Record joins TEDxWilmette to talk importance, impact of local news

Local news dominated the cafe chatter on a recent evening at Central Station Coffee and Tea in Wilmette.

The paneled discussion, Local News and the Civic Health of Communities, was part of TEDxWilmette’s salon series, an annual program of intimate conversations with topic experts.

Dozens of interested guests packed into Central Station on Jan. 27, to learn about the impact and direction of local news from Kayce Ataiyero, who oversees the journalism program with the Joyce Foundation; Tracy Baim, the executive director of Press Forward Chicago; and Ryan Osborn, the director of development for The Record North Shore.

As part of her responsibilities, Ataiyero – whose talk “Local news: The thread to reknit our community ties,” was part of TedxWilmette’s main event in October 2025 — regularly hears from and vets fund-seeking news organizations. And she is optimistic.

“I’m as bullish about local news as I’ve ever been,” she said.

That’s because, Ataiyero continued, that newsrooms across the country are finding innovative ways to reach audiences and fund their work.

As traditional news models decline, a variety of others (such as nonprofit newsrooms) are stepping up with mission-based reporting, like the coverage provided by The Record. Osborn explained how The Record centers community in its public-service reporting for Wilmette and other North Shore towns.

Osborn also pointed out some of the more impactful stories The Record has recently published, from responsible coverage of local immigration raids to an investigatory fatal-crash report to a memorial to an influential teenager.

Baim’s Press Forward Chicago is a local branch of a newer national program that launched in 2023 to infuse philanthropic dollars into local newsrooms. Press Forward Chicago awarded a $40,000 grant to The Record in 2025 to support its growth in the northern suburbs.

Baim said everyday readers don’t realize how “dire” of a situation local news is in, as most communities across the country are currently without access to reliable local-news coverage.

And Ataiyero also pointed out that meaningful local news coverage is expensive and said reader support is necessary for it to survive.

“The public has to support it,” she said. “There’s no way around it.”

Three more TEDxWilmette salons are scheduled for this spring:

• Feb. 24: “Invisible Strengths, Invisible Struggles,” with Tara May and Stacey Woehrle,
• April 28: “Care and Curiosity to Build Better Relationships,” with Gizelle Clemens and Amber Johnson, and
• June 16: “Stores, Adventure and Life Lessons from a Polar Explorer,” with Annie Aggens.

Find more information, including ticket details, about the events on the TEDxWilmette website.

TEDxWilmette’s premier event is set for Sept. 26. Stay tuned to the organization’s website as details are revealed.

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