Why Local News Needs to Own "What's Happening in Our Community”

Two examples of local calendars: Athens County Independent and The Peak Weekly

Local newsrooms are sitting on a goldmine they barely recognize - being the definitive source for community events.

Steven Waldman from Rebuild Local News nailed the core issue in a recent LinkedIn post: "Given the overwhelming research that social isolation is a destructive force (loneliness, polarization, unhappiness), shouldn't one of the core responsibilities of a local news outlet be 'things to do' (including with other people)?"

The problem runs deeper than most newsrooms realize. Jennifer Brandel, co-founder and CEO of the audience listening agency Hearken, writing about closing civic space, describes a concerning pattern: "When we're cut off from one another — whether through polarizing ideologies, segregated urban design, or technologies that vacuum our attention away from face-to-face interaction — our communities become vulnerable to breakdown during crisis."

Brandel challenges newsrooms to think bigger: "What if the highest and best use of local newsrooms at this fractious, fragile moment is to help residents join and start local clubs and associations? That is to say: what if newsrooms focused less on just reporting out what's happening, hoping that when things aren't great people will magically find the time and space to self-organize to improve conditions, and instead proactively help people find one another and create stronger interpersonal community relationships?"

As Janie Ho, Deputy Growth & Audience Development Editor at NY Daily News points out: "I find local things by happenstance on Facebook or Instagram posts, Stories and FB groups of all places, or with effort on the Meetup, Eventbrite, Luma, local tech event-type sites." People are hunting for community connections across scattered platforms because local news isn't filling that role.

Ho cites research showing "we have the most friends we'll have at around 25 years old" and "we lose 1/2 our friends every 7 years.” Ho sees potential for local news to help: "Local group and event listings would be great from local news. Some orgs are doing it by 'sponsoring' Facebook groups that thrive. But a lot of craziness ensues in those comments. FB Groups or a tailored digest, even by the Eventbrite-type sites, would help a lot. Sounds like a job for agentic AI, too."

Dominique Huff, Hyperlocal News Leader at Atlanta Aerotropolis, remembers when this was standard: "Over the years, Facebook and Eventbrite have taken this away from local media. I remember when the alt-weeklies used to publish times and dates of governmental meetings, hold candidate forums and share community news. This is why I say community media needs to be 'community media.'"

Building community connections requires going beyond digital. Annemarie Dooling, a community journalism and audience science specialist, who was recently laid off by her employer Gannett, is now working on creating an independent newsroom that is solely based on live local events. Every event is based on a local challenge, for example drug overdosing. Dooling’s outreach requires old school legwork (putting up flyers in businesses) as well reaching out to local mavens like DJs or artists or chefs.

In many cases, where local newsrooms want to make themselves the hub for curated events, AI can now help with the grunt work. Developer and journalist Chris Amico has analyzed the technical challenges in local event coverage, noting that AI and automated solutions can handle the data collection that has traditionally consumed newsroom resources.

Journalism professor Tom Rosenstiel noted in a recent Poynter piece that AI could help recreate the "centralized community calendar" that newspapers lost during the internet era: "Actually, AI could reproduce that now, and it might be better than my having to go to eight different places on my own."

Tapinto Jersey City helps people make a bunch of new local connections. The Carrborean has a detailed event calendar.

Sara Konrad Baranowski, Managing Editor at The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, understands the strategic value: "This is another service of local media that seems small or insignificant on the surface, but it positions the outlet as a source of information, even for people who don't want to read about the city council's recent decision or the outlet's latest investigation” and beyond that also “as a part of the community, which builds trust and can lead to improved communication later, when journalists are looking for engagement on bigger issues.”

Jennifer Brandel notes: "Building community connections doesn't have to be explicitly political. In fact, it's better for people to get to know each other's interests and hobbies before discussing contentious issues. ‘Yes’ to highlighting bird-watching groups. ‘Yes’ to covering the local stitch-and-bitch. ‘Yes’ to actually helping people not go bowling alone."

The Athens County Independent became the first newsroom in the country to use AI for comprehensive event coverage through a partnership with Yodel. The platform automatically scans hundreds of thousands of websites and social media sources for local events.

Editor Corinne Colbert says: "Events that didn't get as big a turnout before now have people there who wouldn't have known about it before."

The model works through a three-way partnership between the newsroom, Athens County Foundation, and Athens County Visitors Bureau.

Links:

At LAist, event coverage is one of three key newsroom pillars. Megan Garvey, Senior Vice President for News, explains: "Explore LA coverage aligns with what we call our 'Connect Mode,' which answers people's need to feel connection with each other in Southern California, and also the 'Discover Mode,’ which underscores people's interest in learning new things and finding new experiences."

Link: https://laist.com/explorela

The Carrborean in North Carolina positions itself explicitly as community infrastructure. The weekly newsletter includes a dedicated community events section that treats local happenings as legitimate news coverage.

Links:

The South Carolina Democrat Online runs a straightforward calendar alongside community notes. The outlet positions itself as the go-to source for local information.

Links:

For the local gastro guide Eater Philly, freelance writer Annemarie Dooling describes how food coverage creates community connections: "Every time I mention it to a neighbor, their eyes get wide and they excitedly ask a million questions about where to go for the exact type of night out they like." The stories come from community conversations - "chats with people in the community, friends of friends, and everyone has a specific story about their favorite gathering spot that they are dying to tell me.”

Link:

https://philly.eater.com/

NHPR's weekend newsletter dedicates significant space to events and activities, treating them as content worth your attention.

Link: https://mailchi.mp/nhpr/nh_weekend-13369541?e=0a1ca3635b

Now Kalamazoo has built their entire brand around being the definitive source for local events. Their events page is clean, comprehensive, and regularly updated.

Link: https://nowkalamazoo.org/events/

The Peak Weekly incorporates event listings seamlessly into their newsletter format, making local happenings feel like news.

Link:

https://newsletter.thepeakweekly.com/

TapInto Jersey City publishes practical advice on making local connections, positioning themselves as facilitators of community engagement.

Link: https://www.tapinto.net/towns/jersey-city/sections/arts-and-entertainment/articles/how-to-make-a-bunch-of-new-connections-in-jersey-city

1. Treat event coverage as legitimate community service. Whether through AI automation, editorial focus, or simple consistency, outlets that help people connect with their communities build the kind of reader loyalty that sustains local journalism.

2. Consider partnerships for sustainability. Athens County Independent's success with Yodel came through collaboration with the Athens County Foundation and Athens County Visitors Bureau. Event coverage works better as community infrastructure than as an isolated newsroom initiative.

3. Start where you are. You don't need AI to begin. The South Carolina Democrat Online runs a simple calendar alongside community notes. NHPR dedicates newsletter space to events. The Carrborean treats local happenings as legitimate news coverage. Pick the approach that fits your resources and audience.

4. Use AI to handle the grunt work, not the curation. Athens County Independent's success with Yodel shows AI works best for data collection - scanning hundreds of thousands of websites and social media sources automatically. The human editorial judgment still matters for what gets featured, how events are presented, and which community connections get emphasized.

5. Focus on highlighting lesser known gems. AI event aggregation helps surface the church basement meetings and knitting circles that traditional event promotion misses. The goal is completeness, not just highlighting the biggest events that already have marketing budgets.

6. Think beyond reporting to community building. As Jennifer Brandel suggests, newsrooms can create "Connect Local" sections, offer conference rooms for community meetings, and assign reporters to help residents find and form groups around shared interests. The goal is helping people find meaningful connections.