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: How One Pennsylvania Station Hopes to Reinvent Local TV News by Embedding Reporters in Communities

A recent study from the Knight Foundation found that local TV newsrooms need to innovate to engage changing audiences and their needs. One public television station in Bethlehem, PA is an example of how local TV news can do just that. PBS39 created the Reporter Corps, which will embed multi-platform journalists in 10 counties around the Greater Lehigh Valley. The station will focus on digital-first delivery as news happens, but also run slower paced, in-depth reports from the embedded journalists during its nightly news hour. “These journalists will not just be covering the community, they will be a part of the community, engaging with the community,” said Yoni Greenbaum, the station’s chief content officer. Read more about the Reporter Corps (they’re still hiring!) and what they’ll be up to in the coming months.

Collaboration Between Ethnic and Mainstream Media

This week, the American Press Institute released the fourth and final post in a series on how ethnic media and mainstream media can collaborate. The final report, written by Daniela Gerson and Carlos Rodriquez, is an extensive and useful resource worth your time. (Disclosure: Gerson is a Senior Fellow at Democracy Fund.) The report includes actionable tips on how those working in mainstream media can find ethnic media outlets in their communities, how facilitators can help ethnic media reporters connect with mainstream media, and case studies on how collaborations have worked in the past. As Sarah Bartlett, the Dean of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, wrote in 2013 in NiemanLab: ethnic media is “worth your attention.” The resources in these links can help you pay attention in a way that’s not extractive, and find ways of working together that can benefit all the outlets involved in a partnership.

• How ethnic and mainstream media can collaborate in changing communities – American Press Institute 
• Mainstream media need to actively look for ways to partner with ethnic media – Center for Cooperative Media 
• Four Steps for News Orgs to Start Collaborating with Ethnic Media – Local News Lab 
• Ethnic media is more than a niche: It’s worth your attention – NiemanLab (2013)

Sourcing Eyewitness Accounts for Local Breaking News

When news breaks, local journalists get to the scene as fast as they can. But before any reporters arrive there are often local residents posting pictures and updates on social media in real time. Those eyewitness sources can be powerful partners during breaking news, but too often they are inundated with requests from newsrooms or find their work re-published without permission. Sometimes in the rush to report, a journalist reveals more than they should. Those mistakes can put eyewitnesses at risk and have a lasting impact. Freelance journalist Max Robinson felt this firsthand when flooding hit his home of Ellicott City, Maryland. He wrote for the Columbia Journalism Review about the way national press interacted with him. “There doesn’t appear to be a guidebook for potential sources confronted with a sudden swell of media requests,” he wrote, “Nor do all reporters work with the same understanding of best practices when engaging with a source in crisis.” Below we have gathered a few resources on these sorts of best practices for newsrooms and eyewitnesses.

• When tragedy strikes, what do journalists owe sources? – Columbia Journalism Review
• Amateur Footage: A Global Study of Eyewitness Media in TV and Online News – Tow Center for Digital Journalism
• Guiding Principles for Handling Eyewitness Media – Eyewitness Media Hub 
• A journalist’s guide to working with social sources – First Draft (PDF link) 

The Sinclair-Tribune Merger and Local News

The Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to send the $3.9 billion merger between Sinclair Broadcasting Group and Tribune Media to an administrative judge — a move that may kill the deal. Sinclair is already largest owner of local news stations in the country and this deal would expand its reach to more than 70 percent of American households, far beyond the federal limit of 39 percent. FCC chair Ajit Pai said he had “serious concerns”over the integrity of Sinclair’s plan to sell 21 stations to stay under the limit. Those concerns revolve around Sinclair’s plan to hand off some stations to owners with close ties to the company, including the estate of the mother of a chief Sinclair executive. We’ve been following the news this week, bearing in mind what it means for the future of local newsrooms like the ones where many of you work. Here’s a roundup of news, commentaries, and analyses from around the country to get you up to speed on this controversial deal.

• FCC orders hearing even as Sinclair changes plans to sell TV stations to address concerns about Tribune deal – Baltimore Sun
• What the Sinclair merger could mean for local news – NBC (video)
• This major challenge to local news has gone almost unnoticed – The Washington Post  (opinion)
• Sinclair’s takeover of local news, in one striking map –  Vox (map)
• Sinclair fumbled Tribune takeover as company chairman draws FCC ire – FOX Business

Have a good weekend,

Josh, Teresa and Rachel
@jcstearns, @gteresa, @rachelannwegner

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.