From the intern’s desk: What I’m learning about journalism as The Jersey Bee’s first summer intern

The news industry is struggling. Journalism jobs are in decline, and more people are finding the news less relevant. In response, newsrooms, journalists, and philanthropists have been working to fill news and information gaps to rebuild the media’s trust and relevance. 

As a young journalist graduating from Rutgers University-Newark, I am discovering this new, modern journalism centered on assessing community needs through my internship with The Jersey Bee.

I began by learning about a new model proposed to combat misinformation and the lack of news in communities called info districts. 

Info districts assess the community information needs through an intentional process involving workshops, surveys, and consulting with community organizers and members.

The Jersey Bee’s founder and executive editor, Simon Galperin, wrote the guide on info districts, a concept similar to other local utilities overseeing important community assets such as libraries, hospitals, and waste management. The purpose of info districts is to “[understand] a community’s information needs and [mobilize] collective action to meet them.” 

Traditional commercial approaches to local news are primarily concerned with advertising and audience revenue, and producing impactful news that causes change in the community is not the primary focus. While not established as an info district, Galperin puts his alternative public service model into practice with The Jersey Bee, a local news organization driven by the information needs of people in the community. 

One major difference in news production at The Jersey Bee is the process of determining what to publish. Strategies like human-centered design allow journalists to work with community members to understand how their work can be most supportive.

Collaborating with the people affected by the news also helps democratize journalism. It shifts the power of journalism from journalists to the public and focuses on a community’s assets instead of its deficits. This change also prioritizes collaboration over competition, sharing resources with others, and being openly honest about how journalists work. 

The first few weeks of my internship have challenged me to examine journalism more critically and figure out how I want to empower others through my work. Directly impacting a small number of community members can allow them to impact others around them.

Here are some of the readings and resources I’ve explored in the first few weeks:

• How to Launch an Info District by Simon Galperin
• Guide to Journalism and Design by Heather Chaplin
• Don’t Just Engage, Equip by Darryl Holliday 
• What Journalists Can Learn from Organizers: A Guide by Alicia Bell and Mike Rispoli 
• Newark’s Information Gaps and Needs by Sarah Alvarez, Katlyn Alo, and Outlier Media 
• Más Información by Madeleine Bair