The ways people find news, information and one another are changing quickly — and so are we. Our mission remains constant: to inform, connect and strengthen communities across Massachusetts. But fulfilling that mission today means meeting audiences in new places, through new voices and in new formats.
That is why we recently launched the MassLive Creator Network, a partnership with social media creators that expands how we tell stories and connect with communities. It builds on our Creator in Residence program and is part of a broader effort we will continue to grow.
This is all part of how we evolve to serve everyone across the state and Create a More Connected Commonwealth (which is a new tagline we’ve been testing out — tell us what you think.)
Yet even as we evolve, the foundation of our work does not change. Excellence in journalism is what fuels us. It is the careful reporting that exposes failures, explains complicated issues and gives people the information they need to understand what is happening around them.
Recent months have offered powerful examples. MassLive’s Hadley Barndollar and The Republican’s Greta Jochem won a first-place A-Mark Prize from the New England Newspaper & Press Association for "Death Under Watch”, an investigation into deaths in Massachusetts prisons. Barndollar’s “The last hours in Cell 24” documented systemic failures surrounding a young man’s suicide at the state’s maximum-security prison. Her investigation of the Gabriel House fire also earned two awards.
Will Katcher received a NENPA Publick Occurrences Award for “Hidden Hunger” and has continued examining how federal SNAP changes affect Massachusetts families, food pantries and communities.
Juliet Schulman-Hall revealed how college closures can leave former students without transcripts. Chris Mason’s Guardian Caps investigation asked whether perceived safety benefits align with the evidence. And Adam Bass and Susannah Sudborough delivered fast, sensitive coverage following the death of Worcester police officer Kurt Solomon.
These stories differ in subject and form, but they share something essential: they resonated deeply because they were rooted in rigorous reporting and the needs of our communities. Some brought accountability. Others illuminated gaps in public systems or helped readers make sense of difficult events.
Thank you for reading — and for being part of the community that makes this work possible.
