Partio: A Conversation on the Role of Community Newsrooms
October 4, 2025 - Features
by Abigail Clements | Student Advisory Board Coordinator
Eric Meyer, center, discusses the role of local newsrooms in Kansas communities. Photo by Kenna McNally.
On August 26, 2025, the Student Advisory Board (SAB) hosted the annual fall semester kick-off event, “Party on the Patio.” Both returning and new SAB members eat dinner together while learning about SAB opportunities and enjoying an educational program.
This year, Student Advisory Board Coordinator Abigail Clements led a conversation on the impact of local newsroom closures on their communities. She was joined by Emily Bradbury, Director of the Kansas Press Association, and Eric Meyer, Editor and Publisher of the Marion County Record, for this conversation. Both guests have extensive experience in advocating for and protecting local journalism in Kansas and nationwide.
Throughout the program, the guests discussed the function of local newsrooms in their communities, the connection between quality journalism and democracy, and the future of local journalism.
A Student Advisory Board member asks program guests about the impact students can have on local newsrooms. Photo by Kenna McNally.
“We need good journalism. What platform that’s going to be on, we can argue about all day long, but good journalism, there will always be a need for it. As long as there is government, as long as there are people in their communities who want it, we [journalists] will always be around,” said Bradbury.
Students gained invaluable insights into the state of journalism today, as well as ways they can support local newsrooms.
“It was really inspiring to see people who are truly out there doing local journalism,” said Jacob McCarty, a member of the SAB. “This program raised awareness surrounding issues with local journalism and its role in holding local officials accountable.”
Students enjoy Dole Whip after the Partio program on August 26. Photo by Kenna McNally.
At the end of the event, students had the opportunity to ask the guests questions about funding cuts and further action they can take to support local media. Attendees then enjoyed Dole Whip on the Dole Institute’s patio.
More than 90 students attended this year’s Party on the Patio, a record-breaking attendance that represented a strong start to the school year and a time of growth for the Student Advisory Board.
Check out the full program on local newsroom closures on the Dole Institute’s YouTube.
Abigail Clements serves as the Student Advisory Board Coordinator for the Dole Institute of Politics. She leads the Student Advisory Board, the official student group of the Institute. Abigail is a senior studying political science, digital marketing communications and history.
About the Dole Institute
Inspired by the leadership legacies of Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole, and the enduring civic contributions of the Greatest Generation, the Dole Institute of Politics strives to promote a new era of leadership that uses politics to bring people together through opportunities that emphasize bipartisan cooperation, public service, and civic education and engagement.
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