Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.
“We tend to report on problems in the housing, climate, and health sectors. We may share the official statistics, statements, and stories, and leave viewers to figure out the rest.” This frank assessment of modern journalism doesn’t come from a media critic but from Anastasia Dextrene–Canada’s only journalist recognized at the 46th Annual Telly Awards—and it reflects how she approaches her work within a shifting local media landscape.
At a moment when local newsrooms across North America face mounting financial and structural pressures, Dextrene is a journalist whose cross-border training reflects one possible path forward for local reporting. Her résumé reads like a snapshot of the best in contemporary media training: a MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, a MS in journalism from Columbia University, hands-on experience shaped by New York’s “urgency and grit,” Los Angeles’ “entertainment value and visual polish” at the Los Angeles Times, and Montreal’s “bilingual lens and cultural sensitivity.”
But it’s not credentials that distinguish Dextrene. It’s the way she draws from these experiences to inform her reporting choices at the local level. Her approach rests on three pillars that challenge some long-standing newsroom assumptions: the use of solutions-oriented reporting frameworks to complement problem-focused coverage, a one-person multimedia workflow that responds to economic constraints without abandoning editorial standards, and an embrace of AI as a tool to support, rather than replace, journalistic labor and human connection.
Rather than positioning herself as an answer to the industry’s challenges, Dextrene’s work offers a case study in how individual journalists are adapting to a changing media environment.
A new playbook
Dextrene’s path through three of North America’s most distinct media markets wasn’t random. It became an informal education in how local journalism operates under different pressures. “New York inspired urgency, grit, and a competitive spark in a high-stakes environment,” she reflects.
In Manhattan’s relentless news cycle, she learned that local stories must connect quickly or risk being overlooked. This lesson was less about speed alone than about relevance—making community issues feel as immediate as they are to the people living them.
Los Angeles added another layer. Working on the Emmy-winning show LA Times Today, alongside experience on Hollywood sets, led Dextrene to realize that “entertainment value and visual polish” can function as practical tools for audience engagement rather than superficial enhancements.
Local news now competes with Netflix, TikTok, and Instagram for attention. The production sensibilities she encountered in Los Angeles weren’t a departure from journalism, but a response to changing audience behavior.
Montreal brought the final piece: cultural fluency. “Montreal made me lean into a bilingual lens, solidifying versatility, cultural sensitivity, and a greater level of confidence,” she says.
Out of these lessons came her Telly Award-winning coverage of ice climbing at Black Winterfest: a story she single-handedly reported, filmed, wrote, and edited. As newsrooms slash budgets, journalists who can only do one thing become luxuries. Dextrene’s technical range allowed for efficiency without replacing editorial depth.
Yet technical skills alone do not redefine journalism. Dextrene’s deeper contribution lies in how she applies solutions-based journalism as a reporting framework, rather than treating it as a genre or personal invention. Traditional reporting on housing crises, climate change, or healthcare failures often follows a predictable pattern: present the problem, quote officials, cite statistics, end.
“I think the media landscapes in both the United States and Canada could highlight more of the people and communities that are actively trying to create the change we want to see,” she says.
This isn’t about happy news or ignoring problems. Her Parkinson’s story centered on Manon Day, diagnosed at 27, who transformed personal tragedy into action.
The Black Winterfest piece doesn’t just explore seasonal depression; it documents how people actively respond to it. This approach gives a clearer sense of how communities engage with the challenges they face. It shifts coverage away from passive consumption and toward informed awareness.
The human touch in digital times
Where some newsrooms worry about artificial intelligence replacing reporters, Dextrene sees selective efficiency. “AI is not the enemy in journalism,” she insists. “Less time on transcription leaves journalists more time to focus on crafting compelling narratives for diverse platforms and audiences.”
Her vision isn’t about machines writing stories, but about technology reducing administrative burdens so journalists can spend more time reporting. As AI handles repetitive tasks, she believes “the human connection in journalism will become even more critical.”
The importance of that connection is clear from a challenging assignment: interviewing a mother with terminal cancer who had fallen through provincial healthcare gaps. “It’s never easy sitting with someone on their worst day, let alone in their final few,” Dextrene says.
These intensely personal and geographically specific stories underscore why local news still matters. Algorithms cannot replicate trust, judgment, or emotional awareness. No AI can recognize which silences to honor, or which moments require restraint.
This perspective also shapes Dextrene’s approach to mentoring. “It means a lot to me,” she says, describing her commitment to supporting emerging journalists and helping them pursue industry recognition. With doctors as parents, Dextrene draws parallels between medicine and journalism. Both fields serve communities. Both require technical expertise paired with empathy. Both involve translating complex information for public benefit.
“My family could not be further removed from media and journalism,” she notes, yet their dedication to service informs her own path. She chose storytelling over stethoscopes, but the underlying focus on public service remained.
In summary
“The voices that reveal inequalities, rights issues, and urgent crises deserve to be prioritized,” Dextrene says. But visibility alone is not always sufficient. Local journalism, she argues, can help audiences to better understand how communities respond to those challenges.
If local newsrooms want to remain viable in the coming decade, they may need to rethink how journalists are trained and supported. That could mean looking beyond traditional pipelines and recognizing skills drawn from performance, technology, and community-based work. Dextrene’s career suggests that adaptability, rather than reinvention, may be one of local journalism’s most practical tools.
