The Importance of Collaboration Between Newsrooms and Their Communities

Photo by Alice Donovan Rouse on Unsplash

What role should communities play in the journalistic process?

In an era where anyone with a smartphone standing in the right place at the right time can practice journalism, whether they consider themselves journalists or not, the question is especially pertinent. The decline of traditional newsrooms as the solitary gatekeepers of “the news” (courtesy of mass layoffs, shrinking budgets, and the aforementioned prevalence of self-publishing tools) cements its importance. It’s not a matter of if communities will play a role in producing the news, but how.

Communities want to have a say in how their news is produced.

More specifically, 80% of survey respondents supported a local news model where they had some say in how their news is produced. What shape that involvement should take varied from respondent to respondent. Here are some of the more popular ways:

  • 63% of respondents felt that the quality and coverage of their local news would benefit if they helped newsrooms identify newsworthy topics.
  • 61% of respondents were willing to provide newsrooms with information on local issues they knew about.
  • 60% of respondents would be willing to report on important issues on behalf of newsrooms if they were compensated for their time.

Ph.D. Student (Journalism Studies) at University of Maryland, College Park