Contemporary journalism faces a crisis of trust that threatens the institution and may imperil democracy itself. Critics and experts see a renewed commitment to local journalism as one solution. But a lasting restoration of public trust requires a different kind of local journalism than is often imagined, one that engages with and shares power among all sectors of a community.
Andrea Wenzel models new practices of community-centered journalism that build trust across boundaries of politics, race, and class, and prioritize solutions while engaging the full range of local stakeholders. Informed by case studies from rural, suburban, and urban settings, Wenzel''s blueprint reshapes journalism norms and creates vigorous storytelling networks between all parts of a community. Envisioning a portable, rather than scalable, process, Wenzel proposes a community-centered journalism that, once implemented, will strengthen lines of local communication, reinvigorate civic participation, and f
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"Recommended." --Choice
"Rooted in an impressive range of on-the-ground research . . . Wenzel has made an important contribution." --The Arts Fuse
"Andrea Wenzel is that rarest of beings, a thorough and skilled academic and an accomplished journalist. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to fully understand the crisis of trust in journalism, how it grows from deep, ingrained roots and flourishes through lack of attention and engagement. Wenzel’s examination of how journalism can better serve communities charts a clear empirical path for the field, but it also tells a compelling story about media, representation and social cohesion at a critical time."--Emily Bell, director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, Columbia Journalism School
"This book is an important contribution to academic scholarship but also to the journalism industry and to foundations that support ongoing projects to rebuild trust. It provides much needed documentation at a pivotal and pivoting time, as journalism undertakes new practices in an attempt to survive."--Sue Robinson, author of Networked News, Racial Divides: How Power and Privilege Shape Public Discourse in Progressive Communities
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: The case for shared community stories
Chapter 1. Shifting stories with solutions journalism
Chapter 2. Connecting journalists and community members
Chapter 3. Developing an intervention: Building a public sphere in polarized places
Chapter 4. The process is portable: Toward a community-driven intervention
Chapter 5. A new kind of journalist? Competencies for community-centered journalism
Conclusion: To repair, or to burn it down?
Appendix: Methods for a Process Model
Notes
Bibliography
Index
