What Works in Community News Audiobook Libro.fm

A groundbreaking study of the journalism startups that are solving the local news crisis one community at a time

A mustread for activists entrepreneurs and journalists who want to start local news outlets in their communities

Local news is essential to democracy Meaningful participation in civic life is impossible without it However local news is in crisis According to one widely cited study some 2500 newspapers have closed over the last generation And it is often marginalized communities of color who have been left without the daytoday journalism they need to govern themselves in a democracy

Veteran journalists Ellen Clegg and Dan Kennedy cut through the pessimism surrounding this issue showing readers that new innovative journalism models are popping up across the country to fill news deserts and empower communities What Works in Community News examines more than a dozen of these projects including

• Sahan Journal a digital publication dedicated to reporting on Minnesotas immigrant and refugee communities
• MLK50 Justice Through Journalism a nonprofit news outlet in Memphis TN focused on poverty power and public policy
• New Haven Independent / WNHH / La Voz Hispana de Connecticut a digital news project that expanded its reach in the New Haven community through radio and a Spanishlanguage partnership
• Storm Lake Times Pilot a print newspaper in rural Iowa innovating with a hybrid forprofit/nonprofit model and
• Texas Tribune once a pioneering upstart now one of the most wellknownand successfuldigital newsrooms in the country

Through a blend of ontheground reporting and interviews Clegg and Kennedy show how these operations found seed money and support and how they hired staff forged their missions and navigated challenges from the pandemic to police intimidation to stand as the last bastion of collective truthand keep local news in local hands