Dreams of a new world are already out there, and as journalists and storytellers, it is essential to our mission to elevate these visions for a stronger future. Across the globe, there are thousands of untold stories, unknown ideas, and burgeoning programs for public welfare, but they remain unknown by the surrounding communities as local journalism continues to be drained of resources and collapsing– with the pandemic being called a “media extinction event” by Buzzfeed.
As mass media journalism continues to grab the attention of the world with flashy graphics, beautiful talking heads, and all of the extravagant events of the day played on repeat, what is viewed as ‘news-worthy’ shifts further into the hands of media conglomerates like AT&T, Comcast and the Walt Disney Company.
There are claims that this reorganization of news media narrows the flood of information that saturates our feeds everyday– decluttering the thousands of voices yelling disparate information into the void, making it difficult for individuals to discern where truth is. But with the disappearance and buying-out of local news, are trimming off the unnecessary fat, or are we crushing the individuality and diversity of voices that emerges from community-based journalism?
Community journalism, as defined by scholar Christopher Ali is “labor-intensive journalism focusing on local issues that, by definition, require the support of journalistic institutions and organizations,” that is based in a specific geographic area. When financially supported and structured to not only uplift, but hold members of the community accountable, community journalism can promote local growth.
But what makes community journalism so different from traditional large-scale journalism that has dominated headlines for decades? Ultimately, I believe the fuel of compassion that burns at the heart of community journalism is what differentiates it from corporate journalism. To truly know a community, you must know how the people live, love, work and die– and what gives you a keener understanding of the reality of news than to exist within where the news is happening?
The popular vision of the work of journalists is oftentimes a cut-throat world of deadlines and emotionless phone interviews, and truthfully, a substantial amount of journalism is exactly like that. This competitive and ruthless atmosphere is not exclusive to major news organizations like CNN, they can occur in local newsrooms as well, as pressure to increase profits and cut journalists begins to overburden community papers and stations nationally. The issue is ultimately how we value journalism and its purpose.
Compassion based, community-oriented journalism promotes not only the greater community, but individual journalists and newsrooms. Many local newsrooms have been rethinking their approach to the practice, especially within newsrooms in the South and communities of color where local systems are integral to community information– and with astonishing results.
In Memphis, the merits of community journalism are exemplified within the nonprofit newsroom MLK50, founded by Wendy C. Thomas. MLK50 was created to continue the work and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and his fight for racial justice. Originally intended to last only one year, the 50 year anniversary of MLK Jr.’s assassination to consider the local state of wealth inequality in Memphis. The mission began with telling the stories of underpaid workers of color, giving a platform for those who previously were ignored by Memphis politicians and journalists. The nonprofit newsroom continued to grow, based on Thomas’ compassion for her community, going on to publish an investigative piece on predatory debt collection by a nonprofit faith-based hospital in Memphis. And three years later, MLK50 is still publishing accurate, community-driven news to support and uplift the underprivileged and under-reported population in Memphis. In a Nieman Reports article, journalists describe the impact of Thomas’ approach to journalism as “shared trust leads to shared agency, which leads to community-driven action […] her journalism was an act of community-building.”
Community journalism based in compassion can also be a liberating experience for journalists as they engage with their surroundings and develop themselves as a storyteller. My first experience as a journalist was interning at my local hometown paper, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Despite feeling the impact of the weakening economic stability of local journalism, I was cultivated into my first writing job with an immense guiding force of compassion and community. As a writer for the local arts scene, I got to exercise storytelling of events and people that in other newspapers would be deemed not as newsworthy. But being born and raised in the community, and being aware of the flourishing underbelly of the arts within Sarasota guided me to people and stories that changed my life. I met 82 year old opera stars to interns for local art galleries, and all shared the common theme of devotion to the community in their own specific way. I too, for the first time in my 20 years of life in my hometown, finally felt I was truly a part of the community. All that was missing before was compassion. Approaching journalism with a love for the community, for highlighting the individuality of community, as well as holding people accountable, gave me a life-changing perspective on what journalism could be.
Before, journalism seemed a club of world-famous, highly acclaimed writers that worked efficiently and with almost a sterile approach to their stories in the name of objectivity. It took going back home, working in the city I knew, and opening my heart to journalism with compassion and as a tool to uplift each other in a nation that undervalues these traits, to understand a successful, meaningful way to tell stories in our rapidly changing world.
Salem Compassion 