Deb and Jim Fallows spoke with Andrew McKeever, the news director at Greater Northshire Access Television (GNAT), a not-for-profit community media organization in Vermont, about the Our Towns journey. The Fallowses discuss the origin of Our Towns, from how their time reporting in China inspired their cross-country dispatches, to the book, to the documentary, to the foundation. They explore a range of topics, like local-level innovation, the future of local journalism, what drew them to Burlington (which is featured in the book — and on its cover), and what they’ve learned from reporting on Vermont-headquartered Community Heart & Soul, a resident-driven community development model towns are using as far east as Maine and west as Washington.
You can watch the episode of “The News Project: In the Studio” on YouTube. It is also available on GNAT’s website here.
