Reestablishing the Media as Public Service in Local Communities (1) The Rising Tide of Local Journalism Collaboration in the U.S.

Collaborative journalism is on the rise. Collaboration, or partnership, rather than competition, is increasingly seen as a viable way to enhance media’s news gathering and dissemination capabilities in the U.S. and around the world. This paper looks at recent works and achievements of collaboration among the local news media in the U.S., together with their potential and challenges.
The backdrop is the growth of digital platforms that has taken away media’s gatekeeper role, weakened its power of dissemination, eroded their capabilities and trust. This has created what a Lenfest Institute report called ‘the News Jungle’ where people feel they are flooded with information. Malicious actors are taking advantage of this situation, spreading disinformation and misinformation, to sow social confusion and divisions. In this environment, many are finding it difficult to differentiate facts from fake, not knowing what to believe, and some are opting to believe what they want to believe. The society as a whole is losing its ability to agree on shared facts, the starting point for all discussions to address social issues.
Against this backdrop, collaborative journalism can be seen as a part of ongoing efforts to overcome the crisis confronting not only the media but also democracy itself. This paper will present the characteristics of various local media collaboration ventures in the U.S. — how diverse news media sharing values and standards, are working for public interests such as accountability reporting, solution journalism, giving voice to the community, and bridging social divides. The report is based on the author’s field research conducted in the U.S. in 2018 as well as a presentation made at the NHK BUNKEN FORUM in March 2019.