Welcome to the Local Fix. Each week we look at key debates in journalism sustainability and community engagement through the lens of local news.  But first, we always begin with one good idea…

One Good Idea: Learn how to run a listening session 
NPR has a great post on six models of listening sessions that can help you get feedback from your community. The post includes different models for different goals, including workshopping stories, exploring new themes and more. While it is focused on audio stories the lessons are relevant for any newsroom. 

Four Local News Profiles

We see part of our role as trying to spotlight great work happening at the local level. That is why we were glad to see this recent series of profiles of local newsrooms that are testing innovative approaches to revenue and engagement. Check out the good work happening around the country, get inspired, and see if there are any ideas you might be able to use in your work. 

• Q&A: How Will City Bureau Regenerate Civic Media in Chicago? – MediaShift 
• Berkeleyside: The Nimble Hyperlocal News Site is Winning Awards and Attracting Eyeballs – California Magazine 
• Amid big changes in Philly media, startup Billy Penn sticks to its vision – Columbia Journalism Review 
• It takes two jobs and 21 hours a day to run a hyperlocal news site – Columbia Journalism Review  
   

Social Media, Analytics and Data Journalism Just for Locals

In the UK, the Center for Community Journalism and NESTA are working to help the local news ecosystem grow and thrive. This week we wanted to share five articles from our friends in the UK which offer concrete advice on social media, analytics and data journalism for hyperlocal publishers. Be sure to check out the training videos as well. 

• Social media analytics for hyperlocal publishers: setting up a KPI spreadsheet – NESTA 
• Social media analytics for hyperlocal publishers part 2: six great insights – NESTA 
• How are hyperlocals using Instagram? – Center for Community Journalism 
• Action research in audience analytics: resources for hyperlocal publishers – NESTA 
• Local data journalism: Five tips and a few key things to consider – BBC 
   

Frank Talk About Losing Your Job 

From burnout to bouncing back after losing your job, there are topics that are hard for us to talk frankly about. But a series of recent articles have tried to clear the air and spark a different kind of conversation about these issues. We can’t talk about the sustainability of local news without addressing these issues. 

• Advice For the Recently Laid Off – Kim Fox 
• Four Lessons from Losing a Journalism Job – Melanie Coulson 
• There’s a Facebook group to help journalists figure out their plan B – Kristen Hare 
• Journalism is a stressful career, but work doesn’t have to be miserable – Kristen Hare 
• How news outlets can protect journalists from crisis-coverage burnout – Tyler Falk 
   

How To Think About Product Development

In New York this week CUNY and the New School hosted an event on the Hunt for New News Products. You can follow the discussion on Twitter at the hashtag #NewsProduct16. Below are four good articles for helping you think about new products and project management for your newsroom. 

• Why Newsrooms Need Project Managers – Storybench 
• How To Avoid Making Products No One Wants – Fast Company  
• Making the Leap From Editorial to Product Thinking – American Press Institute 
• How to Do Good User Testing and Get Feedback on Products – American Press Institute 

One more thing…
Did you catch the new report we published last week on business models, collaboration, philanthropy and community engagement in local news? If so, check out Dan Kennedy’s interview at Nieman Lab and Michele McLellan’s post at the Knight Digital Media Center.

Have a good weekend,
Molly and Josh 

The Local Fix is a project of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation’s Local News Lab, a website where we are exploring creative experiments in journalism sustainability.