WUSF Public Media and the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation have hired Eric Garwood as Executive Editor of the CNC — Community News Collaborative. This independent journalism collaboration will expand coverage of news in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. In a time of media deserts and eroding resources in the news industry, this will deliver free, comprehensive and impactful journalism to people living in these counties.
Disappearing news
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WUSF is a comprehensive media organization that serves the public interest through programming, educational outreach and community partnerships. The Barancik Foundation is a private foundation in Sarasota. It creates initiatives and awards in the areas of education, humanitarian causes, arts and culture, the environment, and medical research. Together, they are joining forces to increase good civic journalism in the region of Florida where the foundation focuses.
“Our CNC journalists will cover areas that include grassroots school news, health trends, environmental stories and many more,” WUSF general manager JoAnn Urofsky said. “Together, these efforts seek to make Southwest Florida a better place to live, work and raise a family. We are thrilled for Eric to join and lead this wonderful group.”
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Media outlets in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties face eroding resources in the news industry. The CNC will help these outlets harness their collective abilities to drive and create coverage.
“Every day that goes by, traditional media continues to shrink and has not found a bottom. There are places in the United States that have become news deserts. Communities with no entity to tell people what’s going on in their backyard,” Barancik Foundation’s President and CEO Teri A Hansen said. “Studies have shown that creates less responsive governments, leads to less civic engagement and, in some cases, actually leads to a higher cost of living.”
Learn more about Eric Garwood
Garwood was most recently the managing editor of the Observer Media Group in Sarasota. Prior to joining the Observer Group in 2017, Garwood served in a variety of roles at Florida Today, the Gannett newspaper based in Melbourne on Florida’s east coast.
Starting there in 1996, he worked as a planning editor, communities editor, deputy metro editor, assistant sports editor and reporter. Garwood grew up in Pasco County and holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from the USF.
In his new role, he will oversee a team of four reporters as part of the Community News Collaborative (CNC). The nearly $600,000 from Barancik Foundation will help create print, video and audio content for syndication to more than a dozen news outlets across the Gulf Coast.
“I am honored to join this wonderful group of journalists on this project,” Garwood said. “Intentional, focused coverage of news at the local level helps keep our community informed and engaged in the democratic process.”