{"id":15141,"date":"2025-09-25T15:44:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/harrington\/?page_id=15141"},"modified":"2026-03-03T17:33:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T22:33:26","slug":"community-news-lab","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/harrington\/community-news-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"Community News Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Community<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our purpose<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>, The Kent County Daily Times<\/a>, The Independent<\/a>, The Narragansett Times<\/a>, and The Standard-Pendulum<\/a>, as well as Ocean State Media<\/a>, the local NPR affiliate.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Who we are<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The URI Department of Public Relations and Journalism, chaired by Daniel S. Hunt<\/a>, 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<\/a>. Maia Hembruff is the student editor\/fact-checker.<\/p>\n\n<\/article><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n

News Lab reporters <\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Topics:<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ellie Sennhenn<\/strong>, reporting on Exeter and the environment
Johnny Ochsenfeld<\/strong>, Charlestown and the fishing industry
Mel Eusebio<\/strong>, general assignment features
Megan Wallitsch<\/strong>, general assignment news and the General Assembly
Aida Delano<\/strong>, Hopkinton and regional planning issues
Aria Garcia-Torres<\/strong>, West Greenwich and the Exeter-West Greenwich School District
Gabriel Anthony<\/strong>, Westerly Town Council
Sydney Capello<\/strong>, Richmond and the Chariho Regional School District<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the news<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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