Creative Mornings ATL: Community-Powered Journalism and Strengthening Democracy with Canopy Atlanta

Atlanta is America’s capital of income inequality. Its journalism is widening that inequality. Traditional outlets rarely prioritize the information needs of diverse communities. Journalists are rarely embedded in communities that need information most. As a result: These communities don’t always have the tools to access information—through public records, civic systems, or elected officials—to advance their own priorities.

Canopy Atlanta, a new nonprofit newsroom, believes the way to fix this problem is to create collaborative journalism, training and equipping communities to access information as journalists do. Through neighborhood-centered issues, they listen to what information a neighborhood needs to thrive; train residents to report those stories alongside experienced journalists, and share that information in ways a community can access it.

In this FieldTrip, we’ll talk about how you can listen to what information your neighborhood needs; ways to access that information; and how to share it through storytelling and in ways that everyone can benefit. We’ll learn from two leaders of Canopy’s Team – Sonam Vashi, Operations Director and Floyd Hall, Canopy cofounder and cultural producer.