The Discovery That Changed How I Think About Local News - Incite at Columbia University
-
Work
The Discovery That Changed How I Think About Local News
- Published November 20, 2025
- Authors Terry Parris Jr.
- Category Article
- Link jskfellows.stanford.edu
It took me a few years, one pandemic and a library science degree to realize I didn’t need to rebuild trust in journalism. I just needed to move the newsroom to where that trust already lives: the public library.
This exploration, and what became the Library Newsroom Project, began in the spring of 2019 when I left my job at ProPublica to help launch a new nonprofit newsroom called THE CITY. I served as its first Director of Engagement. Our tagline was “Reporting for New Yorkers,” though it has since changed to “Reporting to New Yorkers.” Either way, it is a bold statement. Providing journalism for New Yorkers means having language access, time, physical presence and regular, relevant coverage.
To meet that challenge, I had an idea to work through public libraries, not the newsroom.
Related Projects
-
go to Library Newsroom Project
Library Newsroom ProjectUniting storytellers, artists, researchers, and others in a collective exploration of the concept of "home" in New York City.
Related Works
-
go to the The kids are all right: Gen Z, civics, and technology.Sep 2026The kids are all right: Gen Z, civics, and technology. Andy Reischling
-
go to the What If Local News Were Something You Could Walk Into?Aug 2026What If Local News Were Something You Could Walk Into? Terry Parris Jr,
-
go to the When libraries become newsrooms: A recap of our 2026 Zoom sessionJun 2026When libraries become newsrooms: A recap of our 2026 Zoom session Jacob L. Nelson
-
go to the Hybrid Epistemology: Insights From a Crisis Collaboration Between Oral Historians and SociologistsMay 2026Hybrid Epistemology: Insights From a Crisis Collaboration Between Oral Historians and Sociologists Ryan Hagen, Denise Milstein, and Amy StarecheskiInternational Journal of Qualitative Methods, 25
-
go to the Inside Jobs: Prison Work in the American Labor MarketMay 2026Inside Jobs: Prison Work in the American Labor Market Adam Reich
-
go to the Democracy Denied at the Bedside: Union Avoidance in Minnesota’s Nursing Home SectorMar 2026Democracy Denied at the Bedside: Union Avoidance in Minnesota’s Nursing Home Sector Suresh Naidu, Adam Reich, McKenna Roberts, Easton Schindler, Niharika Singh, Patrick Youngblood
-
go to the Oral History and Anthropology: A Survey of Histories and PossibilitiesFeb 2026Oral History and Anthropology: A Survey of Histories and Possibilities Amy StarecheskiThe Oral History Review
-
go to the Transforming libraries into "news editing rooms": A New York-based monthly magazine where citizens learn to write and rebuild local trust.Jan 2026Transforming libraries into "news editing rooms": A New York-based monthly magazine where citizens learn to write and rebuild local trust. Natsuki
-
go to the Exploring Mediation of Assistive Wayfinding Technologies through Professional Organizations for Blind and Low-Vision PeopleJan 2026Exploring Mediation of Assistive Wayfinding Technologies through Professional Organizations for Blind and Low-Vision People Jenny Fondren, Cristian Capotescu, Gil Eyal, Gaurav Jain, Jennifer Laird, Nicole Lum, and Brian Smith.Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness 120, no. 1 (2026). Special issue on Advancements and Innovations in Technology for Individuals with Visual Impairments.