The Denterlein team, journalists and journalism student students at Northeastern University were honored to hear from Boston Globe Editor Nancy Barnes on Nov. 19 for the third annual Jack Thomas Lecture. The realities and challenges of leading a newsroom in the chaotic information world we find ourselves now living in, and what the next generation of reporters will need to succeed in finding and presenting the truth, were key themes, as we’ll explore further below.

Some background: The series was created to honor the memory of Jack, the late longtime Globe reporter, columnists, and editor, by his wife, our CEO Geri Denterlein. A Northeastern alumnus himself and proud “copy boy” turned columnist at The Boston Globe, Jack Thomas spent more than 50 years at the paper. He achieved a feat unlikely to be matched by anyone else in Globe history: Securing a byline in the Boston Globe in each of eight different decades, from the 1950s through the 2020s. His final essay, published in the Boston Globe Magazine in 2021 after he received a cancer diagnosis, paraphrased H.L. Mencken in describing a life in journalism as “living the life of kings.” It’s a line his family often recalls with warmth and a touch of humor. For Jack, journalism was not simply a job but a daily privilege. The lecture seeks to capture and perpetuate that spirit by celebrating well-reported, accurate, and fair journalism as a force for good and a vital cornerstone of communities’ health and vibrancy.

In opening remarks and in conversation with Jonathan Kaufman, Northeastern University Professor and Director in the School of Journalism and also a former Globe reporter and editor, Ms. Barnes traced her own career path. She was a student journalist who became a Globe intern working alongside Northeastern co-ops, then moved on to become a reporter at a small Virginia paper where she discovered the power of “revelatory journalism.” After that, as Kaufman noted, “Nancy has swept the country, leaving Pulitzer Prizes in her wake” at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Houston Chronicle, and National Public Radio before becoming the Globe’s editor in November 2022.

Barnes described one of her first investigations: uncovering bribes being paid by poor families in a small Virginia town to secure scarce lots for mobile homes. Tracking down the checks that exposed the scheme and led to reforms, she said, showed her how reporting could tangibly improve people’s lives, and set the course for a career focused on stories that make a difference. That commitment to impact, she emphasized, still guides her today: “My heart beats for stories that can make a difference, and it still does.”

A “Herculean battle” for truth

Nancy did not minimize the challenges facing newsrooms. She spoke candidly about the evolution from a shared set of facts to today’s world of misinformation, disinformation, and “alternative facts.”

At NPR during the early days of COVID-19, she recalled assigning journalists not only to cover federal briefings, but also to fact-check them in real time so audiences would receive accurate information. As a result, it took twice the journalistic resources simply to ensure the truth reached listeners. Today, she said, “It feels like a truly Herculean battle to stand up for the truth every single day” amid fierce political pushback and the looming threat of costly litigation aimed at intimidating news organizations into silence. But, she made clear, if journalists don’t stand up for the truth, “We are lost as a democracy, and we’re lost as a society.”

Local news: the front line of democracy

While national outlets like The New York Times and NPR are critical parts of the media ecosystem, Barnes argued that local journalism matters even more. She contrasted the crowded press corps in Washington, “so many journalists chasing the same story,” with hollowed-out local newsrooms across New England and the country. Once-fierce regional outlets have shrunk or disappeared, leaving fewer or, in some instances, zero reporters. “When there’s nobody watching, things happen,” Barnes warned.

Barnes said she aspires to see The Boston Globe covering its home city and state while also reaching well into New England to provide coverage that can fill some of the gaps left by diminished local papers.

Meeting audiences where they are

A recurring theme of the discussion was how to ensure readers’, viewers’, and listeners’ trust in an era when information channels have become deeply fragmented. To maintain and build trust with younger audiences, she argued, news organizations must be present in the spaces where people actually spend their time and to deliver content on multiple platforms:

• • Training reporters to be comfortable on camera and in audio
  • Pairing written stories with short video explainers
  • Using platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and podcasts to bring credible reporting into feeds that might otherwise be dominated by influencers and opinion

“The written word is not dead,” she reassured the room. “Big enterprise stories still draw huge engagement, but the format has to follow audience, not habit.”

The conversation offered several timely reminders:

• • Truth is non-negotiable. In a high-stakes environment where misinformation spreads quickly and lawsuits can chill speech, organizations that value their reputations must ground their storytelling in verifiable facts and transparent sourcing.
  • Local still matters most. Whether the issue is climate, transportation, housing, or healthcare, local coverage shapes how communities understand complex policies. Partnering constructively with local media and supporting a healthy local press ecosystem are core responsibilities for people who want to support a robust and thriving democracy and society.
  • Meet audiences on their terms. Just as The Globe is training reporters for video, audio and social, organizations must adapt their communications strategies to multichannel, mobile-first audiences while maintaining consistency of message and values.
  • Diversity isn’t optional. To reach and reflect real communities, communicators need teams with varied lived experiences, geographies and perspectives, and leaders must create cultures where constructive dissent is welcomed, not feared.
  • Use technology to elevate, not replace, human judgment. Barnes acknowledged skepticism and fears among journalism students about artificial intelligence replacing the work of human beings, but she urged them to see its potential: quickly searching archives, supporting data analysis, transcribing and editing audio, and freeing reporters to spend more time on higher-value reporting and writing. She noted that the Globe has been experimenting with AI-powered tools for nearly two years, including partnerships with researchers at Harvard. Used thoughtfully, she argued, AI should strengthen, not weaken, rigorous journalism.

The through-line of the evening was clear: Journalism, at its best, is both a public service and a public trust. In a moment when facts are contested, attention is fractured, and trust in authorities has eroded, Nancy Barnes’s message landed with force and continues to resonate. The work of telling the truth has never been harder–or more necessary.