Notes from the Network

An illustration of two figures seated across from each other at a round table, each with a speech bubble containing audio waveforms, with sound waves radiating outward — suggesting active dialogue and the exchange of ideas.
Notes from the Network

The Courage to Keep the Table Open

I want to say something I believe deeply, and I want to say it plainly. We are living through a moment that requires courage, not the dramatic kind, not the kind that makes headlines, but the quieter, harder kind. The…

An illustration showing a diverse group of people surrounded by media and communication icons — including a microphone, camera, speech bubbles, and data charts — alongside a network diagram connecting voices and information, representing community media and public access to communication.
Notes from the Network

You Don’t Need a Press Credential

Somewhere along the way, we started treating civic life as a spectator sport. Not because people stopped caring. Most people care deeply about what happens in their communities. They care about the decisions made at city hall, the changes coming…

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. YouTube is free. Facebook reaches everyone. Why bother? It's a fair question. And honestly, it's one I don't mind answering, because the people asking it aren't wrong about…

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 generation before you. News channels, streaming services, podcasts, social media, the options never end. It looks like we have more choices than ever. But here's what that picture…

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 public finally takes notice, and it's often late in the process. A rezoning has been working its way through a planning commission for months. A contract was approved…

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 place: decline. Shrinking newsrooms, disappearing coverage, communities left without reliable information about the things that shape their daily lives. It's a real problem, and it deserves serious attention.…

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 function, and a new statewide report puts data behind what many of us already know from experience. The Michigan Media Ecosystem Report, published in November 2025 by The…

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