WHYY’s Post

Source tracking allows you to explain your mission and your journalism to readers and helps you build trust. At a time of declining trust in media, when it seems as if our communities need us more than ever, a little self-examination can go a long way to restoring trust with your whole community. Read the latest piece in the "Centering Community Voices" series by Shay Totten here: https://lnkd.in/eFqa6cjH #localnews #sourcetracking

Today is #SolutionsJournalismDay, an occasion to reflect on the importance of creating journalism that tells the whole story through evidenced-based, equitable reporting. Last month, at our 2023 Trust Summit, David Bornstein, co-founder and CEO at Solutions Journalism Network, participated in a panel discussion with other media experts. They talked about the importance of humanizing the government and how federal agencies, media, and other sectors can contribute to rebuilding the public’s trust by countering harmful narratives about our government and public servants. "One of the things we found is that humility is a really important part of building trust. There are so many things that people are dealing with now. There's actually a really big opportunity to rebuild trust in journalism and in government by speaking directly to the pain that is out there in the land." 📽️ Watch the full panel: https://hubs.la/Q026SCt_0

"For better or for worse, this is simply the nature of news media in 2024: underfunded, often forgettable, and built on an incentive structure that rewards people for telling them what they *want* to hear rather than what they *need* to hear." — Parker Molloy looks at the messy media landscape for 2024 in the latest edition of DEPTH PERCEPTION. It's not all doom and gloom: this is a year for longform journalism to shine. What are your bright spots for the media industry in 2024?

Dan Froomkin again provides a clear-eyed appraisal of the challenges for journalism, especially political journalism, in a time when democracy itself is under an asymmetrical partisan attack. The nonpartisan prodemocracy sector in general faces these same challenges. So, what can we learn together with, and from, successful journalistic efforts to resist a determined authoritarian assault on democracy? https://lnkd.in/eqXwWnTK

A little overview on what we've been up to at The Groove since we launched in July: "We’re a group of longtime New York City journalists and we’re building an independent journalist-owned newsroom from the ground up. For more than a decade, we’ve watched countless local outlets fold altogether or wither away into shadows of their former selves, even when New Yorkers needed information and community the most. (We’ve also worked at a lot of them while all this was going down.) Our city deserves better; New Yorkers deserve more. We want to create a site, and a community, that people can turn to when they need help navigating this big beautiful mess of a city. Somewhere they can trust for service journalism that will show them how to get and give help, and a place they’ll turn to when they want reminders that fun is a core New York City value. New York Groove will have an overall mission of making our readers better New Yorkers in every way that phrase implies. We’ll highlight service journalism, mutual aid, explainers, labor movements, can’t-miss events, and more features pushing back on the idea that only an elite few have the power to shape the future of this city. We know people are feeling lonely and disconnected after the pandemic, and frustrated at how institutions let us down over the past few years. In short, we’re building a newsroom designed to help New Yorkers become more engaged with the city around them, not merely enraged with it." https://lnkd.in/gCfiBCEP

In a world where independent journalism is facing unprecedented challenges, our campaign stands as a beacon for the preservation of local media. Why should you care? Because local journalism is the lifeblood of our communities, serving as the watchdogs of truth and accountability. As we witness the decline of local media outlets, we’re losing more than just news coverage – we’re losing our ability to speak with a united voice, to hold power to account, and to maintain the fabric of our democracy. Our campaign aims to shed light on the stark reality of this crisis, compelling you to confront the consequences of a media landscape devoid of local voices. Local media builds culture and underwrites our values, celebrating the invaluable contributions of local journalists and underscoring the importance of diverse representation in the media. It’s not just about reporting the news; it’s about fostering transparency, accountability, and informed civic participation. CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT: https://lnkd.in/dMH6fnx5

If journalism wants to strengthen democracy, the horse-race coverage has to go. But what replaces it? Enter the 2023 Advancing Democracy Fellowship. We're teaming up with Hearken, Inc and Trusting News to help newsrooms create better ways to engage with their communities around elections and politics, reduce polarization, build or rebuild trust, and provide powerful solutions-focused coverage that can help people envision how to move forward. After a successful and exciting pilot version, we've made some tweaks and united again to bring the fellowship back. This time, we are inviting 20 U.S.-based newsroom teams of at least one reporter and one editor to join this adventure. If you are desperate to escape the worst of politics (and politicians) and have a space where you create work that's meaningful to your region, learn more and please consider applying. We — and your communities — are rooting for you. https://lnkd.in/ej8Y7fwk

I had the privilege of collaborating with The Objective over the past few months to highlight the growth and innovation of the civic media field. For the final piece, we put out a call to action for journalists, funders, policymakers, and more to get organized to accomplish big things. "A new media movement in the United States is overdue; and we need to build one that is collaborative, equitable, and premised on the belief of treating journalism as the public good it is. One that focuses not on saving what we’ve lost, but building something we’ve never had. That requires imagination, experimentation and looking back to our history: new approaches to how journalism is practiced, how it is funded, whose voices are heard, and rethinking how public policy must ensure we have a thriving, public interest media system in support of a healthy, multiracial democracy." https://lnkd.in/e_axymxe

🗞️What would it look like for journalism to be a part of social justice & equity solutions? Resolve Philly seeks to address systemic challenges by working with journalists to report and write stories with information equity and community voices at the forefront. Learn more about this democracy initiative👇

What with all the attention lately driving more support into local journalism, who better to comment on the state of local news than Ken Doctor. Excerpt: "If you believe that readers and businesses needing customers need local news, then figuring out how to provide it doesn’t just serve a mission need, it powers new business." https://lnkd.in/g-EGq7Mz