It’s always nice to get emails out of the blue like this recent one from a public television program in Texas:

Our show “underwent a dramatic shift and turned its focus to become a community journalism project that really listens to the communities we cover. Your playbook and work was instrumental in informing what we are doing today. We haven't been doing this new work for long, but we've already gotten so much praise from community members who feel like a media organization is finally listening to what they have to say.” 

Which takes me back to some of the ideas and projects that inspired us before we started the Listening Post Collective. In the early 2000s I remember listening to Jamie Kalven talk about his A View From The Ground project where he covered public housing in Chicago from within a vacant unit at the Stateway Gardens public housing development. Another project that’s always inspired me is Question Box, a public call box placed in rural parts of India and Uganda. With the push of a button users can connect with service agencies that can help them with questions about public health, education, agriculture, and jobs, or even just do an internet search for them.

As 2021 kicks off we’re thinking deeply about where we’ve been (take a look at our LPC index), how we got there and even more importantly, whose work is inspiring us now and deserves to be highlighted. That’s why we’re creating space in our newsletter every month for some new voices. In this edition we asked some collaborators in Los Angeles and Iowa to share some work related to the impact of Covid-19 on their communities. Read on! -Jesse Hardman

Welcome to our latest newsletter! This month we're heading back to our roots with a visit to New Orleans, we're sharing what we're thankful for (our newest Listening Post Collective hires), and we're checking in with media in a country that just had a challeng(ed)ing election (not the one you think).