‘Journalism isn’t dying. It’s changing’: Sold-out FlatFest showcases state’s commitment to independent news

The Flatwater Free Press celebrated the growth and impact of its independent Nebraska newsroom with a sold-out event Wednesday that highlighted the importance of journalism to a healthy society. 

Nearly 400 Flatwater readers and supporters from across Nebraska and as far as California, Mississippi and Washington, D.C. gathered in Lincoln for the annual Flatwater Free Press Festival. 

Liz Carvlin Fuesel, a writer and teacher from Omaha, joined the party and noted the evolving journalism landscape. 

“There used to be more news sources, but it’s interesting to see how grassroots organizations are stepping in to fill the gaps,” she said. “Journalism is not dying; it’s changing.”

Flatwater Free Press launched in 2021 with a mission to publish investigations and feature stories that matter to Nebraskans. Today, more than 25,000 people subscribe to its free weekly statewide and Omaha newsletters. This year, the Institute for Nonprofit News named FFP the Startup of the Year.

This year’s Flatwater Festival followed the daylong State of Our Union conference co-hosted by The Atlantic and FFP. The event featured interviews and panel discussions with Rep. Mike Flood, Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, Norfolk Mayor Josh Moenning, University of Nebraska President Dr. Jeffrey Gold and a host of FFP journalists, The Atlantic journalists and other newsmakers and experts. 

FlatFest continued the conversation into the evening at the Lincoln Station Great Hall in Lincoln’s Haymarket, kicking off with a musical performance by 12-year-old Jayde Dorsey of Omaha that brought the audience to their feet. 

The festival featured a panel discussion headlined by three journalism heavyweights. Moderator Matthew Hansen, editor of the Flatwater Free Press, tackled a wide range of topics including the vital role of local journalism in strengthening democracy, the growing distrust of media and the pressing need for transparency in reporting. 

Angel Jennings, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumna and an assistant managing editor at the L.A. Times, shared her role improving diversity and representation at that news organization, emphasizing the importance of shaping newsrooms to reflect the communities they serve. 

“We need to reflect the diversity of our cities in order to better serve them,” she said. “It’s important to bring in diverse voices so our stories capture the full picture.”

Omaha native Coulter Jones discussed his Wall Street Journal reporting on government officials trading stocks in companies they regulate.

“We found thousands of cases where government officials were owning stock in companies they were supposed to regulate,” he said of the Pulitzer Prize-winning work. “This kind of transparency is essential for maintaining public trust in our institutions.”

Flatwater’s senior reporters, Natalia Alamdari and Yanqi Xu, took the stage to share their experiences reporting across Nebraska since 2021.

“One of my favorite things about this job is that I get to see this state with fresh, non-Nebraskan eyes,” said Alamdari, a Houston native. “I get to find the unique, funny and beautiful stories that tie us all together as a state, whether you live in Lincoln, Ainsworth or Scottsbluff.” 

Xu discussed the impact investigative journalism can make. 

“Three years ago, I never imagined we could help strengthen the laws to protect water quality or reduce public record costs,” she said. “Telling stories that matter, with integrity and care, is a great honor – and sometimes it’s really hard. But it is worth it when you see the change it sparks.”

That’s the kind of reporting that is important to Flatwater readers like Lynn Knudtson of Omaha, who attended the event with wife Maria Anderson Knudtson. He said Xu’s series about nitrate in drinking water resonated with him as an environmental chemist with agricultural roots. “That kind of stuff needs to be out there,” he said.

Flatwater’s commitment to nonpartisan, trustworthy local news is cause for optimism at a time when misinformation is rampant, said panelist Evan Smith, who co-founded the Texas Tribune, a nonprofit newsroom which is now Texas’ largest newsroom.

“I believe we need a Flatwater Free Press in all 50 states,” said Smith, now a senior adviser at Emerson Collective. “Local journalism is critical to a healthy democracy, and nonprofit newsrooms are leading the way in showing how it can be done sustainably.”