A WhatsApp group that gives immigrants information on social services. An analysis of the bus lines in Detroit, conducted in partnership with Detroit residents. An online memorial for New Yorkers who died of Covid-19. Local residents documenting public meetings. Office hours and “pop-up newsrooms” in public libraries.
Projects like these, which focus on giving people information they need to make the places they live better, are the focus of a new report, out Thursday, that calls on local journalism’s would-be saviors to focus their energy and funding on collaborative efforts, startups, and community groups — not on legacy news organizations.