The mission of The Local Reporter is to provide the residents of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and southern Orange County an engaging and rigorously-reported local newspaper. Taking its cues from issues of concern to local community, The Local Reporter will offer a civil forum of public debate, nurture local business, peer into local mysteries, but above all, build community engagement and enrich local identity through the telling of an ever-evolving public narrative of life in our region of coverage.
The Local Reporter will contain a robust offering of guest columns and letters-to-the-editor (signed and edited; no anonymous screeds), airing the lively but civil views of our diverse readership. Our political coverage will examine responsibly the doings of local government, the university, law enforcement, development and the schools. Our features and lifecycle coverage will reflect and celebrate the rich mosaic of life as it is lived in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and southern Orange County, covering sports, dining, music, theater, as well as the births, marriages and deaths of our neighbors and friends.
Guest authors, letters to the editor, and volunteers are all welcome.
The Local Reporter is published by Friends of Local Journalism, a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax-deductible.
EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE POLICY
The Local Reporter subscribes to the standards of editorial independence adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News. Decisions about choice or content of material published by TLR will not be influenced by consideration of present or future financial support.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY
The Local Reporter is committed to avoiding possible financial or personal conflicts of interest among its Board or Staff. Thus, TLR subscribes to the conflict of interest policies found at https://inn.org/sample-conflict-of-interest-policies.
DONOR POLICY
The Local Reporter is committed to transparency. Thus donations of $5000 or more will be posted on our website while smaller donations are listed at the donor’s discretion. TLR maintains a firewall between its news coverage decisions and its sources of funding. Contributors to FLJ do not have any voice in the editorial decisions of TLR While FLJ is pleased to accept donations from individuals, foundations or businesses, acceptance of those funds does not imply any endorsement by TLR or FLJ of the views or activities of the donor.
Board of Directors of Friends of Local Journalism
DAVID SCHWARTZ – BOARD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
David Schwartz grew up in Chapel Hill and attended UNC-CH as an undergraduate. After completing graduate studies in Michigan, he returned to the area and worked for many years in academia at both UNC-CH and Duke. He was a columnist for the Chapel Hill News and has served on the Chapel Hill Historic District Commission. From 2021-2022, he served as Editor of The Local Reporter.
FRED LAMPE – BOARD TREASURER
Fred Lampe is both an MBA and a systems engineer, having held multiple product management and marketing positions in communications systems at Northern Telecom. He has been very active on committees that deal with local affairs. This includes work on the Coker Hills Neighborhood Conservation District, the 2020 Chapel Hill Comprehensive Plan, and the Central West Small Area Plan. He played a crucial role in convincing the Town of Chapel Hill to purchase electric buses and to undertake town-wide traffic modeling.
MICHELLE V. CASSELL – BOARD SECRETARY
Michelle Cassell has served as a Correspondent and Managing Editor of TLR, and Director of Marketing and Editor of TLR prior to assuming the position of Editor-in-Chief. She was formerly on the Chapel Hill Police Advisory Board and on the Board of Communites in Schools of Chatham County.
*As a Board Member, she is not permitted to vote on any pay rate decisions.
RANDY YOUNG – BOARD MEMBER
A Dartmouth College graduate, Randy B. Young first worked as an award-winning advertising copywriter in New Hampshire, and then spent over 30 years in communications at UNC. He maintained an award-winning newspaper feature covering Recreation and Exercise in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Orange County. Retired and living in Chapel Hill, Randy continues to write for regional publications both locally and in New England, and his book, And the Stars Flew With Us, is available through Amazon and at independent bookstores. He coaches track at Chapel Hill High and has maintained a photography business, Pierless (sic) Photography.
CHARLES HUMBLE, PhD – BOARD MEMBER
Tennessean by birth and, after living in numerous states, Chapel Hillian by choice. Wife, Victoria, and I moved here in 1986 to advance our careers in Public Health. Fell in love with the town and raised our two daughters here. I had a career in epidemiology focused on how environmental, occupational, and lifestyle factors influence various health outcomes. The final 20 years were more focused on the quality of health care (NC Medicaid program) and patient satisfaction with the same (VA Hospital System). Retired 12 years ago. Active member of the local Democratic Party in Albuquerque, NM, and again here in Orange County.
TLR Advisory Board
Neil Offen
TLR Editorial
Michelle V. Cassell, Editor-In-Chief
Ms. Cassell is a writer, editor, and photojournalist who has covered everything from crime, hurricanes, local politics, and human interest over 35 years. Before her work with TLR, she wrote articles for daily, weekly, and bi-weekly publications in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Annapolis, Maryland, and throughout Delaware. She also started Cablechannels Magazine in Salisbury and Annapolis, MD. and Chesapeake Trader Magazine in Annapolis. After studying at the University of Maryland-College Park School of Journalism, she obtained a B.A. in Psychology/Sociology with a minor in Communications from Salisbury University. She is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Michelle Cassell
Tyria McCray-Bourda
Pamir Kiciman
Diana Newton
Adam Powell
Fraser Sherman
Jane Brown
Maria de Bruyn
Kit Flynn
Jock Lauterer
Gregory DL Morris
Neil Offen
Laurie Paolicelli
Michael Schwalbe
Clark Troy