"[...] this report aims to help support organizations foster a shared identity so that, in collaboration with funders and newsmakers, they can execute on our primary recommendation: Create a field-level agenda for the local news field. We recommend a field agenda address at least these four key goals, which should be refined and expanded through discussion and debate by field leaders. 1. Codify best practices and instruments for assessing community information needs. 2. Make support organizations’ offerings more accessible and navigable while streamlining, consolidating, and strengthening those offerings. 3. Engage in public policy development to generate public funding for newsmakers and shift the narrative on the value of local news. 4. Draw on knowledge from outside the local news field to attract and develop existing talent and leadership who can strengthen business practices and reimagine the role of local news and information for communities.
This report draws from the authors’ extensive experience in local news, as well as insights from conversations with 22 local news field leaders and guidance from an advisory council of six people comprising representatives from these organizations. Together, the authors bring more than two decades of combined experience in local news, spanning legacy newsrooms, nonprofit and for-profit news startups, and support organizations. Independently, both have recognized the need for more cohesive field building efforts. Anika Anand has called for more coordination of support organizations and Darryl Holliday co-authored The Roadmap for Local News report. Although this report focuses on establishing a shared identity for support organizations, our research revealed that newsmakers and funders could also benefit from a structured articulation of their respective identities. This is because the effectiveness of support organizations, newsmakers, and funders cannot be evaluated in isolation–their work is deeply interconnected and collectively impacts the health of the local news field. We advocate for further research to help lay a stronger foundation for shared identities across the entire local news ecosystem, ultimately contributing to a more mature local news field." (Page 2)