We’re building something new — and we’re not the only ones

We’re road testing a form of news-gathering that’s unconventionally close to the community it serves. 

And when Noah, Daphne, and I started down this path, I worried, “Are people going to think we’re nuts?” 

I’ve been scanning the horizon for like-minded peers, and I’ve found something that gives me hope. It turns out there are many journalists who seem to want the same thing we do: to share power with their audience. 

I say “share power” because these innovators seem keenly aware of how their work can influence popular narratives, which in turn shape policy and propel social movements. There is a groundswell of interest in democratizing that influence — redistributing it, at least to some extent, from the editors and reporters who have historically monopolized it. 

It’s important to recognize the purpose of this approach. It’s not to validate every opinion; it’s not boosterism or stenography; it’s not telling people what they want to hear. Rather, journalistic institutions and thought leaders are sharing power because they believe doing so can increase civic participation and help make people’s lives better. 

You can see that belief in NewsFutures, a group of journalists whose principles include that news must become “representative of, responsive to, and accountable to community needs.” Or in the Dignity Exchange, which fosters reporting that listens to and respects its audience in order to better equip people to navigate their lives. Also in the UT Austin’s Solidarity Journalism Initiative, which works with media makers to implement a form of reporting that centers marginalized people’s experiences when judging what’s newsworthy, how to present information, and who qualifies as an expert. The Knight Lab’s JR3 project — the full title is “Rethink, Recenter, Reimagine. Journalism in transition” — challenges the industry to prioritize audiences’ needs as a strategy to drive interest in news and civic engagement. Media Cymru and the News for All initiative in Wales have worked with marginalized communities to let them determine what they want and need from journalism. These institutions are showing how journalism can work better when communities set the agenda.  

Journalistic power-sharing is happening on the ground too, in established newsrooms. We’ve long been inspired by the work of Chicago’s City Bureau, and the network of civic engagement hubs it has launched, Documenters. They have trained thousands of lay people in 16 states to attend government meetings and take notes. That information is then edited and disseminated to the people who need it through social media, newsletters, and coverage by other outlets. City Bureau recognizes that “when more people participate in civic life and help shape local media, local government becomes more responsive, democracy gets stronger, and real change happens from the ground up.” 

There’s more. Here in the Bay Area, El Tímpano takes into account the questions and concerns of the Latino and Mayan communities they serve when deciding what to investigate. ShiftPress empowers Houston youth to produce news, driven by a belief that young people have a right to information that is relevant to them. The Alley has trained residents of the Phillips community in Minneapolis in journalistic practices, so that “voices that are usually ignored in the mainstream media can be heard.” Through Zan Times, Afghan women within and outside of Afghanistan bring attention to human rights violations. Mahalaya reports on and for Filipino communities using the principles of Solidarity Journalism.

I could go on. There are actually far more journalists practicing the craft this way than I can list in one newsletter. Each organization is putting the pieces of the puzzle together slightly differently, adapting their workflows and goals to the geographies and identities that define their audiences. 

What these organizations have in common is a commitment to self-determination for communities. Breaking an eye-grabbing story is less important than serving a social utility. 

We're learning from them, and trying to build on the foundation that they have laid.

News Relay Network aims to launch a newsroom in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood in 2025. We are now meeting with people and groups in the area to learn their information needs, and will hold larger, public listening sessions soon.

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