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BOSTON — Former Marblehead state representative Lori Ehrlich has accepted a position at Boston University as the inaugural executive director of a new journalism initiative aimed at supporting and sustaining local news across the state.
Ehrlich, who represented the 8th Essex District from 2008 to 2023, announced the appointment in a statement shared over Facebook. The initiative builds directly on her legislative work establishing a state commission to study journalism in underserved communities and counter the spread of news deserts.
“Hey friends, I’m excited to share that I’ve accepted a position at Boston University as the inaugural Executive Director of a new journalism initiative to support and sustain local news,” Ehrlich said. “This follows on my work in the MA legislature establishing the local journalism commission to counter news deserts and to explore successful business models for more and better coverage. It’s already been inspiring starting to build it out with Boston Globe alum and BU Journalism Chair Brian McGrory, along with news veterans Steve Greenlee and Jason Tuohey. Strengthening local news to strengthen democracy…stay tuned!”
Ehrlich will collaborate with McGrory, who chairs Boston University’s journalism department, along with news veterans Steve Greenlee and Jason Tuohey in developing the initiative’s structure and goals.
During her tenure in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Ehrlich chaired the Joint Committee on Export Development and emerged as a leading voice on the crisis facing local journalism. She spearheaded legislation creating the Commission to Study Journalism in Underserved Communities, which was established through a 2021 economic development law signed by former Gov. Charlie Baker.
The 23-member commission was tasked with conducting research and proposing policy solutions to address the rapid contraction of local news coverage across Massachusetts. According to a University of North Carolina study, approximately 2,900 newspapers nationwide have closed since 2005, with most being weekly papers that provided hyperlocal community journalism.
In Massachusetts, corporate newspaper chain Gannett closed or merged about two dozen weekly papers in 2022, replacing local coverage with regional content, according to testimony presented to state lawmakers. The Boston Herald, MassLive and Worcester Telegram & Gazette have all experienced layoffs and furloughs in recent years as traditional advertising revenue has shifted to digital platforms like Google and Meta.
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Though the original commission was due to report by Aug. 1, 2021, it never fully convened or completed its work. In June 2024, the Legislature’s Community Development and Small Businesses Committee held a hearing to explore reviving the commission with a reshaped membership and updated mandate.
At that hearing, Northeastern University professor Dan Kennedy recounted first discussing the idea of a journalism commission with Ehrlich in 2018. Kennedy told lawmakers the situation had only worsened in the intervening years.
“Unfortunately, the situation that we were hoping to address in 2018 has only gotten worse,” Kennedy said during the June 2024 hearing.
State lawmakers explored a range of potential interventions, including tax credits for outlets that hire and retain local journalists, grant funding for news organizations and state-funded fellowships for recent graduates covering underserved communities. Similar programs have been implemented or proposed in Illinois, New York, New Jersey, California, Washington and New Mexico.
Rep. Paul McMurtry and Sen. Pavel Payano, who chair the Community Development and Small Businesses Committee, signaled plans to convene a reshaped journalism commission in fall 2024 with the goal of producing recommendations by year’s end.
Ehrlich’s appointment at Boston University positions her to advance policy solutions through an academic and practical lens. The new initiative will examine sustainable business models for local news while working to strengthen civic journalism’s role in democratic participation.
After leaving the Legislature in January 2023, Ehrlich was appointed regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Region 1 in January 2022. In that role, she oversaw emergency management operations for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Her legislative career began with a March 4, 2008 special election victory to fill the seat vacated by Doug Petersen, who was appointed commissioner of agriculture by Gov. Deval Patrick. Ehrlich won reelection seven times, representing communities including Marblehead, Lynn and Swampscott.
Details about the scope, funding and timeline for Boston University’s journalism initiative were not immediately available. The university has not yet issued a formal announcement about the program.
