Here’s a confession (although I don’t ever intentionally hid it): I am a huge news nerd.

I love the news. Always have. Not really the depressing, people getting killed, people doing bad things kind of news but just current events in general. The first thing I do when I wake up is turn on the news. Same routine when I get home – flip on the news.

Honestly, I’m continuously surprised by the number of people who don’t watch the news or read any kind of news publication. I mean, hell, I still get the Sunday New York Times delivered. And I’d get it delivered every day if I had time to sit down and read it. Yes, I know that’s old school but I love the act of discovering news, especially things I wouldn’t otherwise stumble upon in such an organic manner (okay, that sounds super pretentious but I don’t mean it to be).

Photo Source: Unknown

It’s no surprise that my career is news adjacent. I’m sure most of you know I work in public relations (shout out to Lemonade) but you may not know that my degree is in broadcast journalism. My dream was to be a sports producer but clearly that never worked out. PR became my job and this blog sprang from my desire to continue my passion for writing . that didn’t involve press releases or corporate communications. Anyways, I say all of this because I want to start sharing more actual Louisville events over here, more of a community calendar of things I think you all would be interested in attending. I’ve been doing this haphazardly over on my Facebook page for a while but I want to give it a more permanent, searchable place to live as well.

When the news came out about Insider Louisville shutting down, I had conversations with colleagues and clients about the future of local journalism and what that looks like in this changing landscape. In his IL closing letter, investor David Jones Jr. said “Perhaps we just don’t care today. Perhaps the catatonia of social feeds will soothe us, and paid but nontransparent digital “influencers” will satisfy a craving to be in the know and part of the show.” That line stuck with me. Mostly because of the jab at influencers, who despite the terrible name they’ve been given, are doing an overwhelming strong job at sharing high-quality local content (Josh Johnson at The Kentucky Gent continuously does so extremely well, especially on Instagram). I think many newsrooms could take a page out of their books when it comes to creating compelling content. Of course, we could all learn something from unbiased, thoughtful, diligent journalists. But those are becoming harder to find in today’s biased, pay-for-play media climate.

I won’t claim to be a true “journalist” on posts here because I know what that means and that’s not what’s happening here. I share things in my own tone of voice, insert my own opinion and because I do, unabashedly, feature sponsored content (I’ve got bills to pay). It’s worth nothing though, that many, if not most, local publications are now weaving more sponsored posts into their standard coverage – make sure to be on the lookout for it.  But I do think there is a need for sharing hyper-local content. I think there is void in providing timely information on local happenings, restaurants and events.

My friend Annie has a Google Calendar called ‘Potential Fun Things’ and that’s basically what I want to provide to all of you – potential fun things to do in town. Just as with everything I post, I won’t share things that feel inauthentic to this audience but I do, truly, want to be more of a resource. So that means if you’re hosting a charitable event, art pop-up, craft beer festival, boutique sale, bourbon dinner, holiday event, I want to hear about it. All I’m asking is that you email me with the details (danielle@louwhatwear.com). Please lord, do not send it all through Instagram DMs… I am the worst about gathering info there.

I’m going to try and figure out the best way to organize all this content so it’s easily accessible but for now, it will just be part of the regular feed and will have its own category- Louisville Fun Things. More to come!