The Wealth of Networks and the Future of Local News

In his landmark book, The Wealth of Networks, Yochai Benkler describes the power and value of people connected by new networked tools and technology. “As collaboration among far-flung individuals becomes more common,” Benkler writes, “the idea of doing things that require cooperation with others becomes much more attainable, and the range of projects individuals can choose as their own therefore qualitatively increases.”

We are seeing the seeds of that kind of collaboration in journalism, and in New Jersey we are developing a networked approach to supporting more sustainable local news. We think new networks — not just between newsrooms but also, critically, between newsrooms and communities — can help make journalism more resilient and durable long into the future. We also think network building is critical to fostering more diverse and inclusive media.

Here is what we have learned in 18 months of investing in new networks.

Networks are at their heart about relationships, and relationships take time to develop. We are still early in the growth of these projects, but think there is value in being transparent about what we have learned so far.