While our challenges as an industry are large, so is our capacity for innovation – and for inspiration. Now in its fourth year, the Bright Spots section of Medill’s State of Local News report aims to highlight some of the most promising things happening in local news outlets around the United States.
Send us your nominations here.
In just a few examples, we checked in on The Post and Courier’s post-pandemic efforts to strengthen local coverage across South Carolina, reported on RedBankGreen, an early digital town square in Red Bank founded by a former newspaper reporter; and profiled Honolulu Civil Beat, a Pulitzer finalist in 2024 for its coverage of the Maui wildfires and a 14-time winner of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Hawaii chapter award for best overall news site.
Our goal is simple: to learn from each other so we can all make progress together. Sharing our experiences can help us build upon what’s working and stop repeating what isn’t. If you’re looking for ideas, you’ll find plenty of inspiration in past Bright Spots featuring new approaches to reporting, storytelling, community engagement and financial sustainability:
Please help us find and spotlight all of the current interesting and instructive examples that could lead the way for others to follow! If you’ve heard about an initiative that you’d want to learn from or have been part of one that taught you something, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Aside from basic identifying information and contact information, the simple form includes only two questions. We want to make it quick and easy for you to contribute! If you have any questions, comments or ideas, please reach out to the State of Local News Project at stateoflocalnews@northwestern.edu. And please share this with everyone you know who is doing cool things in local news!