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

“Water your garden with information”

A mini guide to recent guides

In the past few weeks, several resources have been shared to help local journalists and beyond. These guides are great starting points for projects that can bring together all kinds of partners. But we also know that a wealth of knowledge lives on in guidebooks past; the Center for Cooperative Media’s guide to guides (linked below) helps bring many of them together. Next week CCM is hosting the Collaborative Journalism Summit both in Chicago and online (Christine will see you there, virtually!) so we figured now is a great time to highlight these and the other resources below. What tipsheets are we missing? Reply to this email to let us know or tag us on Twitter @TheLocalNewsLab.

• Chalkbeat’s Local News Field Guide — Check out the section on “embrace your inner reporter to navigate philanthropy,” as Chalkbeat shares the scoop on how it became a local reporting network and fundraising powerhouse. (Plus: sign up for workshops this summer to discuss how to put this field guide into action!)
• Reynolds Journalism Institute — Fellows are sharing their toolkits as the academic year comes to a close, from Yukari Kane’s prison journalism navigator to Hannah Wise’s toolkit for serving the disability community.
• Center for Cooperative Media — Guides on image verification, starting news site, reporting with sensitivity, and more can be found here.
• Trans Journalists Association — In light of recent events, the group shared a thread of best practices for inclusive language in abortion coverage.
• Don’t mind if we toot our own horn: On the Local News Lab, guides from hosting focus groups to launching crowdfunding campaigns have been some of the most visited resources.

On our radar

Reads

• Reimagining the public square: What’s happening in Colorado’s information ecosystem right now — Corey Hutchins, Inside the News in Colorado
• How a network developed channels to deliver Spanish language emergency alerts on extreme weather and COVID-19 —  North Carolina Local News Lab Fund
• Median annual revenue increased 33% for LION members, data shows — Stephanie Snyder and Chloe Kizer, LION Publishers 
• Precarious conditions in local news sparks collective action — Sarah Vassello, UNC’s Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media
• “As news of a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that suggests a forthcoming vote to overturn #RoeVsWade, we will share community media coverage – especially from Black, Latinx, rural, poor, Southern, Midwestern and other most vulnerable communities in this 🧵” — Center for Community Media
• Georgia’s newly formed Ethnic Media Collaborative hosted a voters’ forum featuring gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams — Craig Allen Brown, The Atlanta Voice

Jobs and other opportunities

• Engagement producer, civics and democracy (temporary), KPCC, ​​$33.82 USD per hour; no deadline specified 
• Data journalist, local collaborations, Center for Public Integrity, $80,000-$90,000; no deadline specified
• Audience engagement manager, San José Spotlight, $70,000-$80,000; no deadline specified
• New Voices fellowship, AIR, $1,000 stipend & coaching; deadline May 25 
• Online Journalism Awards submission (including a new category of Excellence in Social Media Engagement); deadline June 9

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Christine and Teresa
@heres_christine and @gteresa

The Local Fix is a project of Democracy Fund’s Public Square Program, which supports work that aims to transform journalism so everyone has access to information they need to participate in our democracy.

Disclosure: Some projects mentioned in this newsletter may be funded by Democracy Fund. You can find a full list of the organizations here.
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