American Press Institute

2 weeks ago | americanpressinstitute.org | Andi McDaniel |Giulia Fiaoni

On a semi-sunny Saturday afternoon in May, a gritty city block in downtown Portland, Ore. stirred with a giddy sense of anticipation. It’s been a rough few post-Covid years for this part of the city, but today was different — tents arose, a stage emerged, grinning locals wandered curiously as a block party came to life in the middle of the city.

3 weeks ago | americanpressinstitute.org | Susan Benkelman

(Photo courtesy of the Pueblo County HistoricalSociety and Heritage Museum) In Pueblo, Colo., a hemp-mâché horse named Lucky stands proudly in the city’s Heritage Museum. He has survived flood and fire — literally. In 1921, a deadly flood from rising waters of the Arkansas River devastated Pueblo, killing hundreds of people and causing damage that would take years to repair. The deluge also took Lucky, who was serving as a model in a saddle shop.

1 month ago | americanpressinstitute.org | Kevin Loker

Virginia, the American Press Institute’s home state, is filled with communities steeped in history. As we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary, local news can play a part in raising such history in our collective consciousness. And humanities-focused funders may find alignment with the growing experimentation in how local news intersects with local identity. Local news organizations across the country are embarking on history-based projects to serve community needs and help sustain the business.

1 month ago | americanpressinstitute.org | Lilly Chapa

A major goal of the Inclusion Index is to have newsrooms build infrastructure around their efforts to better serve communities, including systems for accountability — especially from the communities these news organizations seek to serve. Following the Pittsburgh community advisory committee, several stories have been produced because of the conversations and engagement work the participating newsrooms did during the project.

1 month ago | americanpressinstitute.org | Lilly Chapa

The structure and leadership of a community advisory committee can make a big impact on the effectiveness of the effort. And because these types of committees are organized by and for news organizations, community member participants require extra support and advocacy to ensure the experience is beneficial for them, too.