Veteran journalist Renee Shaw told Owensboro business and community leaders Thursday morning that trust remains one of the most important responsibilities in journalism, especially as people navigate an increasingly crowded and complicated media landscape.
Shaw, director of public affairs and moderator for Kentucky Educational Television (KET) and host of Kentucky Edition and Kentucky Tonight, served as the keynote speaker at the June Rooster Booster breakfast hosted by the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce.
A Western Kentucky University graduate who was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 2025, Shaw reflected on her nearly 30-year career at KET and discussed the role journalism plays in keeping communities informed.
“The reason why people trust KET is because they see themselves on the programming,” Shaw said. “It’s produced by Kentuckians for Kentuckians.”
Shaw said audiences today have more choices than ever when it comes to news and information, but that abundance has also contributed to declining trust in national media.
Research shows local journalism continues to be viewed more favorably because reporters are often active members of the communities they cover, she said.
“They’re seen at the grocery store, at the churches, and at the schools,” Shaw said. “They cover the most important issues and the people who are making decisions in those communities.”
Shaw said KET has focused on reporting that is “policy-focused, people-centered, and fact-based,” while avoiding sensationalism.
“Our lane is what we know it to be,” she said. “It’s not chasing the salacious. It’s getting to what matters to people the most.”
Throughout her remarks, Shaw highlighted KET’s coverage of issues such as opioid addiction, youth mental health, aging, caregiving, and economic development. She also pointed to Owensboro’s continued growth and investment as examples of successful community planning.
Shaw recalled visiting Owensboro as part of a KET road show and said the city stood out as an example of successful long-term vision and collaboration.
“We wanted to show the good things that were happening in this community,” she said. “The economic development, the people, and the forward-thinking vision.”
She pointed to projects along the riverfront as examples of ideas that once seemed ambitious but have become key parts of the city’s identity.
Shaw also spoke about the importance of what she called solutions-driven journalism, which focuses on people and organizations working to address challenges in their communities.
“This method of reporting focuses on the people who are trying to solve the problems,” Shaw said. “Not everything is an intractable problem or failure.”
As she concluded her remarks, Shaw shared several principles that have guided her career, including fairness, curiosity, and respect for the people she covers.
“The most basic question that can solicit the most honest, thoughtful, and sometimes unexpected response is three letters,” she said. “Why?”
The breakfast was sponsored by WKU in Owensboro.
During the event, WKU President Timothy Caboni highlighted several recent accomplishments for the university, including record retention and graduation rates, major campus construction projects, and enrollment growth at WKU Owensboro.
Caboni also announced that WKU Owensboro will add a Management Human Resources degree program beginning this fall, bringing the total number of signature regional programs offered locally to 14.
“Our enrollment at the local campus reached a six-year high,” Caboni said. “As we look ahead to classes beginning in August, we’re now working toward a seven-year high.”
