Over the last three years, the American Press Institute engaged the Pittsburgh media ecosystem in measuring and improving inclusion efforts, both within the newsroom and through coverage of the community. This endeavor, guided by the API Inclusion Index, included two learning cohorts, a dozen community listening sessions and a six-month local news advisory committee.
The community advisory committee was a chance for participating news organizations to implement what they’d learned during the cohort by building and strengthening the feedback loop with community members. Facilitators, editors and neighborhood representatives who participated in the Pittsburgh committee shared their experiences in this essay series published earlier this year. This month, we’re going to suggest steps news organizations can take to set up their own community advisory committees based on this feedback.
A lot of intentional work should precede the formation of an advisory committee — it should be built on a foundation of deep community listening efforts, as well as introspection and goal-setting within the news organization. Using a deliberate, non-extractive approach can result in a feedback loop that can further inform coverage, challenge assumptions and cultivate trust in local news efforts.
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- Convening a community advisory committee
- Structure and moderation
- Building bridges with a community liaison
- Maintaining momentum in the newsroom
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The plans — each supported by a $3,000 grant from API and refined with API's help — will build connections with new audiences and serve communities by prioritizing storytelling and positive impact.
We assembled a working group of news leaders determined to find solutions to help their peers navigate the process of building capacity and strengthening cultures of learning.
This initiative will help participants develop influencer collaborations around their journalism, including co-hosted Instagram reels to share reporting and promote products, explanatory reporting, ongoing partnerships and live events.
