Matthew MacVey, former community and project lead at New York University’s NYC Media Lab, is now the impact producer for the Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) at the Missouri School of Journalism. In this brand-new role, MacVey will help RJI maximize the reach and benefits of its efforts to support community journalism.

“Matt has real, working knowledge of what goes into sparking innovation in community news organizations, and he understands the value of that work,” said Randy Picht, executive director of RJI. “I’m looking to forward to seeing how his skills can take RJI to new heights.”

MacVey is a natural fit for an institution supporting projects as diverse as a guide to data sonification, a source diversity tracker and an initiative putting local news and advertising into diverse communities with digital screens, among many other ventures. At the NYC Media Lab, he ran the AI & Local News Challenge to help startups and industry teams create AI-driven solutions for local news needs. Before that, he tested and taught the journalistic applications of virtual reality and other emerging technology at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York (CUNY).

“My focus has been on supporting innovation in journalism in different ways,” MacVey said. “I’m excited to connect even more deeply with various facets of the news industry and dive into this work at an organization with such a great reputation.”

His interest in local news started during a grad-school internship with Linda Villarosa’s Harlem-centered community news startup HarlemFocus — now Harlem View — at the Amsterdam News.

“News sources are really important to the fabric of a community, and they’re an essential part of democracy,” MacVey said. “It’s a passion that I have, and I’m excited to work with a great group of colleagues to help support that vision.”

MacVey steps into the role this week. Connect with him at macveym@rjionline.org.

Cite this article

Fitzgerald, Austin (2024, Sept. 24). Matthew MacVey joins RJI as impact producer. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Retrieved from: https://rjionline.org/news/matthew-macvey-joins-rji-as-impact-producer/