Digging the Heat? Support our mission to keep Austin ~actually~ weird with the best of Austin-centric news and reflections. Get 20% off forever JSTOR Archives of The Rag, published from 1966-77. Austin’s landscape is filled with ghosts, publications that have come and gone — The Rag, The Sun, Third Coast — but something always sprung up in its place. Now, though, the entire ecosystem is collapsing, and not just here, which framed discussion during the two-day Trust.News.Democracy. forum this week at the LBJ Library. “Of the 254 counties in Texas, 29 have no local news.” Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro, CEO and Co-Founder, National Trust for Local News. “One-third of the newspapers left in the country will fold before the end of this year.” Sonal Shah, CEO of The Texas Tribune. What happens in the vacuum, says venture philanthropist Sarabeth Berman, is that “instead of turning to the local paper for connection, people turn to social media.” PROFITING FROM A BUSINESS MODEL BUILT ON RAGE. LBJ Foundation president and CEO Mark Updegrove with Kara Swisher and Larry Wilmore. Author Kara Swisher and fellow panelist Larry Wilmore dissected the current digital landscape. The challenge, Swisher noted, is that the media business is in distress, and “if you don’t have good business you don’t have good journalism.” Trust. News. Democracy. The LBJ Library, April 11. THE PATH FORWARD “Philanthropy is not a business model — it’s a revenue stream. ‘Nonprofit’ is not a business model — it’s a tax status. No matter how a news organization is structured, or who owns it, it requires multiple and diverse revenue streams to provide stability and allow for independence, and the trust that comes with it.” Maribel Perez Wadsworth, president and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Knight Media Forum 2024 Texas Tribune co-founder Evan Smith opened his panel discussion by nodding to the quote above, from a February gathering in Miami. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation president John Palfrey says they’ve committed 500 million dollars to supporting local news . When the effort launched two years ago, the foundation recruited 22 additional funding partners. That network has now grown to 57. People care, Palfrey noted, along with an important caveat: “Everybody has to pay for local news or else we’re not going to have a democracy.” Palfrey envisions a world where communities view local news outlets in the same light as universities, museums and other important cultural institutions , employing a business model that mixes both for-profit work and philanthropy. The Ford Foundation’s Lolly Bowean sees opportunity to expand inclusive coverage , noting “many times (traditional) outlets were not reflective of our full and broad communities. ” Two other points of agreement — AI will play a role in this redefinition and the way forward is not through handouts. “There has to be demand” says Palfrey, adding “if nobody is paying for local news there won’t be any.” THE HAPPY HEAT “Cross Breeding”, Jim Franklin, courtesy Austin Museum of Popular Culture. Which brings us back to where we started. Our community. Austin has a long tradition of both thought leadership and questioning authority. Within this context, Happy Heat will continue to call attention to work that shines light into our state’s darker corners. Speaking of which… WHY IS THIS GUY ON THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT? Texas Tea Party Republican Women 2023 Keynote Address, posted by Kathie Turner. “Look at the election law abuse that happened. We’re still fighting that, that’s still out there. It’s going to happen again. Do you really think the Democrats are going to roll over and let Trump be president again? Do you think they’re just going to go away and all of a sudden find Jesus and be an honest election. I don’t think so.” Justice John Devine , TTPRW 2023 Keynote Address John Devine says he’s been arrested 37 times for protesting abortion. He fought to display the Ten Commandments in his courtroom as a Harris County District Judge. A proud warrior on the front lines of a crusade. “The church seems to be weakened and not know what to do.  We have a corrupted government.  On a federal level, we’re run by a criminal enterprise.”  John Devine, TTPRW Keynote. Here’s a link to Justice Devine’s speech , a chilling word salad filled with sanctimonious meanness, precisely tailored to inflame. “….a mockery of God…” “…transgender mutilation statute…” “…the Democrats could cheat…” “I was sued for those 10 commandments” “…dragged before a state court…” “sued by a homosexual activist.” The Texas Tribune’s Robert Downen broke the story above, as well as the one below . The headline pretty much sums it up. Devine narrowly survived a primary challenge, he’s running for a third term on the Texas Supreme Court. WANT TO DIG DEEPER? Here’s the Texas Monthly Tim Dunn article , he’s the chief architect of the religious right takeover movement. The person funding candidates like Devine. CNN’s Ed Lavandera devoted an hour to Dunn and fellow Christian conservative Farris Wilks in 2022.  The good news? We have more in common than we’re led to believe. Axios columnists Jim Vanderhei and Mike Allen write this week about “America’s reality distortion machine” , asserting… “No, most Christians aren't white Christian nationalists  who see Donald Trump  as a God-like figure. Most are ignoring politics and wrestling with their faith. No, most college professors aren't trying to silence conservatives or turn kids into liberal activists. Most are teaching math, or physics, or biology. No, most kids don't hate Israel  and run around chanting, "From the river to the sea." On most campuses, most of the time, students are doing what students have always done.” Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen. Axios, April 8, 2024. Seven points in all. So maybe the question’s how to connect, build community. Oh, and Tulsi Gabbard’s moved to town. Or at least the suburbs. Found this out from The Daily Mail. WHERE TO FIND THE HEAT Austin Kite Fest (Sunday, 10am -5pm) The Long Time (Saturday 3pm) Old fashioned sand lot baseball and great music from Chris Catalena starting at 3pm Saturday east of town. Check out our profile from last week’s issue. Moontower Comedy Festival (April 10-21) Just a few of the 100+ comedians performing this year at Moontower. The Austin Archives Bazaar (Sunday, 12pm-4pm) Come see us and a whole bunch of other like-minded folks at Scholz Beer Garten and Saengerrunde Hall and watch Austin history come alive. Hands on activities and notable collections, a fun dip into our past. STORMY WEATHER Wild shot of the week courtesy of Reddit. Go see something, tell us about it, we’ll share more stories next week. Let’s build something together. We’d be forever grateful for your help, and an easy way to do so is by subscribing to the Happy Heat Substack. 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