Citizen and community news
Building a platform for Black stories by Black journalists
For far too long, stories about the Black community have been sparse, often relegated to the back pages of newspapers or buried at the end of a TV newscast. This has inspired us to create a new platform, NABJ Media Network.
What does movement journalism mean for journalism as a whole?
Movement journalism. It didn’t yet have the name, but still, it was there in practice when Ida B. Wells’ name was first placed on the masthead on the Memphis Free Speech in 1892.
What newsrooms can learn from creator culture and monetization strategies
Like the music and movie industry before us, it’s time for journalism to rethink the way things are done.
Editorial boards that look nothing like their cities shouldn’t speak for them
Why do editorial boards look nothing like their communities? For decades, one organization has comprehensively tracked newsroom’s hiring, retention, and diversity efforts. The American Society of News Editors’ annual survey has always painted an occasionally hopeful but dim-in-aggregate picture of American newsrooms. Across the board, newsrooms often reflect the diversity of the country and their … Continued
Journalists are creators now, and that’s a good thing
Journalism’s hostility is understandable, but our denial is not.In 2009, the former editor-in-chief at Thomson Reuters, David Schlesinger, described journalism as one of the great self-declared professions. He wrote, “I am a journalist because I said I was one more than two decades ago and have spent the years since working on my abilities. I am not … Continued
Launching a newsletter and thinking about analytics
It’s not just about clicks When we launched our obits newsletter, How They Lived, on December 8, I had one big concern: Would anyone read it? Honestly, I worry about that with everything I publish, but launching a new product so close to the holidays only amped up that worry. The beauty of making journalism … Continued
RJI searches for School of Journalism students to pair with local newsrooms on innovative projects
Missouri School of Journalism students and recent graduates will be pairing up with local news outlets this summer to work together on innovative projects as part of the 12-week RJI Student Innovation Fellowship. Students and recent graduates can apply between Monday, Jan. 18 and Friday, Feb. 26. Newsroom partners are also needed for the fellowships … Continued
Year in review: How RJI continues to work with, and for, journalists
Eight ways RJI helped newsrooms like yours in 2020 It doesn’t happen every year, but when the unexpected discovery becomes a bit of a trend at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, it’s a good year. And that it happened in 2020, which, for the most part, has been a tough year, is especially good. … Continued
How an idea about local obits became a newsletter
Take that thing you’ve been thinking about doing for awhile now and make it real. A few years ago, I had this idea. I wondered if local, reported obituaries could help local newsrooms build subscribers, and therefore help support the business itself while connecting them with their communities. I talked it out in hallways and … Continued
Answering reader questions builds trust and becomes the foundation of our community and newsletter
In the coming year, we hope to grow our efforts in multiple ways, specifically to reach new communities and publish in more languages. Two weeks ago we published our third reader generated story. Readers of our WhatsApp group were regularly reaching out to send us photos of housing court documents that they had received, which … Continued