Center for Cooperative Media’s Post

BREAKING NEWS! More than 70 Philadelphia media organizations and community groups, including PACDC, are partnering with the Every Voice, Every Vote coalition to launch journalism and civic engagement projects that connect residents to local government and track the progress of the city’s new administration! The 71 media and community organizations have been awarded a total of $2.875 million by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, which manages Every Voice, Every Vote. Philadelphians are eager for positive change, and the funding will enable partners to focus on public safety, affordable housing, sanitation, education, economic opportunities, and other issues that matter to their communities. At PACDC, we are thrilled to be involved! Grant funding ranges from $10,000 to $130,000 to support community-centered projects that will run from July 2024 through December 2025 and prioritize solutions-focused accountability reporting, civic engagement, and more through four distinct calls to action: • Be heard: Let public officials and fellow community members know our priorities — at the polls and in our neighborhoods. • Be engaged: Participate in town halls and civic engagement events to dive deep into the issues that matter most. • Be accountable: Transcend apathy and ensure public officials and communities are doing their part. • Take action: Make change in small and big ways: sign petitions, show up to public meetings, unite our neighborhoods around important issues. For more information, visit: https://lnkd.in/gZKPgmff

The BNP's 2024 Advocacy Agenda provides a roadmap for growing our region, adding jobs, attracting investment, and making economic mobility possible. Our focus on major economic opportunities demands collaboration from policymakers at every level. Learn more about our Advocacy Agenda Rollout & Public Officials Reception event from WKBW:

In the final days of 2023, The Land is looking back at our top stories from this year. Follow along this week as we share our 23 most-read stories of 2023. We’ll have more community-centered reporting in 2024 — share your thoughts, questions, and ideas with us here: https://lnkd.in/g5HUtjb9  #theland #thelandcle #thelandcleveland #cleveland #cle #clevelandneighborhoods #topstories #topstoriesof2023 #topstoryrecap #topstoriesof2023recap #communitycenteredreporting #communityjournalism #clevelandcommunityjournalism #communityjournalismcleveland #communitynews #clevelandcommunitynews #thelandcommunityjournalism #localjournalism #supportlocaljournalism #localnews #supportlocalnews

How much sense does it make to hire someone and then not supervise them or at the very least give them feedback? None. Why then is it generally accepted that our civic responsibility is fulfilled in voting alone?! Democracy demands rich participation. We have stay connected to the folks we elect to represent us if we want an effective goverment that reflects our values. That kind of advocacy and action is empowering, hopeful, and transformational. Check out RESULTS founder Sam Daley-Harris on NPR's Here and Now talking about building the skills for deeper civic engagement: 'Reclaiming Our Democracy' book urges advocacy beyond hashtags and petitions | Here & Now (wbur.org)

There's no better way to kick off the day than with a conversation on the state of journalism, particularly local journalism. Metropolitan Breakfast Club hosted Texas Tribune editor Sewell Chan this morning for an engaging talk on trends in the industry and reasons for optimism (some!) despite changing news consumption habits and economic challenges. Here's a snapshot of what I learned, as someone who already considers herself well informed on the media landscape: 🏛 : 1 in 5 reporters covering a state Capitol works for a non-profit, with The Texas Tribune and CalMatters being the largest. ✏ : While trust in media is low, consumers have the highest level of trust in local reporting. 👩💼 : The Texas Tribune newsroom is majority female and people of color, with one-third of the staff speaking Spanish. This underscores the importance of having a newsroom that looks like its community. 🖥 : The The News Literacy Project is moving beyond the classroom and engaging older Americans (70+) so they better understand how to determine which news sources are trustworthy. Finally, I learned about several innovative, non-profit news sources to be reading — Flatwater Free Press, Mississippi Today, Mountain State Spotlight, Wisconsin Examiner. #journalism #reporting #localjournalism

How can fictional futures help us strengthen truth and facts online? Imagine a world where reliable, well-sourced, and human-verified information is not only flourishing, but public trust in it is growing. Can this world exist beyond fantasy fiction? How do we make it a reality? These are the questions we want to explore in our panel at #SXSW 2025. Speakers include: ➡️ Stephen Harrison – Author, “The Editors” ➡️ Karen Lord – Award-winning science fiction author  ➡️ Sewell Chan – Editor-in-Chief, Texas Tribune ➡️ Rebecca MacKinnon – Vice-President of Global Advocacy, Wikimedia Foundation We need your help to bring this important conversation to a broader audience. Vote for our panel to be included in next year’s conference! The SXSW community voting phase runs until 18 August. It is a crucial step in helping to determine whether our panel will be selected. Vote here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/deNQ95wE

Press Forward, the $500 million movement to reinvigorate local news, has opened applications for its first Open Call, focused on addressing the longstanding inequalities in local news coverage. Small local news outlets with budgets up to $1 million can now apply for funding. Learn more at pressforward.news/opencall. Missed the May 9th info session? Register for a Q&A with Press Forward Staff, 2 –3 p.m ET on June 3rd, 2024: https://lnkd.in/e55D6a_P  Press Forward’s goal is to revitalize local news and civic media in the short term, while spurring support for people’s access to information in the long term. Democracy Fund is contributing to this effort because we believe pro-democracy journalism, especially led by and serving people of color, needs far more resources. Achieving this vision will require significant shifts in philanthropy and public policy — #PressForward can be the spark.

The BNP's 2024 Advocacy Agenda provides a roadmap for growing our region, adding jobs, attracting investment, and making economic mobility possible. Our focus on major economic opportunities demands collaboration from policymakers at every level. Learn more about our Advocacy Agenda Rollout & Public Officials Reception event from WKBW:

A week ago on 6/4, I woke up and realized it was the primaries, and I had forgotten to send in my absentee ballot in time. So, I hauled butt after work and drove 1 1/4 hours to Helena to drop off my ballot at the Lewis and Clark City and County building. Some might say, "It's only a primary, why bother?" or "That's a long way to drive just for a primary ballot." There's a _lot_ of reasons why I bother to vote, no matter the drive: 🇺🇲 My great-grandparents left Eastern Europe for the US because life was hard, they were poor, and they didn't feel represented. 🇺🇲 1,000s of people lost their lives to become free of colonial rule and govern themselves forming the US. 🇺🇲 1,000s of people died on D-Day 80 years ago to crush tyranny and keep freedom alive in Europe. 🇺🇲 1,000s of people, journalists, and protestors die every year for freedoms we take for granted in the US. 🇺🇲 Although our system has issues and the candidates might be lousy, it's the system we have and I'll keep trying to improve it one vote at a time. 🇺🇲 I'm a US citizen and it's my duty to participate in my government, no matter what. 🇺🇲 Democracy is not something to be taken for granted. It can be challenged any and every day. Voting is my way of staying vigilant to keep democracy alive in my country. I was deeply touched by the D-Day anniversary coverage last week. It was especially excellent coverage on the BBC website. If you are looking for motivation to stay engaged in the US elections this year, check them out: https://bbc.in/4edY0P5 I reflected a lot about the speeches that were made. When you think about your own participation in your government or society, are you worthy of the sacrifice of those D-Day Veterans? Sacrificing a quarter-tank of gas and a few hours of my time was _nothing_ in comparison to the sacrifices of the D-Day soldiers. It was my honor, truly, to vote last week.

As The Conservative Party leadership contest approaches, it's vital to ensure the party realigns with its Centre-Right foundations, embracing the principles of a modern Thatcherism ideology. This approach is essential for addressing the challenges we face today while staying true to our core values. I wholeheartedly support James Cleverly for the leadership position, though I also recognize the significant potential in Kemi Badenoch. Their leadership could steer the party back to its roots and rejuvenate our political stance. My commitment to the Conservative Party, which began when I was just 15, has always been steadfast. However, it was profoundly disheartening to witness the direction taken by David Cameron after his leadership victory on December 6, 2005. This deviation from core principles has caused significant internal strife. Currently, the Conservative Party is plagued by infighting at the constituency level, with small factions within associations feeling disenfranchised from the parliamentary party. This disconnection is detrimental to our unity and effectiveness. Both branches should hold equal importance and influence. To achieve meaningful reform, modernizing the 1922 Committee is crucial. Ensuring that every party member, regardless of their elected status, has an equal vote in leadership elections is a fundamental step. This democratic approach would empower the new leader to unify the party and position us strongly for the next General Election. A Centre-Right Conservative Party should be inclusive, championing the needs of all citizens, particularly those like the proverbial "man on the Clapham omnibus." We must return to being the party that truly represents and supports the British citizenry. #conservativeparty #leadershipelection