April 9 marks inaugural Local News Day
National day of action connects communities with trusted local news
April 9 marks the first of a new nationwide day of action: Local News Day.
Local News Day aims to connect local communities with outlets that cover issues affecting their daily lives.
The day of action came about after conversations between John S. Adams, founder of Montana Free Press, and newsroom, nonprofit, and civic partners. Together, they are working to strengthen connections between communities and local news.
This event is about celebrating local news and helping Americans connect with the great newsrooms, from longstanding local institutions to newer digital outlets, that are serving their communities,
Adams said. As technology changes how people get information, we need new ways to help people stay connected to what’s happening where they live.,
As of Feb. 2, 187 newsrooms and 100 individuals have signed up to participate in Local News Day.
The founders of Local News Day include Montana Free Press, Press Forward, Automattic, Newspack, and WordPress.com.
Additional sponsors are ActiveCampaign and BlueLena.
There are also 69 national and local partners.
Equal Access Public Media, which publishes The Word, is a national partner of Local News Day.
Local News Day declares that Americans overwhelmingly say local news and information is the most important and most trusted source they rely on.
They said April 9 will help millions reconnect with the local outlets that strengthen our communities, keep us informed, and hold leaders accountable.
The common goal shared between each member of this coalition is simple: connecting people with trusted local outlets and expanding the reach of local newsrooms.
The nationally coordinated effort will encourage local partners to participate in ways that best serve their community.
Local News Day will also focus on recruiting and supporting newsrooms and partners nationwide, all while building new tools to help people find and engage with trusted news sources in their local communities.
Newsrooms are invited to sign up to be featured in the Local News Finder at LocalNewsDay.org, which organizers say will help people find trustworthy sources of local reporting near them.
Participating news organizations will also receive support and resources to leverage the brand new project to build and engage their audiences.
Businesses, community groups, schools, nonprofits, and individuals can support the day of action by signing up as partners to help amplify Local News Day in their communities.
Find more information about Local News Day, including ways to participate, visit LocalNewsDay.org.
Beth McCowen is a freelance journalist who specializes in women’s health and sport. Her work seeks to alter how individual journalists and the media as a whole approach and raise awareness of issues. Follow her on Bluesky at @bethmccowen.bsky.social.
This is news. This article uses interviews with people whose experiences, lives, or expertise are relevant to a topic along with facts and research to tell a story about an issue.
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