The Conversation has been surveying the local media landscape of late. Media Council Hawai’i weighed in on a decision last year by The Garden Island to use AI anchors on its website following cuts to its newsroom.
Cuts across the state came in the wake of the Maui wildfire disaster, and some wondered about news coverage at a time when the community needed more information during a critical recovery period.
Enter the nonprofit Hawaiʻi Journalism Initiative — launched by Maui journalist Colleen Uechi in May 2024. It has partnered with Maui Now and its parent company Pacific Media Group.
"With our partnership with Maui Now, I think it works out really well because they do a lot of the breaking stories... and then, you know, we do a few stories every week where we take a look at something that's relevant and current, but takes a little bit more of a deep dive," Uechi said.
She said Maui's media landscape has been shrinking, and she does not want the island to become a news desert.
"HJI's goal is to keep local journalism alive and keep employing local journalists. And I think that's especially important on neighbor islands, because a lot of people on neighbor islands do tend to feel like either news in general or the Legislature, a lot of attention is focused on Oʻahu, where the majority of the population is. But there's a lot of things that, you know, deserve reporting or might get overlooked on neighbor islands."
Two local online publications, Overstory and Aloha State Daily, recently launched their newsrooms. Both are led by journalists with backgrounds in legacy media organizations.
"Even though, technically, all these news outlets, we're competitors, we're looking for funding, and there's a limited pool sometimes locally, I think it's good to have more eyes, more boots on the ground, more people who care about things that are happening in our communities, and keeping an eye on government, keeping an eye on recovery in Lahaina and all the important things that are happening," Uechi added.
This interview aired on The Conversation on March 19, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
