Narratives for Media Reform

Stewards: Kate Harloe and Carla Murphy 

How might we ramp up News Future’s influence to foster policy and cultural conversations around reimagining local news for our communities?

We need to set the terms of debate around what local news is and what it could be. To that end, we envision a kind of “publishing wing” of our civic media movement. It would seed, fund and support the publication and distribution of media of many types (writing, videos, TikToks, etc) about the future of local news, and the structural/cultural shifts required to usher in civic media. In particular, we’re looking to engage relevant power centers in civil society apart from the media/journalism sector. 

In 2024, our Working Group surveyed members to develop a clear set of goals and priorities. In 2025, our working group is moving into action. We will focus on two main tasks, concurrently: (1) develop plans for creating the best long-term home(s) and structure(s) for this work and (2) produce a number of public conversations on these topics, in the form of (one or multiple): panels, podcast, column, or zine. 

Looking for contributors who want to:

• Provide feedback

• Be a conversation partner

• Attend public discussions

Watch Kate describe the Narrative for Media Reform Working Group at our February 26 launch event: