Best practices for local editorial teams covering civic and development news
We know civic and development news coverage is essential to activating and engaging communities — so why do articles about these topics often result in glazed expressions and head scratching?
At 6AM City, we work to cover these essential topics differently. Our editors dedicate a lot of time and energy into developing strategies for sharing news that directly impacts our audience’s day-to-day lives, in a way that is clear, concise, serviceable, and digestible. We take pride in our ability to lead conversations about hyper-local and relevant topics using methods that are equal parts engaging and unconventional to educate and activate our readers.
Whether it means jumping into a helicopter to trace the history of Lakeland’s skyline, taking readers on a behind-the-scene “hard hat” tour of a forthcoming hotel, or evaluating our cities by their “Walkability Score,” our City Editors are not afraid to experiment with coverage, and that’s exactly how we keep things fresh and interesting across our 25+ markets.
Want to elevate your civic and development coverage? Here’s how our team does it.
Lean into productive conversations about your community’s future
Imagination is a powerful and often underrated tool — we like to flex ours by encouraging two-way conversations with our readers. From imagining how a pedestrian-only street could take shape in Lakeland, FL, to examining tactical urbanism in Asheville, NC, to exploring why Chattanooga is the only major city in Tennessee without a Kroger, our local teams invite readers to engage with thoughtful questions related to the growth of their cities.
Tell stories with personality
In our daily newsletter product and across social media platforms, we’re always looking for ways to translate public initiatives into stories that are personal and relatable. For example, when NOOGAtoday Senior City Editor Brianna Williams got her bike stolen, she parlayed the experience into an informative article explaining Chattanooga’s bicycle transit system.
Experiment with visuals
Canva is our best friend. From breaking down election results to highlighting the intersection of a future road diet, this graphic design tool is an effective and user-friendly resource that helps our team of writers distill complex stories into clear, digestible information.
Proxi, a free and interactive map-building application, is also a great resource for plotting out developments, such as the newly opened and forthcoming restaurants in Fort Worth. Instagram Reels has also proven to be an effective medium, as seen in a recent KCtoday video that breaks down how streetcars are built or the BOStoday team’s first-person view of a temporarily car-free section of Boston.
Anticipate common questions and confusions
We love using explainer pieces to break down complicated topics. Oftentimes, our editors’ own curiosities and burning questions — such as “how will the concrete strike in Seattle impact construction?” and “what does affordable housing really mean in Raleigh?” — are what compel us to seek out answers.
We also regularly publish guides that help readers become more engaged with the local civic process, like:
- Deciphering the rezoning process in Raleigh
- Finding a parking spot in downtown Indianapolis
- Understanding local Census data in Nashville
- Registering your home as a local landmark in Columbia
Implement a strict no-jargon policy
If you’re reaching for the dictionary — chances are your readers will too. Before we hit publish on jargon-prone topics like forthcoming developments, zoning laws, and local legislature, we encourage our team to read each sentence out loud as if they were explaining the topic to a friend or family member in casual conversation. And if it’s confusing, we rewrite it until the language is clear.
Frame coverage around the most “actionable” moment
We’re very intentional about when and why we’re choosing to share civic and development news, and we take special care to deliver our coverage when the information is most relevant for readers.
When deciding if and when to cover a story, we ask ourselves these questions:
- Is there opportunity for significant public input like surveys, public meetings, etc.?
- Is the initiative or development likely to go through several more iterations before it’s finalized?
- How significantly will this news shape the landscape of our community?
These queries link our editorial coverage of local civic and development news in our cities back to 6AM City company values that are rooted in listening with intentional curiosity + having fun through pride and place — and ultimately, through our coverage, encouraging readers to do the same.
