Local media partners launch in-depth presidential candidate forums

DURHAM — News outlets across the state, all members of the Granite State News Collaborative, will hold a series of forums with presidential primary candidates to explore in-depth the issues that impact New Hampshire voters.

Each forum will be co-hosted by a rotating pair of journalists from newsrooms across New Hampshire, including The Concord Monitor, Keene Sentinel, New Hampshire Public Radio, New Hampshire Business Review, New Hampshire Bulletin, NHPBS and Citizens Count.

Forums will be open to the public and broadcast on NHPR. News articles covering the forum will be available through Granite State News Collaborative partner outlets.

Conversations with the candidates will likely touch on the economy, health care, education, climate change, immigration and foreign policy. New Hampshire voters can also submit their questions for the candidates in advance. To submit a question, visit laconiadailysun.com.

“This is truly a team effort,” said Melanie Plenda, executive director of the Granite State News Collaborative. “I don’t think something like this has been tried on this scale before in New Hampshire. I think it shows our collective commitment and willingness to try something new if it means being able to get vital information out to our communities.”

Collaborative partners participating in this effort include: The Laconia Daily Sun, The Conway Daily Sun, The Berlin Sun, Business NH Magazine, The Concord Monitor, Keene Sentinel, Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, Manchester Ink Link, the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication, Nashua Telegraph, NH Business Review, NHPBS, NH Public Radio, and Seacoast Media, which operates Fosters and the Portsmouth Herald. Community partners include Citizens Count and NH Bulletin.

All forums will be free, but registration is required and seating is limited. A specific registration link will be available before each forum.

The Granite State News Collaborative is a nonprofit collective of more than 20 local media, education and community partners working together to produce and share news stories on the issues that most impact New Hampshire. To learn more, visit collaborativenh.org.