News-Academic Partnerships: The Great Experiment Powering Local Journalism's Comeback critically examines how collaborations between universities and news organizations are reshaping the future of local journalism.

Drawing on a political economy framework, Lara Salahi examines the power dynamics between media, academia, and the public, revealing how these partnerships emerged as a strategic response to the collapse of community news ecosystems. As the scholar who first coined the term “news-academic partnerships,” Salahi offers a deeply informed and nuanced analysis grounded in case studies, research, and her own practical experience. The book lays out how these collaborations supplement dwindling local news coverage, bridge gaps in civic information, and provide vital training grounds for aspiring journalists. Salahi also exposes the economic, technological, and ethical tensions that challenge their sustainability.

Ultimately, she argues that news-academic partnerships are not temporary fixes but transformative experiments – models that can revitalize community-centered journalism, strengthen democracy, and empower the next generation of storytellers.