Community-driven coverage and convenings

Local news organizations are uniquely positioned to not only share news and information with their communities, but play other roles outside of gathering the facts — a social connector, a convener of people across differences and a facilitator for addressing community challenges.

In some ways, local and community-based media have long served this role. Opinion sections, for instance, are one way legacy newspapers have created space for conversation about what people find important or necessary. Radio talk shows do this, too, as do the various in-person and online forums we’ve seen with the rise and growth of the internet.

The uncertainties and challenges of today’s world, however, make this role even more necessary and relevant. Now is the time to experiment as we reflect on the social isolation and other societal ills that were worsened or exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Too much digital social interaction and limited in-person connection come with substantial challenges. And facts alone don’t steer people away from misinformation and toward truth.

Conducting community-based engagement efforts could open new opportunities for relationships and new forms of revenue for local media.

What others are doing

• How we invited our readers into the newsroom and lived to tell the tale. Linsdey Young writes about how subscribers to Harvey County Now in Newton, Kansas are part of a membership club that meets weekly with newsroom employees in a social setting — and how it enabled them to more than double their subscription price.
• Local news can provide a ‘third space’ — and it makes financial sense. Here’s how we did it. Max Kabat and his wife bought a 100-year old newspaper in Marfa, Texas and paired it with a cafe, retail and event space for locals and tourists alike to gather.
• Grow revenue and build a multigenerational audience by transforming your ‘athlete of the week’ contest. Gulf Coast Media and The Sumter Item revamped their Athlete of the Week contests to attract corporate sponsors and reader engagement.
• 5 tips to build local partnerships that give back to your community. How the Kansas City Star built stronger communities and published more diverse reporting through mutually beneficial local partnerships.

Try it out now

Deeper engagement or more face-to-face time with your community offers a variety of opportunities, from revenue generation to engaging new audiences or strengthening connections with traditionally marginalized communities. If these encounters aren’t approached with care, however, they could be ineffective or even extractive. Here are some examples and tips on thoughtfully engaging communities:

• Host a successful community listening session: Advice from API Inclusion Index leaders
• What a local news advisory committee taught Pittsburgh newsrooms
• Get started with community listening with this workbook from the American Press Institute
• Use Metrics for News to identify new audiences, beats and ways to engage readers.