{"id":4390,"date":"2026-07-06T11:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4390"},"modified":"2026-07-06T11:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:06:26","slug":"seeing-a-strong-demand-for-local-news-veteran-r-i-journalists-launch-south-county-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4390","title":{"rendered":"Seeing a strong demand for local news, Veteran R.I. journalists launch South County Star"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>There\u2019s a new player in Rhode Island\u2019s local news scene.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Veteran Rhode Island journalists Nancy Burns-Fusaro and Alex Nunes recently launched the South County Star, a nonprofit digital news outlet covering southern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4388\">Chris Gotterup wins John Deere Classic with a 62 and late help from Ben Kohles<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Burns is a longtime arts and culture journalist and professor at the University of Rhode Island. She was most recently a columnist for the Westerly Sun. Nunes is an award-winning public media journalist who most recently was managing editor of the Westerly Sun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We asked them to answer a few questions about their new project, and they responded jointly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b>Q: <\/b>You\u2019ve spent most of your career around print journalism. What made you decide to start a digital news outlet?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b>Burns-Fusaro and Nunes: <\/b>We see a strong demand \u2013 and a need \u2013 for a trusted, locally-based digital news source here in southern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut. We believe there\u2019s an opportunity to provide more consistent coverage of the people, issues and communities people care about and we\u2019re excited to help meet that need through high-quality public-service journalism. It\u2019s also exhilarating to be on the cutting edge of something so exciting, new and necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><span>Get Rhode Map<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State.<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><label>Enter Email<\/label><\/p>\n<div><button>Sign Up<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span><b>Q: <\/b>I sometimes feel like starting a news organization is a little like running a political campaign in the sense that you always get an initial wave of support from your closest friends. The key to success is sustaining that support over a long period of time. How will you judge your success?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b>Burns-Fusaro and Nunes: <\/b>By the number of people who support us and whether people come to rely upon us. While audience growth is important, what really matters is whether residents see South County Star as a trusted source of information. We\u2019re very encouraged by the early response and are seeing strong engagement. People have been reaching out with story ideas and helpful feedback and our newsletter is getting more and more subscribers by the day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We are continuing to receive the donations necessary to help us meet our initial goal. (We received a generous commitment for a matching gift of $30,000!) For us, these are good signs we\u2019re building something local people value and want. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4386\">Is there anything World Cup fans despise more than the hydration breaks? (Players can\u2019t stand them, either.)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span><b>Q: <\/b>Local news organizations often have to balance being deeply connected to a community while also holding that community accountable. How do you think about that tension? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b>Burns-Fusaro and Nunes: <\/b>We think the tension is healthy and that balance is built over time through consistent reporting and a genuine commitment to serving the public. Local journalism isn\u2019t just about holding institutions accountable; it\u2019s also about helping people understand and connect with their communities. When people see your work is fair, accurate, and motivated by the public interest, they come to respect both roles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b>Q: <\/b>What\u2019s one thing about local journalism that people outside the industry consistently misunderstand?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b>Burns-Fusaro and Nunes: <\/b>People often assume reporters have agendas that simply aren\u2019t there. Social media can amplify that perception because it encourages people to view everything through a political lens. We have found that when journalists spend time talking with people face-to-face, those assumptions tend to fade. It\u2019s much easier to build trust when people know you personally and know your family. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b>Q: <\/b>What\u2019s the most undercovered story happening in South County right now?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b>Burns-Fusaro and Nunes: <\/b>Development. Stories related to growth \u2013 housing, coastal development, solar projects, and land use decisions are shaping the future of our communities and affect everything from affordability and environmental protection to infrastructure and quality of life, which is why they deserve sustained coverage. <\/span><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span>Related<span>: <\/span><\/span>More Globe RI + 12 News stories<\/div>\n<p><span><i>This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you\u2019d like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, <\/i><i>you can sign up here<\/i><i>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4384\">Analyzing Belgium, the US men\u2019s team\u2019s round of 16 opponent in the World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nancy Burns-Fusaro and Alex Nunes recently launched the nonprofit digital news outlet covering southern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4389,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Seeing a strong demand for local news, Veteran R.I. journalists launch South County Star - 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