
Local that Works spotlights innovative and replicable content, engagement and revenue initiatives at public radio and TV stations and nonprofit and digital news organizations in the U.S. LTW includes an annual contest and a database (below). LTW produces webinars that offer insights into projects and organizations that are reshaping local civic journalism.
Explore the database of 553 Local that Works projects. Check out Local that Works contest Winners, Finalists and Semifinalists by clicking on those colored tags.
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69 results found.
Conecta Arizona
Conecta ArizonaConecta Arizona is a multi-platform news-you-can-use service that serves Spanish speakers in Arizona with accurate and timely information about Covid-19 and a wide range of related topics.
The Civic Newsroom
THE CITYThe Civic Newsroom is a project to better understand what voters want and need to know to provide relevant reporting and information resources that help them navigate a crucial local election.
The Crosstown Neighborhood Newsletter
Crosstown LAThere is no one-size-fits-all news for Los Angeles, a sprawling city of four million. So we created 110 different email newsletters, one for each neighborhood.
Building a Faith and Religion Beat That’s Responsive to the Community
PublicSourceThis beat explores how issues of race, identity, and crisis have intersected with and affected faith and religion in the Pittsburgh region, both in the past and today.
Vaccine Equity for Oakland
The OaklandsideIn Oakland, Black and brown communities have undeniably been impacted the most by COVID-19. We designed a multi-platform information campaign to answer their questions about vaccines.
I Believe in Black Journalism
The Amsterdam NewsOur “I Believe in Black Journalism” campaign better educates and inspires the Black NYC’ers we have served for 112 years with re-imagined print and digital offerings to also grow audience and revenue.
Documented Semanal: An Interactive WhatsApp Channel for New York’s Spanish-Speaking Immigrant Community
DocumentedDocumented Semanal is an interactive Spanish-language news service of the most important news for immigrant New Yorkers and answers to their most pressing questions.
Expanding Youth Audio Programming Through Partnerships: Blunt Youth Radio Pandemic Edition
Blunt Youth RadioBlunt Youth Radio launched two youth audio initiatives with new partners: a 12-week, all-virtual program on climate, and three in-person, daylong intro to audio making workshops at the library.
Cooking with the Cap Times
The Capital TimesCooking with the Cap Times is a video event series hosted by food editor Lindsay Christians. Each month, Christians hosts a one-hour virtual cooking demo via Zoom with a Madison-area chef.
Conecta Arizona
maritzalizethfelix@gmail.com
https://www.nbcuacademy.com/catalog/maritza-felix-conecta-arizona-whatsapp-group-journalism-border
A tidal wave of misinformation about Covid-19 in Spanish is washing over Latinx communities on social media, contributing to the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on Hispanics in terms of illness, deaths and vaccination rates. Early in the pandemic we identified this problem, which most major news outlets and social media companies only recently began to acknowledge. Our response was the creation of Conecta Arizona. We use the same channels where misinformation is shared – WhatsApp, Telegram, Twitter, and Facebook – to provide a daily stream of accurate, factual and highly engaging information about Covid-19 and a wide range of related topics. We work with partners in Spanish-language print, broadcast, and online media on both sides of the U.S.- Mexico border to bust myths about Covid-19 and share news, advice and resources.Conecta Arizona has quickly become a vital and trusted source of information. It has also fostered a growing and highly engaged community that participates in conversations with experts on a broad range of issues.
Conecta Arizona is a place where people feel comfortable asking about paying their income taxes, mental health, educating their kids, and immigration. Members of our SMS groups share information with friends, family, and co-workers and post questions during a daily Q&A– La Hora del Cafecito. Once a week we have a special guest during the Q&A: an immigration lawyer, an accountant, a psychologist, a state legislator, the Mexican consul, a U.S. ambassador, an activist, or a marketing specialist; experts who answer our questions one by one without charging for their services or advice. We are making news coverage more inclusive and reflective of the rapidly changing demographics of Arizona and the interconnected nature of the border region. For Spanish-speakers who are hungry for reliable information and personal connections during the pandemic, Conecta Arizona is a lifeline.
We started as a WhatsApp group, and now have our own weekly radio show on Phoenix’s La Onda AM and FM, a weekly column in Prensa Arizona, the state’s largest Spanish-language newspaper, and frequent appearances in Mexican media that reaches audiences in the U.S. We recently launched a Substack newsletter. Journalists in other parts of the country with large Latinx populations have reached out to us asking for help to start their own “Conectas.”
Since its launch in May, 2020, Conecta Arizona has become a trusted source of information for Spanish-speakers in both Arizona and the neighboring Mexican state of Sonora. Conecta Arizona has achieved a remarkable level of engagement with its audience, so much so that it has gained national recognition as an innovator in reaching underserved Latinx news and information consumers.
Betty didn’t know where to get a marriage certificate in Arizona during the pandemic; Myriam couldn’t figure out if there were resources for undocumented workers who lost their job during the pandemic; Gloria’s son couldn't get the special attention he needs in school and needed help to find nonprofit organizations that help children with autism during the pandemic. They had simple day-to-day problems that felt overwhelming, because of misinformation and how much good information is only available in English. Through Conecta Arizona, we helped them.
An OpEd in The New York Times included Conecta Arizona in a list of Latinx media outlets that are engines of community change and local journalism. Conecta Arizona has formed alliances with large Latinx-owned Spanish-language media outlets in Arizona and the neighboring Mexican state of Sonora. Conecta Arizona has achieved an extraordinary level of engagement with our audience, with a reach of over 150,000 readers/viewers/listeners.
Conecta Arizona has received funding from The Listening Post Collective, Feet in 2 Worlds, and the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship. In order to achieve sustainability we want to develop a community cooperative model that benefits from the close relationship we have with our audience. Many have expressed a willingness to pay for the service we provide. We want to build on this good will by developing multiple revenue streams including underwriting from local businesses, and consulting fees.