Creating a News Garden: Maintaining place and the role of local journalism

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between local journalism and place through a case study of the Somerville News Garden, a community news initiative launched in 2019 to address the city’s failing news infrastructure. Researchers used collaborative ethnographic methods to study the News Garden from its inception in August 2019 to December 2021: we surveyed residents about their news preferences ( n = 92), interviewed eighteen residents and conducted participant observation at planning meetings and public forums hosted by the News Garden. The study addresses two themes: first, local journalism constructs and maintains place by covering location-specific issues and moving information across unfamiliar spaces; and second, community news initiatives challenge scholars and practitioners to reconsider the role of local journalism and its continued relevance in civic life. Finally, the study reviews the News Garden’s organizational structure and proposes grassroots governance : a model of news production and distribution based on collaboration and accountability in the service of democracy.