This week’s action: Find a non-news resource you can regularly engage with to spark new ideas.
For most overarching news organization challenges, there are probably frameworks, trainings, think pieces and other resources to help news leaders identify solutions (you’re reading one right now!). But looking for insights outside the media bubble — especially for topics other industries are grappling with, too — can offer new perspectives and approaches to try out in the newsroom.
At the American Press Institute, we’ve found great success with this approach at our Local News Summits. One of the hallmarks of these convenings is the inclusion of non-news experts who sit alongside news leaders to explore the topic at hand and lead group discussions on their approach from outside of journalism.
One summit participant summed up a theme we often hear: “We all suffer from some amount of ‘group think,’ so whenever I can hear from folks who appreciate what we do as journalists, but can give us feedback on how to do it more effectively, I’m game.” (If you want to see the non-news learning approach in action, apply to join our upcoming Local News Summit on News Avoidance and Digital Wellness.)
This week, we’ll walk you through ways to build the muscle of seeking out others’ expertise, using your project, challenge or collaboration idea from last week.
Try it out
Start here: Find a resource or researcher who has expertise on your topic. Consider your brainstorming from last week to identify people, institutions or approaches that are doing work parallel to your challenge or project. For example, here are some non-news organizations API has collaborated with:
- Perspectives
- The Belonging Barometer
- The Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State University
- More in Common
- Urban Libraries Council
- New_Public
- Activate Rural
Take action: Explore recent work from the person or organization and identify one finding you can translate into something actionable for you or your newsroom, such as rethinking how you approach polarizing topics or approaching — and funding — Gen Z engagement through a youth development lens.
Reflect: How can you build the habit of regularly engaging with the work of non-news experts? Can you identify an opportunity to dig deeper into the expert’s work?
Dig deeper
- Read non-news experts’ take on breaking down generational barriers
- Learn how thought leaders and researchers outside of journalism are thinking about engaging neighborhoods
- Tune in to a webinar tomorrow highlighting insights from both news leaders and non-news experts on building bridges with teens and young adults to encourage healthy relationships across generations, a topic we convened around earlier this year.
