Stewards: Kate Harloe and Carla Murphy

How might we ramp up News Future’s influence to foster policy and cultural conversations around reimagining local news for our communities?

We need to set the terms of debate around what local news is and what it could be. To that end, we envisioned a kind of “publishing wing” of our civic media movement. It would seed, fund and support the publication and distribution of media of many types (writing, videos, TikToks, etc) about the future of local news, and the structural/cultural shifts required to usher in civic media. In particular, we’re looking to engage relevant power centers in civil society apart from the media/journalism sector.

In 2024, our Working Group surveyed members to develop a clear set of goals and priorities. In 2025, we put that work into action: Late in the year, News Futures, Free Press and The Objective co-published “It’s Time for Civic Media.” The online series and print magazine shares 14 practitioners’ perspectives on how, over the next decade, we can build local, participatory and durable information systems. The group also produced a report about the past, present, and future of our work, bringing together a Q&A, reading list, and provocations from the stewards.

Cycle: 2024-2025

What we produced:

Featured

Q&A and Reading List from Narratives for Media Reform

Narratives for Media Reform

Standards for Information Ecosystems Research

The Leaders

NEWS FUTURES