Innovative US local newsroom strategies: Kelly Regan of Next City

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The US is a great source of inspiration when it comes to local news. In this special podcast series, we are taking a look at smart and experimental stateside newsrooms and their approaches to revenue models, audience engagement and newsgathering processes.

[Check out the previous episode: SMS tactics with San Francisco Chronicle and LA Taco]

In this week's podcast, talk about doing solutions journalism in your local area. Next City has an interesting model of national and international topics played out on a city level. Based in Philadelphia, it reports on cities across the US and examines how local people are trying to solve some of the hardest problems, like public housing or the impact of climate change. The small team of eight are the third most prolific poster in The Solutions Journalism Network's authoritative database of solutions stories Solutions Story Tracker.

Since starting out as a print publication in 2003, Next City has focused on journalism that inspires equitable cities. That means asking two important questions: what is working in this city and how do we make it work in the next city?

The editorial director Kelly Regan shares practical tips and models to try in your newsroom, like using webinars as a deeper dive into solutions (and a revenue stream), and what to do when a solution does not pan out. Hint: the publication still runs the story because it is useful for other future attempts.

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