M Schuster

34 Articles
An illustrated graphic contrasting community media and corporate media. On the left, a green panel shows a community-rooted media ecosystem — people with microphones, a local broadcast station, public infrastructure icons, and community investment. On the right, a blue panel depicts corporate media consolidation — a skyscraper controlling chained screens, money changing hands, and crumbling public spaces. Created with NotebookLM.
Notes from the Network

Media You Own vs. Media That Owns You

Someone asked me recently why Public Media Network even needs to exist.…

By M Schuster
Alt text: A side-by-side illustration contrasting two media models. On the left, a blue funnel filters many media voices — represented by icons for video, audio, and people — down to a few controlled outputs, representing corporate media consolidation. On the right, a green speech bubble filled with the same variety of media icons surrounds the PMN logo, representing an open, community-centered media network where many voices are heard.
Notes from the Network

More Channels, Fewer Voices

Pick up your phone and you can access more media than any…

By M Schuster
Alt text: A two-panel illustration contrasting the challenge and solution of civic information access. The top panel shows social media content flooding through an algorithm filter while civic buildings and voter turnout fade into the background. The bottom panel depicts a central media archive — with icons for video, audio, and recording — connected by roots and circuits to pillars of civic infrastructure, books, and film, representing the preservation and distribution of the public record.
Notes from the Network

What Happens When No One’s Watching

There's a moment in a lot of local government decisions where the…

By M Schuster
A diagram illustrating how information flows through a community — from media sources including a microphone, megaphone, book, and group discussion — through a civic building, broadcast tower, mobile device, and ballot box — culminating in an active circle of engaged community members sharing and amplifying information.
Notes from the Network

What If We Built It Right?

Most conversations about the future of local news start in the same…

By M Schuster
A blurred collage of neighborhood and civic scenes, including a zoning notice sign, a school board meeting sign, houses, and a construction site, with the cover of the Michigan Media Ecosystem Report centered in the foreground at an angle. The report cover shows people recording a podcast in a studio and includes the logo of The Pivot Fund.
Notes from the Network

What Michigan’s Media Landscape Tells Us About the Future We Need to Build

Something is broken in how communities get the information they need to…

By M Schuster
A dark blue network diagram showing human figures connected by glowing lines, radiating outward from a central figure highlighted in green, representing the interconnected community members who document and share local stories.
Notes from the Network

The People Who Keep the Record

Every community has people doing quiet, important work. They show up to…

By M Schuster
Illustration of a house connected by dotted lines to a cell tower, car, and location markers over a blue map background, symbolizing community communication networks and infrastructure.
Notes from the Network

Communication Is Infrastructure, Too

When I was finishing my environmental studies degree, our capstone class focused…

By M Schuster
Thumbnail for the Public Media Network blog post “Creator Tip: Every Shot Sends a Message,” featuring a videographer filming with a professional camera, a silhouetted subject visible on a camera screen, and a clapperboard labeled “Creator Tip.” Film reels, a microphone, and a film strip overlay appear over a blue and orange gradient background, with the PMN logo and “Public Media Network” at the bottom.
Creator's Take

Creator Tip: Every Shot Sends a Message

The Myth of “Just Capturing What Happened” Spend enough time around cameras…

By M Schuster
Hands holding a mobile phone with an image of a government meeting in the foreground and blurred image of that government meeting in the background
Notes from the Network

Participation Is a Practice

It can be easy to think the way decisions get made in…

By M Schuster
Abstract image of media production equipment and monitors with city scenes, artists, government meetings
Notes from the Network

Community Media is Public Infrastructure

Why These Moments Matter The meetings and stories we share each week…

By M Schuster
Stylized image of a park with people sitting in chairs by a gazebo awith cameras in the foreground
Notes from the Network

Why Open Media Matters in a Platform-Driven World

Social media has changed how people organize, communicate, and share information. It…

By M Schuster
Decorative with blog post title of why government meeting coverage still matters
Notes from the Network

Why Government Meeting Coverage Matters

Many of the decisions that shape our daily lives happen in rooms…

By M Schuster