Need inspiration? Here’s how librarians, scientists and academics can help create impactful journalistic collaborations
In this issue, we feature an interview with Louise Lief, links about recent journalism collaborations, and information about contributing to the database of journalism collaborations.
Louise Lief has conducted fascinating research on journalism collaborations that cross industry boundaries into other sectors like library science and academia. Lief, an independent consultant focusing on civic engagement, is interested in the spaces where stakeholders from across fields can come together and collaborate to strengthen our civic ecosystem. We spoke about her work, which covers everything from what news organizations can learn from the library sector to new models for civic engagement to how scientists and journalists can more closely collaborate.
Melody Kramer: As part of your recent work as a scholar-in-residence at the American University School of Communication Investigative Reporting Workshop, you studied models for civic engagement within but also outside journalism that “reimagine the role of journalists in civic life.” How do you see the role of journalists within civic life? What kind of roles could journalists play?
Louise Lief: A recent survey found that for the first time, the media is now the least trusted institution globally. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed say they do not know how to tell good journalism from rumor or falsehoods, and 59 percent say they are unable to identify what is true.
As journalism’s gatekeeper role diminishes, it needs to establish a compelling new identity that will resonate with a deeply mistrustful public and differentiate itself from the search engines, social media, and other platforms that are contributing to an erosion of public trust.
I see this new identity emerging from journalism’s essential role as a civic actor in the public square, dedicated to advancing the public good. If you think of journalists as civic actors it makes sense to ask if, under certain circumstances, they can collaborate with other civic actors. Like many, I’m concerned about the hollowing out of local journalism. But we need to realistically evaluate what kind of coverage thinly staffed local newsrooms can provide. Then the question becomes, are there other civic resources these newsrooms can tap, and how might they be used appropriately to bolster local coverage? If you look outside journalism, there are many such resources.
I should add, not every media outlet fits the definition of a civic actor dedicated to the public good. Some have other motives. For this new identity to ring true to communities, journalists have to show it in action.
There are many journalism collaborations between newsrooms — but I’m curious to learn more about the civic actors who are operating in this space aside from journalists, and ways you envision that collaborations could take place.
I’ve been following the work of the citizen science community. They are upstarts in the scientific world, dedicated to working with the public to collect and analyze data on a wide range of issues. They emphasize collaborative intelligence and co-creation because they believe it will facilitate finding scientific and community-based solutions to problems. They’ve criticized the traditional scientific establishment for failing to engage the public, and for not taking into accounting different ways of knowing — that is, lived experience. They are developing amazing measurement tools, platforms and protocols for working with the public. And yet, this community has very little contact with journalists.
At American University I got to know several research librarians, and was struck by how similar their work is to journalism. They are information and data scientists. They can do most of the things data journalists do. They understand the architecture of digital platforms and can navigate through various databases to find great information. They fiercely defend data and information integrity and freedom of speech. They are in every town that has a college or university. People trust them. With the right incentives, they or students they work with could augment the work of local newsrooms.
What’s a collaboration that takes place outside of journalism that journalists should know more about?
One of my favorite examples is the Morris Project. I first learned about it at a White House forum on citizen science. Social scientists from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at CUNY worked with community members in a Bronx neighborhood to document what it’s like to grow up policed in New York. Over a thousand community members filled out questionnaires. The resulting data contradicted the New York Police Department’s official data and contributed to successful challenges of the NYPD’s controversial “stop-and-frisk” and “clean halls” policies. Community members who helped conduct the survey subsequently served on police reform commissions.
The best part for me was the sense of agency the project gave members of the community. The social scientists analyzed the data with them, and community members saw themselves in the numbers and reflected in the evidence they had helped collect. They were empowered by telling their community’s story and by assembling the data and facts that backed it up. There’s no better advertisement for the power of facts.
This was not a journalism project, but with modifications it could become one. Imagine if similar studies were done in 20 cities across the United States. How might that change the national conversation on policing?
You’ve written about the need for a common language to communicate between the media, communities, and research institutions that might like to collaborate with each other. I’m curious what current gaps exist between them, and ways in which librarians might serve that role?
Every discipline, journalism included, is somewhat insular and has its own preferences and blind spots. It builds an incentive structure around its culture and priorities. The challenge and opportunity of working across disciplines is that experts from another field come at your problem with a completely different perspective that may yield valuable new insights. It can be challenging to find common ground, but the differences can also lead to breakthroughs. It’s no accident that many inventions have come from someone outside the field working the problem.
Scientists and academics, journalists, and librarians operate in different cultures, but they also have a lot in common. They do investigations, and work with data. When they are at their best they share core values, such as a spirit of free inquiry, evidence-based approaches, dedication to the truth and concern for the public good. I believe expressing and demonstrating these values in ways that communities can experience is what will sustain journalism and science in the coming period. Librarians are in a more privileged position. Most people like and trust them.
Interdisciplinary collaborations are surfacing here and there, mostly in large news organizations. But to get these types of collaborations to work in local newsrooms, further action is required. Representatives from these different disciplines need to get to know each other and to start talking about different ways they might collaborate. Since existing incentive structures tend to discourage cross-disciplinary collaborations, new incentives need to be created.
What kinds of roles can universities play within this ecosystem?
Like journalism and science, higher education is also facing challenges. The decline in public support for colleges and universities has accelerated in the past year. A June 2017 Pew Research Center survey found 58 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters felt colleges and universities are having a negative impact on the country, a 13-point increase since September 2016. Funding for many public institutions and for research is stagnant or declining. If higher education wants to reverse this trend, it needs to do a better job engaging the public.
There are areas where faculty expertise can be utilized in cooperation with local media and/or communities to help with community problems. In Flint, Michigan, when community members couldn’t get straight answers about their water quality they called a university professor in Virginia and asked him to test their water in his lab. Another professor in Michigan took it upon herself to test Flint children’s lead blood levels in her lab. Many communities would welcome similar assistance. Both professors acted on their own as concerned citizens, and took career risks. For this kind of thing to happen on a more widespread scale, academic leaders need to signal their support.
Many colleges and universities could also enhance and better incentivize their community-based learning offerings, creating another portal to the public that in turn could better inform local media about community concerns. Creating sufficient incentives to encourage colleges and universities to move in this direction is key.
Louise Lief is an independent consultant to philanthropy and media organizations, focusing on civic engagement. From 2015–2017 she was the Scholar-in-Residence at the American University School of Communication Investigative Reporting Workshop. You can reach her via email lief@mediaandscience.org or on Twitter @sciandmedia.
Visit the Collaborative Journalism Database!
A small update on the Collaborative Journalism Database: we’ve now input information on 150 journalism collaborations between more than 1,100 organizations across the world. (!!!)
Is your project listed? If not, please tell us about it. Is the information about your project incomplete? Let us know; email Melody at melodykramer@gmail.com.
Are there fields missing you’d like to see us add, or other ways to sort that you think would be useful? Email the Center at info@centerforcooperativemedia.org. We’re using Airtable right now, but are still considering what the best way will be to display the treasure trove of data we’re collecting.
Collaboration in the News
- Can national and local media find a sustainable way to collaborate? We’re trying to figure that out | Center for Cooperative Media
- You can now shape future cooperation between journalists and funders | Journalism.co.uk
- Nonprofit news site Charlottesville Tomorrow shares its reporting with the local newspaper. Here’s how they’ve made the partnership last. | Lenfest Institute
- How to launch Voting Block for your 2018 state or local election | Center for Cooperative Media and Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting
- WNYC and ProPublica team up for ‘Trump, Inc.,’ a podcast on the many mysteries of our president’s businesses | ProPublica
- Case study: How USA Today Network’s collaborative journalism project ‘The Wall’ shined a light on border security | Center for Cooperative Media
Want to connect with other people interested in collaborative journalism? Click here to join our collaborative news Slack team! If you have any questions, please email info@centerforcooperativemedia.org.
