March 4, 2022
Local Fix: What we’re learning about local education reporting
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…
One Good Idea: Encourage readers to put your newsletter series into action
| In the past few years you may have signed up for a newsletter series, where subscribers get a number of auto-sent follow-up emails over the next few weeks to dive deeper into a topic or complete a challenge. LION Publishers just introduced their version, with a pretty great incentive at the end. Their News Founder Challenge shares lessons and recommendations for refining a local news business idea over six weeks and invites you to schedule a 1:1 consulting session with a LION staff member once you complete the steps. That sounds like a win-win to us! |
New data on local education reporting
A team of researchers led by Jesse Holcomb with support from the Hewlett Foundation have helped unpack information needs of parents and guardians in regards to their children’s schooling. First they published findings from a survey of parents, and then this week, they shared an analysis of 140+ local media outlets’ education reporting. “Local media’s K-12 agenda has mirrored parent priorities- lots of attention to teaching and learning, as well as school closures and re-openings,” Holcomb shared. But the perspectives of parents, teachers, students, and labor leaders are not as represented in these articles as school officials. Who helped break that pattern? “In particular, local news organizations focused on serving communities of color … stood out for their … service journalism, their emphasis on reporting about solutions to education-related problems, and their attention to matters of race in the educational context,” the researchers wrote. Reporting on education is a staple in many local newsrooms, and we hope these findings help spur more conversation about the kind of information people are looking for.
- How local media are serving the parents who have the most on the line — Jesse Holcomb, Yejae Kim, Taylor Hartson, Laura Luchies; Calvin University
- Parents really want useful education news. They aren’t all getting it — Laura Hazard Owen, Nieman Lab
- From 2020: Kids have info needs, too — Local Fix
Reads on Our Radar
- An independent news outlet shines in Kyiv (and helps other Ukrainian outlets fundraise together) — Indiegraf
- Fact sheet: 6 things to know as you read about the war in Ukraine — Media Manipulation Casebook
- A look at DEI efforts in New Jersey newsrooms — Will Fischer, Center for Cooperative Media
- How a bilingual media partnership is meeting local needs in North Carolina — Lyndsey Gilpin and Paola Jaramillo, Solutions Journalism Network
- Ohio-based Black publication tests community development funding plan — Indiegraf
- What to do when we f*ck up — because we will — a lot — Rebekah Giacomantonio, Community Centric Fundraising
Opportunities on Our Radar
- Managing editor, Canopy Atlanta, 20 hours a week at $25/hour; deadline March 7!
- Editor, Rural News Network and special projects, Institute for Nonprofit News, $90,000-$100,000; application review begins March 15
- Reporters, Arizona Luminaria, $45,000-$55,000; rolling deadline starting March 21
- Program director, Leadership Programs, CUNY Newmark School of Journalism, $130,000+; deadline April 3
- Development assistant, Wisconsin Watch, $40,000-$50,000; no deadline
- Deputy news director, digital, WAMU, $115,000+; no deadline specified
- Executive director, Center for Journalism & Democracy, Howard University, $150,000; no deadline specified (but include a cover letter!)
Remember to stay hydrated,
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. The Fix was started by Josh Stearns and Molly de Aguiar.
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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