Reimagining Local Journalism: A Community-centered Intervention

At a moment when many U.S. news organizations are reckoning with their relationships with communities of color and attempting to build relationships of trust, this engaged research project uses a communication infrastructure theory framework to assess the information needs and assets of a majority Black neighborhood that has historically been stigmatized by media coverage. It draws from nine focus groups, as well as diaries and interviews with residents to assess the local storytelling network and explore how residents conceptualize trustworthiness factors of perceived accuracy, perceived motivations, and representation in local media. Through discussions and participant observation over the course of 17 months, it follows the collaborative process of designing and piloting a community-centered journalism project that attempts to strengthen ties between local media and communities. From this, it explores how residents’ ideals for local journalism at times clash with dominant journalism norms and practices regarding objectivity.