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: Stuck in the Middle With You 
If you’ve ever had that “how did I get here?” feeling, Kim Bui’s post on “the middles” – managers in journalism who have somehow ended up there – will speak to you. Bui is launching a newsletter to share resources for those “middles”.  Rebekah Monson shared a similar question on Twitter recently: Where are the resources for those who are in the middle – not managers yet, not students anymore, and not living in the NY/DC/CA bubble? We are thinking about how to help people get ‘unstuck’ from the middle – and about how being in the middle isn’t always being stuck at all – and would love to hear your thoughts.

Do the Work: Building Inclusive Newsrooms and Reporting

The misuse and overuse of the word ‘diversity’ may be eroding its usefulness, but the need for inclusive newsrooms has never been more important. A number of recent posts offer concrete advice and links to help all of us move beyond words to action. Let’s stop talking, and start doing: 

• How newsrooms can stop being so white – Tanzina Vega 
• Journalism’s rural diversity challenge – Heather Bryant
• Building a diverse newsroom is work – Shani O. Hilton 
• Lessons in inclusive hiring – Stacy-Marie Ishmael 
• Staying humble as a reporter in rural Alaska – Anna Rose MacArthur
• Racism and #journalismsowhite: A personal story from KUOW’s general manager –  Jamala Henderson, Katherine Banwell and Jeannie Yandel 
   

Good and Bad News in the Garden State

The Local Fix got its start in New Jersey, a state that can at times feel like a microcosm of the national debates about the future of journalism. That’s been true over the last month after the New York Times published a long look at the economic struggles of the state’s newspapers. But that is just one part of the story. The Center for Cooperative Media profiled the diverse and exciting innovations taking shape in hyperlocal newsrooms and public broadcasters. What emerges is a state with real challenges and opportunities which is trying to cultivate solidarity and collaboration across its media landscape. That’s something a lot of local journalists can relate to.

• In New Jersey, Only a Few Media Watchdogs Are Left – New York Times 
• New Jersey’s Track Record of Local Journalism Innovation Runs Deep – NJ News Commons 
• Jersey’s New Brunswick Today Punches Its Way to a New Model for Local News – Street Fight 
• After being laid-off in journalism, what’s next? Panel gives advice to New Jersey journalists – NJ News Commons 
   

Get Inspired With These Ideas (And Share Yours)

It’s a new year, and after perusing the journalism and media projects you fell in love with in 2016, we started getting excited for all the projects we’ll discover in 2017. If you’re in brainstorming mode, there’s nothing like a little inspiration to get you going. We’ve shared a few bookmarkable links, books, and sermons to get your brain going. Do you have something or someone you’re turning to for inspiration this year? Send it our way by replying to this email or tweeting it to us @jcstearns and @gteresa.

• Bookmark a great idea – NPR Training
• Listen to five public radio sermons in five minutes – Transom
• Attend a conference (applications due Jan. 13!) – OpenNews
• Buy some sticky notes – NPR Training
• Watch some ignite talks -Newsgeist
• Listen to… nothing – Nautilus
• Practice self-care – Another Round

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