For many people, Hawai’i = paradise. It’s an unforgettable vacation destination. However, permanent residents face unique challenges, thousands of miles from any appreciable landmass. The loss of subscription and advertising revenues and other disruptions to the news industry are challenges that aren’t unique to Hawai’i. The Maui News, the legacy daily newspaper on the island of Maui, has been experiencing dwindling readership and ad dollars just like many legacy newspapers in the continental United States — and then the pandemic made it worse.
A group of veteran journalists, media executives and community leaders decided to reverse this trend and launched the Hawai’i Journalism Initiative (HJI) in May 2024. Colleen Uechi, an experienced and highly respected journalist, was named editor.
“The challenges longtime, reliable news outlets have faced was the motivation for starting the Initiative. We want to keep good, in-depth local journalism alive on Maui and Maui County. We have local media that delivers the breaking and daily news well, but a robust journalism network needs in-depth reporting like we’re doing at HJI,” Uechi said.
As with any newly minted nonprofit news outlet, strong, proactive support was vital to establishing a presence in the community and a solid foundation for future growth and longevity. The initial and continuing strength of the Initiative is the outstanding board of directors. Two board members lead Pacific Media Group, Inc.: Chuck Bergson, director and CEO, and Jack Dugan, COO and director of the group's digital products. Their involvement created almost immediate credibility for HJI since Pacific Media Group has a radio, digital, airport, TV and newspaper portfolio serving many islands. HJI has partnered with the group’s MauiNow news site, where HJI’s reporting is published.
The Initiative is equally well served by board members Lee Imada, the former journalist and editor at Maui News for 39 years; Anthony Takitani, local attorney and former state legislator; and Mike Rountree, CPA at Rountree Consulting, Inc.
“Being partners with Pacific Media Group, Inc. is a boost to HJI because its media outlets are high profile in the community. Featuring our stories on the MauiNow website gives the group good supplementary, in-depth content and gives us a high-traffic site where residents can see our work. It's a little different and an advantage over being a startup with a new website,” Uechi said.
“The disastrous fires in Lahaina and Kula highlighted an even greater need for boots-on-the-ground journalists to cover the needs and challenges of the community on the road to recovery, and it made HJI’s mission even more timely.”
Currently, the Initiative’s staff is Uechi and Rob Collias, a reporter who spent 34 years at The Maui News as a sportswriter. With Honolulu, the state capital on O’ahu, the island receives much news coverage, creating underserved communities on neighboring islands. Uechi and Collias are already visiting Moloka’i and Lana’i to cover the issues often unique to their residents.
Uechi said the next steps are to hire more staff to expand coverage and include more community voices in the coverage.
“Hiring journalists is another unique challenge. Most local journalists have left the industry, and most of my applicants are from the mainland. It’s tough making a living in Hawai’i on a journalist’s salary. That’s often a deterrent for many mainland journalists wanting to work in Hawai’i, as well as their lack of Hawaiian cultural knowledge. Raising enough money to pay a living wage is a primary focus of the board,” said Uechi.
Uechi invites Editor & Publisher readers to contact her about the Initiative at news@hjinow.org.
Bob Sillick has held many senior positions and served a myriad of clients during his 47 years in marketing and advertising. He has been a freelance/contract content researcher, writer, editor and manager since 2010. He can be reached at bobsillick@gmail.com.
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