Sarabeth Berman is chief executive of the American Journalism Project, a philanthropic organisation which supports local non-profit newsrooms. The project’s mission is to accelerate the sustainable growth of regional news for the long term. In this in-depth interview, Sarabeth discusses the “real harm” to communities that the decline of local news has caused - and the “lack of transparency and accountability local governments enjoy as a result;” outlines their approach - partnering with communities, coaching leaders and sustaining their offices; and argues that society has been complacent in ignoring the dangerous implications of empty local newsrooms, which the pandemic has shown can be a matter of life and death.