In an attempt to show how issues with Title IX persisted, and a lack of reformed response to how colleges respond to sexual assault cases, reporters Asia Fields and Taylor Blatchford connected with sexual assault survivors on different college campuses throughout Washington.
Public Radio International (PRI) launched the reporting project Global Nation in 2012 to cover the “real-world stories of immigrants in the United States—their challenges, successes and how uneven US immigration laws affect their lives.” PRI then created the Global Nation Exchange to foster discussion between immigrants and help ground editorial decisions in what was most important to them.
Headed by Tri-State Public Media (WNIN) producer Paola Marizán, the bilingual podcast ¿Qué Pasa, Midwest? was established with the hopes of telling the stories of Latino community members living in the Midwest. Audience members are able to contribute to the podcast’s production by suggesting their story ideas and guest-starring in podcast episodes.
In May 2018, 100 Days in Appalachia held The Pittsburgh Pitch, an event that used crowdfunding to fund local journalism. Modeled after Wheeling Heritage’s Show of Hands, 100 Days in Appalachia and the Center for Innovation at Point Park University asked local journalists in Pittsburgh to submit pitches under one theme.
The Recording Inclusivity Initiative (RII) from All Classical Portland is a project that addresses the gap of classical compositions written by composers from communities historically excluded in classical music. This initiative prioritizes compositions that have never been professionally recorded.
Verify debuted in 2016 in response to a challenge from WFAA’s corporate parent, TEGNA, to find ways to “truth-test” the news. For Verify, reporter David Schechter and producer/photographer Chance Horner select a topic of public interest (e.g. homeless camps, fracking, the death penalty) and invite a citizen reporter to join them on a “road trip” throughout the reporting process.
Reckon Women promotes dialogue around women’s issues in the South by sharing news articles and asking open-ended questions to invite discussion.
Amplify Utah bolsters Utah’s diverse voices through partnerships with storytellers, journalists, media and nonprofit partners of the community. The organization prioritizes community storytelling and strives to gradually increase local readership amongst youth.
The Seattle Times launched Under Our Skin, a multimedia project aimed at fostering meaningful and honest conversations about race in the region. The site features video interviews with 18 community members from diverse backgrounds reflecting on and talking about a set of terms commonly used in conversations and debates about race.
WFAE’s 2015 transformation aimed to adapt to the digital landscape and have its staff and audience reflect the diversity of the area. Since then, WFAE doubled its content staff, increased its digital traffic seven-fold, attracted new members and grew its general revenues. It developed new habits around audience engagement, publishing frequency, hiring and mentoring, and more.
Through collaborating with media partners, Outlier focused on outreach efforts to make information about voting accessible for Detroit residents. The guide was ultimately made for and by community members.
Iowa Ideas is a reporting and event series started by the Cedar Rapids Gazette in 2016 and designed to “explore the key questions and big ideas that will shape the future of Iowa.” The project’s hallmark event this year was its inaugural conference, which brought together more than 600 people to discuss Iowa’s education, workforce, healthcare, agriculture, energy, environment, and transportation.
