15 ways funders, J-Schools and researchers can better support local journalism
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The story of local journalism in the United States tends to get overlooked in a narrative dominated by larger players. But, small-market publications represent a major cohort that we know very little about — and one that actually knows little about itself.
In a bid to redress this, the Tow Center for Digital Journalism kindly supported Dr. Christopher Ali and I over the past year, as we explored key questions about securing the future of local newsrooms.
Our conclusions derived from 53 in-depth interviews with experts from across industry, academia and foundations — all with a strong interest in local news — and the experiences of 420 local journalists who responded to an online survey that we fielded at the end of last year.
From our research, it became clear that small-market outlets can’t do it alone. Other important stakeholders have, and already play, a significant role in this space. But what more can be done? And how might some of these efforts be recalibrated?
Below we offer a number of specialist recommendations aimed at three key constituents: funders, journalism schools and researchers.
For each group, we identify five actionable recommendations based on insights from interviewees, examples of existing activity and our own analysis. We hope that these suggestions will stimulate discussion and we look forward to your thoughts and opinions on our ideas.
Recommendations for funders/foundations
1. Don’t just fund the shiny stuff (tech/products)
Our research revealed that many local media players believe funders are most interested in investing in “the next big thing.” Often, that’s seen as technology and/or a desire to invest in news startups, rather than focusing on people and organizations which need sustaining funds to help them move to the next level.
To help remedy this perception, there needs to be more dialogue between funders and content makers, so that opportunities for common ground — and where foundation support can have the most impact — can be more clearly identified.
