BackStory is a public affairs monthly program hosted by Jason Hibbs. Working in partnership with the League of Women Voters, BackStory presents a new topic with expert guests to give viewers an informed non-partisan understanding of government activities, public policies and community news.
BackStory is made possible, in part, by KeyBank, with additional support from the League of Women Voters.
Local journalism has been faltering for more than a decade, creating news deserts across the country, many in underserved communities. How will this affect our democracy and our society? This episode explores the reasons for the decline, how the lack of local journalism affects communities and some of the innovative models that are trying to fill the void.
Jason Hibbs is from rural Western Kentucky and studied at Western Kentucky University. Upon graduation in 2010, he accepted a reporting job at WPSD-TV and covered the news for four years winning multiple awards. In 2016, Jason completed his master's degree from Montana State University-Billings. He now teaches in the Department of Communication at the University of Toledo
Jason began hosting WGTE's BackStory in 2020. He also co-hosts Rocket Talk at the University of Toledo, which airs on WGTE every week.
Aside from journalism, Jason recently wrote an LGBTQ dramatic screenplay, The Reverend, which was featured at a national convention in Burbank, CA in 2020. When Jason isn’t hosting, you can find him at the University of Toledo teaching or writing his next literary work.
You can keep in touch with Jason through his email jason.hibbs@utoledo.edu and through the University of Toledo.