Better Local Journalism, by Local Reporters, Is the Goal of a New Database

She hopes word of mouth will be a catalyst.

“National editors are an ‘if you build it they will come’ sort of thing,” Ms. Baird said when asked how she planned to encourage larger news organizations to use the database.

The database could also be a boon for regional publications. Christina C. Smith, an assistant professor of mass communication at Georgia College who specializes in community journalism, said that for regional papers like The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, budget cuts often lead to a decline in coverage of smaller towns’ local politics, and subsequently in the paper’s local character that once enticed readers and advertisers.

A recent study by the University of North Carolina’s School of Media and Journalism found that almost 1,800 papers in the United States have closed or have merged with other papers since 2004, and of the 3,143 counties in the United States, half currently have only one newspaper, often a weekly.

“It’s a vicious cycle because circulations are on decline because ad revenue is declining, but those things are declining because they’re not giving their audience anything to pay for,” Ms. Smith said.

Shoeleather, she said, could perhaps highlight subjects that would otherwise go uncovered.

Steven Waldman, the president and co-founder of Report for America, a nonprofit group that has installed reporters in local newsrooms across the country, agreed. “If there had been earlier coverage of the opioid problem and a better connection between national and local media, we would have seen this as a national problem sooner,” he said. “So you can see patterns.”

Ms. Baird, who is funding the project herself and hopes to eventually add employees, said she planned on developing Shoeleather into a resource hub with paid memberships, similar to freelancer media databases like Study Hall. Paying would give someone access to benefits like Shoeleather-organized journalism workshops or conferences.

“The plan is always be around,” Ms. Baird said. “To be a resource.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/18/business/media/shoeleather-local-reporting.html?partner=rss&emc=rss