Making it ‘Local’: Community data journalism for health justice
This paper reports on a multi-modal case study of the journalism of The Local, a new journalism start-up with a health equity mandate, during six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings indicate that The Local’s reporting had a concrete, meaningful impact in improving health equity outcomes in COV...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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J-Schools Canada / Écoles-J Canada
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Facts & Frictions |
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| Online Access: | https://factsandfrictions.ca/portfolio-item/ffv4n2-making-it-local/ |
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| author | Shirley Roburn |
| author_facet | Shirley Roburn |
| author_sort | Shirley Roburn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper reports on a multi-modal case study of the journalism of The Local, a new journalism start-up with a health equity mandate, during six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings indicate that The Local’s reporting had a concrete, meaningful impact in improving health equity outcomes in COVID-19 public health efforts in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) during the time period studied. The Local accomplished this using a unique approach. The Local’s Code of Ethics and its Race, Representation and Equity Commitment shaped the magazine’s structure, which in turn influenced reporting. The Local applied a health-equity lens to its pandemic data journalism. It followed up on the health inequities which surfaced by having racialized journalists, representative of the communities they serve, pursue deep features, often with a solutions journalism approach. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7ca7747f51f84ea6921230f2dc0ad874 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2816-2366 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | J-Schools Canada / Écoles-J Canada |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Facts & Frictions |
| spelling | doaj-art-7ca7747f51f84ea6921230f2dc0ad8742025-08-20T03:17:26ZengJ-Schools Canada / Écoles-J CanadaFacts & Frictions2816-23662025-06-01423454https://doi.org/10.22215/ff/v4.i2.03Making it ‘Local’: Community data journalism for health justiceShirley Roburn0York UniversityThis paper reports on a multi-modal case study of the journalism of The Local, a new journalism start-up with a health equity mandate, during six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings indicate that The Local’s reporting had a concrete, meaningful impact in improving health equity outcomes in COVID-19 public health efforts in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) during the time period studied. The Local accomplished this using a unique approach. The Local’s Code of Ethics and its Race, Representation and Equity Commitment shaped the magazine’s structure, which in turn influenced reporting. The Local applied a health-equity lens to its pandemic data journalism. It followed up on the health inequities which surfaced by having racialized journalists, representative of the communities they serve, pursue deep features, often with a solutions journalism approach.https://factsandfrictions.ca/portfolio-item/ffv4n2-making-it-local/community journalismhealth justicedata journalismjournalism start-uphyperlocal journalismpandemic reportingcovid-19 communicationalternative mediadigital journalismrace in journalism |
| spellingShingle | Shirley Roburn Making it ‘Local’: Community data journalism for health justice Facts & Frictions community journalism health justice data journalism journalism start-up hyperlocal journalism pandemic reporting covid-19 communication alternative media digital journalism race in journalism |
| title | Making it ‘Local’: Community data journalism for health justice |
| title_full | Making it ‘Local’: Community data journalism for health justice |
| title_fullStr | Making it ‘Local’: Community data journalism for health justice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Making it ‘Local’: Community data journalism for health justice |
| title_short | Making it ‘Local’: Community data journalism for health justice |
| title_sort | making it local community data journalism for health justice |
| topic | community journalism health justice data journalism journalism start-up hyperlocal journalism pandemic reporting covid-19 communication alternative media digital journalism race in journalism |
| url | https://factsandfrictions.ca/portfolio-item/ffv4n2-making-it-local/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shirleyroburn makingitlocalcommunitydatajournalismforhealthjustice |