Journalists and community gathers for Justice & Journalism event in Davidson County
{Contributed Photos}
On Thursday night, journalists and concerned community members gathered at Arts Davidson for a conversation titled Justice & Journalism.
The event was hosted by Davidson Local, a free, hyperlocal news source formed to address the need for independent local media. The discussion followed a reception honoring young artists who were recognized for their MLK-inspired artwork. During the event, Anything for Our Youth Executive Director Tina Royal presented a Youth in Leadership award to Margot “Addie” Walser, a senior at Lexington Senior High School. Walser, a two-year intern at Davidson Local, has written insightful pieces on art, culture and civil rights.
From Left to Right: Antionette Kerr, Michael Hewlett, and Elisabeth Strillacci. {Photo Credit: Raymond Laws}
Antionette Kerr, co-founder and publisher of Davidson Local, moderated the conversation and highlighted Michael Hewlett’s award-winning story about the lack of justice in the case of Lexington native Justice for Charles McNeair. Hewlett has worked on other high-profile cases of wrongful convictions, including the late Daryl Hunt. Wanda Cox, director of the advocacy group pushing NC Governor Josh Stien for McNair’s release, emphasized the importance of media attention in cases like his.
Featured speakers included Elisabeth Strillacci, who began her journalism career at The Dispatch in Lexington at age 16. After earning a degree from Wake Forest University in 1986, she worked in Connecticut for over two decades in the highly competitive journalism industry, holding roles from reporter to managing editor at a daily newspaper. She later served as press secretary to the Connecticut Senate president before moving to South Carolina in 2012. Despite intending to retire, she returned to journalism with The Sun News and, later, The Salisbury Post, where she worked as city editor and then executive editor. Since July, she has returned to reporting—her passion—covering crime, law enforcement and the justice system. Strillacci spoke about the challenges of misinformation, the rise of social media’s influence, and the benefits and pitfalls of the 24-hour news cycle.
Michael Hewlett is a journalist with 19 years of experience covering local government, criminal justice, and education. He is well known for his crime reporting at The Winston-Salem Journal and has also written pop culture pieces..
Key topics of discussion highlighted unprecedented changes in Media coverage and the challenges of competing with news sources funded by billionaires. Kerr referred to the media as the Fourth Estate and addressed the increasing threats to local journalism, including political pressures that criminalize certain narratives. She also highlighted challenges to constitutionally protected freedoms.
Strillacci discussed the impact of misinformation, the difficulties of working in an era of social media-driven news, and the evolving relationship between journalists, law enforcement and government officials. She stressed the importance of fact-checking, even in a fast-paced news cycle. She mentioned her upcoming column in The Sailsibury Post. She wrote, “If local newspapers become afraid to print things, we are lost. As long as we continue to verify, to support our facts with evidence, and to allow for publication of opinions on all sides and not just one, we can fulfill our committed role. But if we are going to begin to cut out anything we disagree with, we are not a news outlet anymore. We've become nothing more than entertainment. If that's the case, I'll choose TCM every day.”
The conversation also touched on a plethora of bias in media coverage. Local journalists expressed appreciation for public officials like Lexington Mayor Jason Hayes, who was one of few public officials to attend the event. The panelists emphasized transparency and accountability in local government. Kerr noted that while Davidson Local has received “pushback” from both political parties, she sees this as a sign that they are doing their job fairly.
“I miss the time when the Democratic, Republican, and Libertarian parties had designated representatives to share their views through monthly columns,” Kerr said, reflecting on past efforts to facilitate bipartisan discussion in local media.
The event concluded with audience questions, including how the community can support local journalism and whether local media would discontinue opinion pieces as reported by national news sources. While responses varied, the general consensus was that opinion stories would continue, though their parameters may evolve. Hewlett highlighted that recent court decisions would play a factor in how media owners respond.
Kerr encouraged attendees to support independent journalism by engaging with and sharing local news—especially positive stories. She noted that “good news” stories often receive fewer likes, clicks, and shares, but emphasized that readers can “vote with their views” to help shape the future of community journalism.
She reassured the audience that Davidson Local would remain a community-driven newspaper, thriving with public support.
