I run BayCityNews.org + LocalNewsMatters.org + womendonews.org. Past Life: @JSKstanford @mercnews @EastBayTimes @SLOTribune @baycitynews
Articles by Katherine Ann Rowlands
Election night mayhem with an AI twist
An automation and AI experiment for newsrooms Newsrooms on election night are always chaotic — and stressful — as journalists watch results trickle in from counties batch by batch. It takes a small army of people to capture those municipal and county results and update the tallies online so voters know who won and lost in real time.
Can election season be less crazy?
An automation and AI experiment in real time Newsrooms across the country have been facing a daunting task when it comes to election coverage. In an effort to inform readers about who and what is on the ballot — from the presidential race all the way down to state legislative contests and county or city council positions — journalists are wading through hundreds of names, office titles, descriptions of measures and propositions. And that’s just to provide previews of the ballots, county by county.
Back Stories from Bay City News: Reporting in Stockton
Back Stories from Bay City News: Reporting in Stockton Who, what, when, where, why and how we report the news A partnership with Report for America has allowed Bay City News to do impactful community reporting in Stockton and San Joaquin County this year. Our 24/7 newsroom means we can keep tabs on breaking news throughout the Bay Area region as well as invest time and resources into deeper reporting and storytelling.
From Believing to Verifying; How the Impact Tracker Proved our Value
Here’s how we describe the process to our staff, who are responsible for logging examples. What is “impact”? The impact we want to measure consists of feedback our stories and projects receive from four key actors: readers, officials, communities, clients/partners.
A tiny paper broke the George Santos scandal, but no one paid attention
Katherine Ann Rowlands reposted this Yes. Let’s pay attention to smaller outlets as they are vital in the news ecosystem. h/t Wendi Kromash Evanston RoundTable #hyperlocalnews #communitynews A tiny paper broke the George Santos scandal, but no one paid attention
LION Sustainability Audits
The LION Sustainability Audits assessment offers a low-lift opportunity for LION members to identify and respond constructively to roadblocks to sustainability within their organizations. You can take the Sustainability Audit via the LION Member Portal here. The first 50 LION members to complete the new Sustainability Audit assessment in the summer of 2025 will also receive one free hour of coaching through LION.
Bucking the Trend: We Are Adding Journalists at LocalNewsMatters.org
Bay City News Foundation is turning three! Thousands of journalists lost their jobs in the last 15 years, leaving many communities without the information they need to make good decisions, participate fully in their communities and uphold the fundamental tenets of democracy.
Digging Deeper with Bay Area Journalism to Inform Our Community
Bay City News Foundation is turning three! We have always done a good job of covering breaking and civic news in the Bay Area, stretching back to the 1979 start of the Bay City News Service wire, which sends original, local news to most other media in the region. And in 2018, when I founded the affiliated Bay City News Foundation, we started doing more arts and culture, demographic and environmental coverage thanks to grants and individual donors who support the nonprofit.
Bay Area Arts and Culture World Inspires and Showcases Creativity
Bay City News Foundation is turning three! The San Francisco Bay Area is a hub of artistic expression, attracting artists, writers and musicians from around the globe to live, work and create. At LocalNewsMatters.org, a free site supported by Bay City News Foundation, we celebrate the region’s creativity each week with coverage you won’t find anywhere else.
What’s Next for Bay City News Foundation: Expansion Plans
Bay City News Foundation is turning three! What’s next? A lot. As our free LocalNewsMatters.org site has grown, so has our staff, our coverage and our geographic footprint. Bay City News Foundation, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit that fuels this work, is fortunate to have a talented staff that allows us to meet our ambitious goals to meet the information needs of the San Francisco Bay Area — a fascinating, complex and innovative place, full of diverse people, institutions and stories.
Serving Local News to Audiences via Information Hubs in the Bay Area
Bay City News Foundation is turning three! As we pass the three-year mark for our nonprofit news organization, we are taking a week to ask for your support and highlight some of the best of our work. Information Hubs, for example, have proven to be an effective tool to collect useful, actionable information for local audiences in the Bay Area as we faced multiple crises — just one of the ways we have been building our nonprofit news operation since starting Bay City News Foundation in 2018.
Celebrate Local News With Us
Bay City News Foundation is turning three! In 2018, I started Bay City News Foundation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to provide free news stories on the issues that matter most to Bay Area readers like you. And our unique model allows us to deliver these public service stories to nearly every broadcast, print and digital outlet in the region so we can reach more than 8 million people. Wow! That’s impact.
Local News Matters: Creating — and sustaining — a COVID-19 Information Hub
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that there has never been a time when access to accurate, up-to-date information has been more crucial — and that is especially true when it comes to local resources like testing, vaccinations and business restrictions that impact our health and way of life.
Nevertheless, she persisted: Longtime journalist reflects on rebooting local news
The Exedra is pleased to reprint this Medium post from journalist and former Piedmont resident, Katherine Ann Rowlands, about her journey from reporter and editor to owner and CEO of a long-standing local news source. We are proud to partner with Bay City News for regional stories. A year ago, I got the opportunity of a lifetime to acquire Bay City News, the newswire business where I began my journalism career as an intern in 1987.
Four lessons I learned rebooting Bay City News, the Bay Area’s oldest…
A year ago, I got the opportunity of a lifetime to acquire Bay City News, the newswire business where I began my journalism career as an intern in 1987. Having worked for others my entire life, here was a chance to dream big, put everything I had ever learned to use, and serve my home community with local news that matters. Coming full circle, back to the place where I first earned my reporting stripes as a college intern at BCN, was an amazing bit of serendipity.
One Fine Weekend in Truckee
Traverse the slopes, shops, and scenic vistas of this enchanting mountain town. By Katherine Ann Rowlands Published: January 11, 2019 Snow enhances the historic charm of downtown Truckee. Photo by Scott Thompson/Courtesy of Truckee Chamber of Commerce Truckee is a bit like that gold nugget you nearly tossed back into the river when panning for a vacation destination in the Lake Tahoe region.
One Fine Weekend in Calistoga
Rejuvenation—the kind that lasts longer than a quick fix at the day spa—may require a bit of travel for some extra pampering. About 60 miles north of Walnut Creek, Calistoga is just the spot to soothe your muscles and recharge your soul, making you feel like you’ve been on an extended vacation. Take Highway 128 past the wineries of Napa, Yountville, and St. Helena to reach the historic town’s natural mineral baths and spas, and drop into a state of tranquility.
One Fine Weekend on the Sonoma Coast
To trade East Bay heat for coastal cool, hit Highway 1 and drive north through Sonoma County to get a breath of fresh sea air—and a glimpse of California’s pioneer past. This is the region where fishermen trolled the ocean to net fish and cash, loggers felled towering redwoods for construction lumber, and Russian settlers established outposts for a strategic foothold. You’ll also find modern enchantments along with the natural bounty stretching from Jenner, to Fort Ross, to Timber Cove.
Q & A With Courtney E. Martin
It would be difficult to ignore the power of feminism these days. The #MeToo phenomenon of the last several months has swept across cultures, industries, and borders to empower women to speak up about sexual assault and harassment. But it has done more than that: It has brought real consequences to bear, put a sustained spotlight on feminism, and magnified the voices at the forefront of this movement across the country and here in the East Bay.
Showstoppers
Whether you’re trying to squeeze in a meal before seeing a show or seeking a spot for late-night bites before heading home, these restaurants located around some of the most popular East Bay entertainment venues have you covered. VENUE: Lesher Center for the Arts UPCOMING SHOW: Sinatra Sings the Big Bands will get your toes tappin’ at 7:30 p.m. on February 3.
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