When I started running media operations for Bay State and national campaigns a decade ago, reporters usually didn’t stick around for long. Sure, there were the stalwarts—Frank Phillips will always rule the roost at the State House—but, in general, tenures were short and talented reporters would hopscotch up the career ladder, moving from one outlet
City of Champions A portrait of Brockton MA
American cities don’t die; they change. Global forces push and pull – industries move and take their jobs with them, economies shift focus, wars around the globe drive people from their homes – and our hometowns struggle to keep their balance. This work is a study of my own hometown of Brockton, Massachusetts. Brockton is
New online magazine extends CommonWealth’s reach
The launch of a new website isn’t that unusual today, but here at MassINC it’s a huge step forward. It gives the organization a vibrant platform from which it can reach out to our many audiences in a more direct and engaging way. You can review our latest research on family financial skills, follow our
It’s simple: Listen to the voters
1 Thursday, January 28, 2010 By Eileen McNamara Martha Coakley was not the only loser in the special election for the US Senate seat left vacant by the death of Edward M. Kennedy. The media got mauled, too. From The Boston Globe poll putting Coakley 15 points ahead of Scott Brown days before he hammered
To charge or not to charge for the news
An Interview with Martin Baron Martin Baron, the Boston Globe’s editor, sat down in his office with CommonWealth magazine editor Bruce Mohl (a former Globe reporter) to talk about the paper’s financial situation and its digital transition. This second installment of the interview is only slightly condensed. Mohl: When the New York Times decided not
CommonWealth magazine Will Provide More Investigative Reporting, Expand Online Presence with $800,000 in Support from The Boston Foundation and Knight Foundation
BOSTON — MassINC today launches a new online version of CommonWealth magazine, the most visible manifestation yet of an $800,000 investment by the Boston and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundations in expanding news coverage in Massachusetts. CommonWealthmagazine.org and MassINC.org will now offer a wealth of journalism and research to engage citizens and policymakers
Time warp: Women are still waiting for an electoral breakthrough in Massachusetts
By Alison Lobron I have a confession: I recently spent a week’s vacation watching the entire second season of AMC’s Mad Men. True, all sorts of wholesome outdoor activities occupied the daytime hours, but every evening, we’d dim the lights and turn a Vermont cottage into a 1960s New York advertising agency. Escapism was the
Seeking to serve
By Alison Lobron “All I wanted to do was help kids write college essays,” Julie, a 24-year-old friend, told me. “It should have been easy. But I called a few different places that do college prep stuff for kids who can’t afford to hire a tutor, and none of them could figure out how to
Real Talk Health Insurance
By Alison Lobron “I would love to do what you’re doing,” a 20-something friend said. “But I need benefits.” She went on to tell me about her dream of starting an interior design company, a dream she’s put on hold until — well, until someday. I heard comments like hers often in the year I
Lessons from Salongate
The New Republic is heralding a well-reported piece on problems at The Washington Post. Get used to pieces like this. As newspapers continue to struggle with declining or disappeared profits, the blame game will resemble a convention of political operatives from the Coakley campaign. The villain of the TNR piece is Katharine Weymouth, who took