A strong foundation for a new chapter

In its first six years, before the pandemic and the wrenching 2020 election cycle, Agora Journalism Center established a focus on innovative civic engagement by journalists and the media. These reports, publications, projects, and tools have deeply informed our redoubled attention to understanding and improving civic health through local storytelling.

Redefining News: A Manifesto for Community-Centered Journalism

This forward-thinking report makes the case for embracing a more inclusive, community-focused model of journalism, one that prioritizes listening to and collaborating with communities to produce relevant, equitable and impactful news and storytelling. The report features an actionable framework to put the principles of Community-Centered Journalism into practice and explains how this approach differs from traditional models of journalism, with potential benefits including rebuilding trust, tackling inequities, and fostering civic engagement.

Assessing Oregon’s Local News & Information Ecosystem 2022

This report represents one step toward assessing the state of local news in Oregon and what can be done to strengthen it. Counting and mapping Oregon’s local news producers will track further changes. And by looking at initiatives underway around the country, Oregon’s newsrooms, educators, funders, and policy-makers can consider emerging innovations to build the vitality of Oregon’s local news that mean communities’ information needs.