Our purpose
The Community News Lab pairs student reporters with media partners to bring objective reporting to news desert communities in Rhode Island. Staffed with students from the Department of Public Relations and Journalism, the News Lab covers five towns that lack full-time news coverage: Richmond, Hopkinton, West Greenwich, Exeter and Charlestown. In addition, students report on four areas of importance to southern Rhode Islanders, including the environment, regional education, the fishing industry and agriculture. The News Lab supplies stories to newspapers in the R.I. Media Group, including The Westerly Sun, The Kent County Daily Times, The Independent, The Narragansett Times, and The Standard-Pendulum, as well as Ocean State Media, home of the Public’s Radio, the local NPR affiliate. Other partners, including EcoRI and The Providence Eye, will work with the news lab.
Who we are
The URI Department of Public Relations and Journalism, chaired by Daniel S. Hunt, is dedicated to providing students with professional experiences. The News Lab is one of the experiential learning spaces within the Harrington School of Communication & Media. Students in the department get real-world journalism experience in classes like Public Affairs Reporting and Writing, and Electronic News Gathering; internships in print, digital and broadcast journalism; and the News Lab. The department faculty includes award-winning photographers and documentary filmmakers, a scholar in computer-assisted reporting, and a longtime news reporter and editor. The News Lab editor is journalism instructor Betty J. Cotter.
News Lab reporters
Topics: Ellie Sennhenn, reporting on the environment; Emily Morgan, on regional education; Caroline McCullough, on agriculture; and Johnny Ochsenfeld, fishing and the ports.
Towns: Dustin Thodde, Exeter; Mel Eusebio, Charlestown; Megan Wallitsch, Richmond; Katelyn Drenga, Hopkinton; and Emily Morgan, West Greenwich.
Editing: Maia Hembruff
In the news
Well problems, voter skepticism delay Exeter town hall project - In a pair of stories, Dustin Thodde and Ellie Sennhenn examine the problems Exeter faces in utilizing its new town hall property.- Farmers markets full, but drought took its toll on local producers this summer - By Caroline McCullough
From sweet potatoes to zucchini, crops withered in a summer without rain.
- Lake treatment for invasives becoming more expensive in W. Greenwich - By Johnny Oschenfeld Bill for treating hydrilla and milfoil in Lake Mishnock spikes to $25,000 per year.
Chariho parents bring up class disruptions - By Emily Morgan
Disruptions brought up by parents included screaming, throwing objects and blocking exits.
- Boil-water order a hardship for some restaurants in Richmond - By Megan Wallitsch/for The Westerly Sun
Wood River Bar and Grill had to purchase ice daily and workers had to arrive early for extra work to accommodate the advisory.
- Pond that’s ‘loved to death’ faces growing pollution issue - By Ellie Sennhenn/for The Westerly Sun
High nitrogen and bacteria levels, poor tidal flushing and periodic stormwater flooding are Green Hill Pond’s main challenges.
- The Standard Pendulum 9/25/25
- Scavenger hunt a chance to explore local farms - Caroline McCullough
Contact
If interested in partnering with Community News Lab or sharing news tips with the editor, please email newslabeditor@uri.edu.
