Stories
New Civic Information Index offers crucial insight into civic health in the US
November 19, 2024
WASHINGTON, DC and PROVIDENCE, RI – Today marks the launch of the Civic Information Index, a groundbreaking new tool that maps and tracks the health of local information and civic health ecosystems across the United States. The initiative is co-led by The Listening Post Collective at Internews and the Information Futures Lab at Brown University, and supported by Press Forward. The Index provides a first-of-its-kind, county-level look at data on access to information, health, opportunity, equity, justice and other metrics that assess a community’s civic health. It underscores journalism as a key part of the local infrastructure necessary to enable robust, thriving communities, and helps philanthropists invest more strategically in local media by surfacing gaps and opportunities.
Galvanizing a movement to reinvigorate local news nationwide and to strengthen communities
November 19, 2024
At Press Forward, we are galvanizing a movement to reinvigorate local news nationwide. But our overarching goal is not to preserve journalism for journalism’s sake; it’s to strengthen communities. In fact, we believe the futures of reliable local journalism and communities are inextricably linked. Thriving neighborhoods are those where people participate—by voting, volunteering, and understanding and discussing important issues that impact their lives. Trusted sources of information play a vital role in this. After all, how else can someone stay informed about what’s happening at City Hall, in the local…