Our purpose
The Community News Lab at the University of Rhode Island’s Harrington School pairs student reporters with media partners to bring objective reporting to news desert communities in Rhode Island. Staffed with nine students from the Department of Public Relations and Journalism, the News Lab covers six towns that lack full-time news coverage: Richmond, Hopkinton, West Greenwich, Exeter, Westerly and Charlestown. In addition, students report on four areas of importance to southern Rhode Islanders, including the environment, regional education, planning/development and the fishing industry. 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, the local NPR affiliate.
Who we are
The URI Department of Public Relations and Journalism, chaired by Daniel S. Hunt, is dedicated to providing students with professional experiences. 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. Maia Hembruff is the student editor/fact-checker.
News Lab reporters
Topics:
Ellie Sennhenn, reporting on Exeter and the environment
Johnny Ochsenfeld, Charlestown and the fishing industry
Mel Eusebio, general assignment features
Megan Wallitsch, general assignment news and the General Assembly
Aida Delano, Hopkinton and regional planning issues
Aria Garcia-Torres, West Greenwich and the Exeter-West Greenwich School District
Gabriel Anthony, Westerly Town Council
Sydney Capello, Richmond and the Chariho Regional School District
In the news
Work on Laurel Bridge to start this summer - By Aida Delano/The closure of Laurel Bridge in Ashaway is proving an inconvenience for residents.
RI Monthly: On the Beat with URI’s Community News Lab
Door-to-door sales ordinances on the agenda - By Gabriel Anthony/Two towns are scrutinizing their door-to-door sales ordinances to address First Amendment issues and resident complaints.
Saugatucket shores evolving, but river still has friends - By Mel Eusebio/The Friends of the Saugatucket has disbanded, but a new group is stepping forward to protect the river.
- Exeter library seeks funds to enhance outdoor recreation - By Dustin Thodde/The town has applied for a $400,000 multi-purpose grant that would be used to fund upgrades to the Exeter Public Library property, including a new pavilion and renovated playground.
- South County Rivers: Historic dams along Beaver River hold back more than water - By Megan Wallitsch/A native brook trout swims down the Beaver River, invisible to the eyes of the few anglers along the largely remote water way.
- Oysters remain king of state aquaculture fishery - By Johnny Ochsenfeld/Oyster farming is thriving in Rhode Island and has the added benefit of improving water quality.
- Declining test scores in primary grades concern School Committee - By Emily Morgan/Some R.I. test scores were up in Exeter-West Greenwich schools, but it was the Metcalf Elementary numbers that prompted the most concern.
Contact
If interested in partnering with Community News Lab or sharing news tips with the editor, please email newslabeditor@uri.edu.
