Within the past five years — and certainly during the height of the pandemic — I began to notice the term “building community” come up in conversation a lot, particularly with local news publishers and journalists. It’s certainly not a new concept — the idea that a local newspaper (or news site) doesn’t just inform the community; it also provides a thread that runs through the community, creating a sense of belonging and a reminder of shared vested interests.
Every local news outlet does this in some way. It’s inherent. But E&P went in search of stories of news media publishers striving to meaningfully connect with the community and to foster community engagement in positive ways. At the link, you’ll read about two of them — The Lansing Journal and The Spokesman-Review.
Share your story about how local news enriches your sense of community in the comments. We’d love to hear about it!
Gretchen A. Peck 