Primaries and the midterms are upon us! What if newsrooms could do their election coverage better? — Primaries and the midterms are upon us! What if newsrooms could do their election coverage better? That question was the foundation of the Hearken-led 2020 Election SOS initiative, a program that provided training, resources and financial support to newsrooms covering the most turbulent election in recent US history.

CapRadio ventures into what’s been considered forbidden territory in the past: involving the sources of stories in co-creation. Learn how. — The world of participatory journalism is becoming increasingly sophisticated. As newsrooms continue to experiment with how they collaborate with their audiences and communities, some newsrooms are venturing into what’s been considered forbidden territory in the past: involving the sources of stories more intimately in crafting, shaping, correcting and signing off…

KXLY-TV’s public-powered series and audience engagement strategy were so successful that they earned them a year-long sponsorship. — If it’s new to you or your organization, you might wonder whether investing time and money in engagement journalism is justifiable in an age of shrinking newsroom budgets. KXLY-TV is a regional TV news station that covers the Spokane area in Eastern Washington and Couer d’Alene area in Idaho. …

In journalism, listening is so core to our day-to-day work that it can be easy for us to assume that we’ve mastered it when we actually… — In journalism, listening is so core to our day-to-day work that it can be easy for us to assume that we’ve mastered it when we actually still have a lot to learn. At Hearken’s 2019 Engagement Innovation Summit, community health workers from the Penn Center for Community Health Workers taught…

Organizers are trusted by their communities in a way that most journalists would envy. But organizing doesn’t immediately come to mind as… — Organizers are trusted by their communities in a way that most journalists would envy. But organizing doesn’t immediately come to mind as part of a journalist’s job description—it might seem more like activism than reporting. It doesn’t have to be. In 2019 at Hearken’s Engagement Innovation Summit, journalists and organizers…

It’s a good problem to have: What if your organization gets more audience input and demand for information than you can possibly handle… — It’s a good problem to have: What if your organization gets more audience input and demand for information than you can possibly handle? You don’t want to leave your anxious public hanging (especially during natural disasters, breaking news, or a pandemic). But you also can’t afford to have your team…

How to Message the January 6 Capitol Events To Your Audiences & Prepare for the Days To Come — Note: This kit was collaboratively assembled by members of the Election SOS team: Anthony Cave, Yemile Bucay, Kamila Jambulatova and Jennifer Brandel. Messaging the January 6 Capitol Events to Your Audiences & Preparing for the Days to Come UPDATE: January 13, 2021 After a very helpful conversation with Dorothy Tucker, the President of NABJ (the National Association of Black Journalists), we have adjusted this guide in…

Hearken is excited to announce an ambitious new capability to our technologies, funded in part by the Google News Initiative. — Hearken has worked with more than 250 organizations around the world in the past five years, and we’ve seen a tremendous variance in sophistication with what can be broadly called “audience engagement.” We’ve also seen that engagement has become central to our newsroom partners’ strategy, but hasn’t yet been widely…

If you’re covering the US elections and you haven’t prepared for it to go utterly off the rails, then you’re not ready. — If you’re covering the US elections and you haven’t prepared for it to go utterly off the rails, then you’re not ready. What exactly do we mean by “off the rails?” Extended and widespread misinformation campaigns Hundreds of decisions tied up in lawsuits No clear winner for weeks / months…