Listen, Engage, Report: Rethinking Local Media

The first quarter of 2018 has flow past! The Listening Post Collective has been active across the country helping communities better engage and be heard by their local media outlets. 

Here are some recent stories of this work:

Old West End Information Needs in Toledo, Ohio

Simon is the new guy in town. He and his wife recently relocated to Toledo, Ohio's Old West End neighborhood and he's been eager to put his skills in engaged journalism to work in his new home. The first step in his process has been a serious look at what's already happening in his neighborhood, both in a media sense as well as a community organizing one. Simon has struck up a partnership with two community groups in his neighborhood to conduct a hybrid canvasing effort with a survey that serves both the organizing groups as well as Simon's focus on information needs. He told us, “The best way to understand what the information ecosystem looks like and who community members trust is not to go to the news organizations, it’s to go to the people they’re purporting to serve." Read more of the conversation at link above. 

Power Not Panic in Oakland, California

The Oakland Mayor's recent decision to announce impending ICE raids in Northern California sparked controversy nationally. Locally, it brought to light just how critical relevant and trusted information is to Oakland's Latino immigrant population. While the announcement was meant to help people prepare, the overwhelming response was panic. As part of her Listening Post project, El Tímpano, Madeleine has spent the last nine months attending community meetings, "know your rights" trainings, town halls and meeting with advocacy groups, church leaders, legal advocacy agencies, and residents to understand how information can be used in a way that empowers immigrant communities rather than cause fear. One community leader told Madeleine, “I want news that helps me take action rather than leaving me feeling defeated and helpless.” She is documenting her process in a series of posts and you can check out the first in that series here. 

The Listening Post Collective provides journalists, newsroom leaders, and non-profits tools and advice to create meaningful conversations with their communities. We believe responsible reporting begins with listening. From there, media outlets and community organizations can create news stories that respond to people’s informational needs, reflect their lives, and enable them to make informed decisions. 

Thank you for supporting this work--we wouldn't be able to do it without you!

2017 was a huge year for The Listening Post Collective and we couldn't have done it without your support!

Here are some stats and highlights of the past year:

• 1,966 visitors since launching our web site, www.listeningpostcollective.org
• Average 75 users/week
• 178 people signed up for our newsletter
• Distributed 8 newsletters to 178 people
• Published 6 case studies on our Medium page

Coached 17 newsrooms around the country:

• Oakland, CA: El Tímpano
• Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis Star Tribune
• New Orleans, LA: The Listening Post NOLA in partnership with WWNO, WBOK,
• Illinois: Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
• Mansfield, Ohio: The Richland Source
• Asbury Park, NJ: Jersey Shore Hurricane News
• Boston, MA: WBUR
• Stonington, ME: The First Coast
• Anchorage, AK:  Alaska Public Media
• Sweden:  Listening Post Norrköping
• Tampa, LA: Tampa Public Radio
• Milwaukee, WI: Milwaukee Public Radio
• Clovis, CA: Valley Public Radio
• San Francisco, CA: KAWL
• West Virginia: 100 Days in Appalachia
• Philadelphia, PA: The Reentry Project, WHYY
• Los Angeles, CA: Fresno Bee, LA Times, Wilmington Wire

Six universities using The Playbook:

• CUNY
• University of Oregon,
• California State University, Northridge
• USC Center for Health Journalism:
• Quinnipiac
• Temple University

Established a national partnership with The Trace:

 The Listening Post New Orleans partnered the past month with The Trace, a national media outlet that focuses on the topic of guns in America. Through outreach via community events, listening post recording stations around New Orleans, and text messaging, the New Orleans team collected voices of local gun-shot survivors. The Trace published in depth features from the collaboration, and is working with the LPNola team to circulate a community survey.  

Completed Assessments in:

• Baltimore
• Omaha, and
• Puerto Rico

And gave presentations and trainings at conferences around the country including the USC Center for Health Journalism, Solutions Journalism Summit, and People Powered Publishing Conference. 

2017 was a busy year and now that we are in 2018 we're excited to continue this work and expand it to more newsrooms and communities across the US! Keep in touch and stay tuned for more updates.