Former New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet
Suncoast Searchlight kicks off series with former New York Times chief Dean Baquet
Suncoast Searchlight is launching a new series of community engagement events aimed at deepening public understanding of the media industry and connecting residents with the journalists who serve them.
The series, called The Searchlight Series, is presented in collaboration with Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
The inaugural event will take place Nov. 13 at the Sarasota Garden Club with one of journalism’s most respected figures at the helm — Dean Baquet, former executive editor of The New York Times and now head of the Times’ Local Investigative Fellowship program. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m., and the program will begin promptly at 11. The event is free to attend, but seating is limited and registration is required. [Reserve a seat here.]
Baquet will be interviewed by Emily Le Coz, executive editor-in-chief of Suncoast Searchlight, about the shifting media landscape, the rise of nonprofit newsrooms and how national efforts — including the Times’ fellowship program — are helping to rebuild local investigative reporting.
“It is important to the news industry — and to the country — that local newsrooms survive and thrive,” Baquet said. “Deep, local, independent investigative reporting about government and business is the most important journalism.”
A homecoming of sorts
The event marks a symbolic return for The New York Times in Sarasota. The Times Company once owned the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, whose Pulitzer-winning investigations helped shape the region’s journalistic identity — and where Le Coz and several of her colleagues at Suncoast Searchlight once worked.
Dean Baquet’s visit underscores how the local journalism movement is evolving. | Image by Zerbour via iStock Photo
Now, Baquet’s visit underscores how the local journalism movement is evolving. Across the country, nonprofit outlets like Suncoast Searchlight are stepping in to fill the accountability gaps left by shrinking traditional newsrooms, often partnering with existing media organizations to restore in-depth reporting at the community level.
“The Searchlight Series is our way of opening the doors wider — not just to show how we work, but to invite our community into meaningful conversations about the role of journalism in democracy,” Le Coz said. “We want people to see how nonprofit newsrooms like ours are strengthening civic life at a time when local reporting is disappearing.”
Bringing the public into the newsroom
The Searchlight Series is funded in part by a $25,000 grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, which supports civic initiatives across the Suncoast. The events are designed to engage residents directly in conversations about journalism, transparency and community life.
Samantha Ramlall, Suncoast Searchlight’s development director, said the foundation’s support reflects a shared commitment to rebuilding public trust in news.
“This partnership helps us connect with our community in deeper ways,” Ramlall said. “By bringing people together with journalists and thought leaders, we’re creating opportunities for dialogue, understanding and shared purpose.”
Suncoast Searchlight is a nonprofit newsroom covering Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. Its journalists produce watchdog and investigative reporting that’s freely shared with local media partners and directly with readers through newsletters and digital platforms.
What’s next
Following Baquet’s appearance, The Searchlight Series will continue with events across the region, including community discussions tied to Searchlight’s investigative reporting and programs related to media issues, including a session on media literacy planned for February.
Le Coz said the goal is simple: to make journalism a two-way conversation.
“We see these events as part of our mission,” she said. “Not just to report the news, but to listen, explain and connect.”
Reserve your free seat for the Nov. 13 event here.
This story was produced by Suncoast Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom of the Community News Collaborative serving Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. Learn more at suncoastsearchlight.org.
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