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: “Change is like oxygen. We need it to exist”
How should local newsroom leaders lead, especially during these demanding and constantly changing times? Democracy Fund Senior Fellow Marty Kaiser asked leaders to share their thoughts and tips in a new series from the Local News Lab, co-published with Poynter. Read the first three posts and share your own thoughts on the question with us @thelocalnewslab and via email localnewslab@democracyfund.org.

💊 Covering Health Care From the Ground Up

The Senate has reintroduced their healthcare bill, designed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. We know that health care is consistently listed as one of the core concerns of people around the country, and Columbia Journalism Review argues “Health coverage that merely tracks the Beltway drama of the AHCA risks overlooking the diverse and nuanced health needs of cities and counties.” Below, a few pieces on strengthening health care coverage, with ideas and even examples of interactive projects you can try in your newsroom.  

• Health care journalists need to cover the AHCA from the ground up – Columbia Journalism Review 
• Tracking and Explaining the Repealing and Replacing – SOURCE 
• New Mexico health reporter: ‘I’ve yet to find a story that didn’t have its roots in poverty’ – Columbia Journalism Review  
• Research briefs on heath studies for journalists covering heath care issues – Journalist’s Resource 

🏢 National Outlets Covering Local and the Local Journalists Already There 

Since the election there has been a lot of hand-wringing about the disconnect between national newsrooms and local communities across the country. Recently we’ve seen a series of responses from national outlets:

• HuffPost is doing a 23 city listening tour – HuffPost 
• Reuters has hired a roving Rust Belt correspondent – Poynter 
• The Guardian is partnering with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project to cover class and inequality across America – Guardian 
• NPR is reorganizing its member stations around regional hubs – Poynter 

🏡  We will be watching all of those projects, and hope that they can channel the resources and audiences of large news organizations towards critical stories and new voices. We are particularly excited about those projects that emphasize collaboration with existing local reporters and who honor the work already happening on the ground by communities who are telling their own stories, doing great journalism, and making media. In future newsletters we’ll shine a spotlight on some of those great local journalists on the ground. This week we’ll mention a few great organizations serving communities throughout Appalachia:

• Appalshop – Focused on cultural organizing and place-based media, arts and education 
• Facing South – The online magazine of the Institute for Southern Studies 
• Belt Publishing  – What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia  
• 100 Days in Appalachia – “Appalachia’s stories are rich and complex. So are America’s.” 
• The Rural Blog –  Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues 
• Daily Yonder – Their motto: “Keep it Rural”

We know there are many other great projects and newsrooms to point out. For example, see this recent Columbia Journalism Review piece: “Dissatisfied with the national media’s frame, Appalachia finds its own voice.” Send us other great projects and local newsrooms from Appalachia or your region. 

📹 What Pivoting to Video Means for Small Local Newsrooms

“There’s a new ritual in media. A Silicon Valley plot point becomes an actual, journalistic homicide becomes gallows humor on media Twitter. Over the past couple of weeks, this is what happened with the ‘pivot to video.’” So begins Brian Curtis’ sharp post on the dangers of chasing each tech trend and letting platforms dictate our strategy. The post was sparked by news that MTV was ending its online political reporting section and instead focusing on video. 🎥  Curtis’ post is all you need to read on the twitter storm that erupted, so go read his piece. Rather than continue that debate, we focus on how you can do great video without the “pivot,” and especially how small newsrooms can balance a smart video strategy with other priorities. 

• What “Pivoting to Video” Really Means – The Ringer 
• How Four of the Smallest Newsrooms in America Are Using Video – Local News Lab 
• Local online news video advertising: 6 ways to monetize content – Online Journalism Blog  
• Video Now: A Report of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism – Tow Center 
• How The Washington Post is training video polymaths – Digiday 

Have a good weekend,
Josh and Teresa
@jcstearns, @gteresa

The Local Fix is a project of the Democracy Fund’s Public Square Program, which invests in innovations and institutions that are reinventing local media and expanding the public square. Disclosure: Some projects mentioned in this newsletter may be funded by Democracy Fund, you can find a full list of the organizations we support on our website.