The pioneering data tool monitors the health of local information and civic ecosystems across the country
WASHINGTON, DC – Today marks the launch of the Civic Information Index, a groundbreaking new tool that maps and tracks the health of local information and civic health ecosystems across the United States. The initiative is co-led by The Listening Post Collective at Internews and the Information Futures Lab at Brown University, and supported by Press Forward.
The Index provides a first-of-its-kind, county-level look at data on access to information, health, opportunity, equity, justice and other metrics that assess a community’s civic health. It underscores journalism as a key part of the local infrastructure necessary to enable robust, thriving communities, and helps philanthropists invest more strategically in local media by surfacing gaps and opportunities.
The Civic Information Index reveals significant regional disparities in civic health across the United States:
- Lower Index scores often correlate with regions and groups historically affected by racial and economic discrimination, including Appalachia, reservations, Black Communities, and Latino/Hispanic Communities.
- Midwestern communities generally fare well in the Index, reflecting strong civic health indicators. While some rural regions still struggle with declining populations and access to services, many Midwestern counties show higher levels of community engagement and economic stability.
- Greater numbers of news sources do not by default contribute to greater civic health. Language, platform, literacy, history, and many other factors can impact effectiveness and trust between communities and news outlets.
The Index provides a new model for academics and practitioners to better study information ecosystems and their role in civic health. It also helps local journalists and media actors to understand the broader context around their role as information providers and identify key issues that need more comprehensive reporting.
“If we are serious about strengthening civic health, with the help of journalism, we need to be informed by data as we set about this important work, to help us understand journalism within a larger context of what determines a community’s civic health. We need to understand the trusted information assets a community already has that can be built on, and what’s lacking.” Dale Anglin, Director of Press Forward
“By providing concrete, data-driven insights into the gaps and strengths of local information ecosystems, this change-making tool empowers us to address long-standing inequalities in access to trusted information. We believe the Index serves as both a roadmap and a call to action to foster engaged communities and support a thriving, equitable information landscape nationwide.” Jesse Hardman, Senior Program Advisor for US Programs (including The Listening Post Collective) at Internews,
“The Index uniquely recognizes and brings together often siloed efforts to improve community outcomes. In creating the tool, our goal was to provide a more comprehensive view of how news and information, civic engagement, health and justice efforts are connected – and how we can revitalize journalism by moving past pledge drives to focus on concrete examples of how journalism supports and benefits people and communities.” Stefanie Friedhoff, Director of the Information Futures Lab.
“The launch of this transformative tool will empower journalists, funders, and civic leaders to work more strategically toward supporting equitable, informed communities. At Internews, we believe that supporting local media and ensuring access to trustworthy information is fundamental to a vibrant, healthy democracy, and this tool gives us the data needed to drive meaningful change.” Jeanne Bourgault, President and CEO of Internews.
The Index’s launch report provides a deeper understanding of significant regional disparities in civic health across the United States, identifying that areas historically affected by economic and racial discrimination continue to score low on critical indicators of civic health. The report also includes recommendations for how funders, journalism support organizations, and local civil society actors can collaboratively enhance civic health across the country. By overlaying factors that contribute to informed, healthy and equitable communities, the insights provided by the Index pave the way for more nuanced interventions.
More information can be found at www.civicinfoindex.org
For media inquiries, please contact:
Internews: press@internews.org
Information Futures Lab: informationfutureslab@brown.edu
About The Listening Post Collective
The Listening Post Collective (LPC) was established in 2013 to adapt Internews’ global expertise in community information mapping for the U.S. Through innovative strategies, LPC helps local media and community organizations address information gaps and empower underserved communities.
Find out more at listeningpostcollective.org
Information Futures Lab
At the Information Futures Lab (IFL) at the Brown University School of Public Health, researchers work alongside organizations, journalists, civic society leaders, and other sources of trusted information to respond to the information crisis as a civic and public health threat. Recognizing information as a social determinant of health, we create an evidence base and work with our partners to improve information ecosystems and strengthen the capacity of citizens to effectively access, create, and make sense of information that is crucial to their wellbeing.
Find out more at https://sites.brown.edu/informationfutures
About Press Forward
Press Forward is a national coalition investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms, close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage, advance public policy that expands access to local news, and to scale the infrastructure the sector needs to thrive.
Find out more at www.pressforward.news