of communication, PPU.
Pennsylvania colleges can help water local news deserts — 1:10 pm Richard Watts, director of the University of Vermont’s Center for Community News, and others.
New Report: Where Pittsburgh gets its news — 1:10 pm University of Pittsburgh professors Lara Putnam and Elise Silva unveil findings of a groundbreaking study.
Diverse communities need stronger newsroom support — 1:10 pm Letrell Crittenden, director of Inclusion and Audience Growth at the American Press Institute, discusses his work to make Pittsburgh newsrooms and coverage more representative, with WESA's Cindi Lash + editor Glynis Board and PublicSource executive editor Halle Stockton.
Press Forward Pittsburgh: Philanthropy support for local news — 2:10 pm Christina Shih, of the national Press Forward initiative, comes to Pittsburgh for an important announcement about the chapter for southwestern Pennsylvania, with Kathy Buechel, executive director; The Benter Foundation; Matt Barron, program director, The Heinz Endowments; Douglas Root, VP of communications & external affairs, The Pittsburgh Foundation; Michelle McMurray, vice president of program and community engagement, The PIttsburgh Foundation, and Dr. Andrew Conte, director, CMI.
Pittsburgh Pitch — 5 pm The day closes with a party to celebrate local journalism at The Pittsburgh Pitch. Local journalists participate in a “Shark Tank” for Pittsburgh news where the audience awards prize money to the winners. Pittsburgh celebrities Rick Sebak, Sally Wiggin, Quaadir Bey and the YaJagoffs bring the fun.

Television personalities from KDKA, a founding sponsor, will be on hand throughout the event.

Newsapalooza is an investment in the Pittsburgh story – the people who tell it and the stories they tell. This event will launch the Next Generation Newsroom, which will fill gaps in local reporting and serve six million readers through our 29 regional publishing partners.

Today, true stories are challenged across America due to the loss of key storytellers – trained journalists. At risk is democracy, informed communities and shared awareness. For decades, journalists celebrated Pittsburgh at its best and protected it when needed. Newsapalooza aims to protect and celebrate this vital civic function.

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About The Center for Media Innovation

The Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University is a laboratory for figuring out the present and future of local journalism. We, at times, have taken a broader definition of that to (include) the local storytelling, but we narrow the journalism piece of it down.

It serves three main audiences: Young people — college students and high school students who often know the technology but often don’t know the basics of how to do storytelling. We work with them on that, and media literacy is a big piece of that; Professionals: CMI works with journalists, and also public relations (professionals), on how to keep up with the technology; Public: CMI does events that introduce the public to newsmakers and journalists and creates opportunities for them to learn about freedom of information.

NEWSAPALOOZA Presented by Point Park University’s Center for Media Innovation Special Event

About Newsapalooza

About The Center for Media Innovation