01 / 04
Start with the people doing the work.
Each mark stands for one imagined newsroom. At first, the marks sit apart. Each newsroom has its own sources, routines, and readers.
12 imagined newsrooms, working independently
CCM research / design specimen 01
What connects a community?
Local news starts with people. Follow the connections that turn individual reporting into shared public knowledge.
Scroll to follow the story ↓
01 / the question
A story is only the beginning.
A reporter asks a question. A resident shares what they know. An editor connects the account to a wider story. Each exchange gives information a place to go.
This demonstration follows a small set of imagined newsrooms. Scroll to see the same visual change with the story. The marks are a visual metaphor; they do not represent measured reach.
02 / follow the connections
From one newsroom to a shared network.
02 / 04
Make room for a shared question.
A common reporting question brings newsrooms into small groups. Partners can compare records, share translation, and identify gaps in coverage.
Three groups, each convened by one newsroom
03 / 04
Build connections that last.
As partners exchange work, individual projects can become a network. The lines show possible relationships, not measured information flows.
A connected network of 12 imagined newsrooms
04 / 04
Keep the community at the center.
The shared work matters when people can find and use it. A report should explain who benefits, what changes, and what the evidence cannot tell us.
Shared work returns to a common public purpose
03 / example findings
Give the evidence space.
Participating newsrooms
An illustrative count. Replace this with a verified result and its source.
Illustrative count for 2024 to 2026.
Shared reporting groups
Explain what this number measures and the period it covers.
Counted once for each shared question.
Common public purpose
Use a short interpretation to connect the result to the research question.
Stated in the methods note.
A useful report lets the reader see the evidence, follow the reasoning, and ask a better question.
Template editorial principle
04 / what comes next
Leave the reader with a clear next step.
Explain what the findings mean for the people who can act on them. Connect each recommendation to evidence from the report.
Use the methods section to describe how you gathered the evidence. Name the limits so readers can judge what the report supports.
Methods and sources
This page is a template demonstration. It contains no survey results, interview evidence, or measured network data. Replace this note with the study period, sample, methods, limitations, funding, and relevant disclosures.
- Center for Cooperative Mediacenterforcooperativemedia.org
- Montclair State Universitywww.montclair.edu