Illustration by Andre da Loba
The worksheet is view-only but you can make a copy of the worksheet here.
Local and national editors that lead teams covering an array of issues such as housing, elections, public policy, healthcare, misinformation or public safety can benefit from identifying the various opportunities for impact within their coverage area. Consider filling out this worksheet for each area of coverage or throughout the year as your reporting priorities change.
Having a theory-of-change for each coverage area will help you make decisions about story ideas and formats, key audiences to reach, ways to reach them, and how you're going to measure your success.
It's a misconception that only investigative journalists make change with their journalism. Every reporter, and every newsroom, has an opportunity to influence conditions in the real world through their work. Its starts with having a clear understanding of all the ways change can happen on a local and national scale.
In our resources section, we've compiled a few key readings to broaden our industry's understanding of change. We recommend checking those resources out before diving into the worksheet.
The worksheet is designed to be completed on your own and in your own time. And you can also complete the worksheet as a group – with other editors or reporters. It's going to take a team to bring your ideas to life, so it's beneficial to use the worksheet to create shared understandings and goals.
Filling out the worksheet doesn't need to be time consuming. For example, evaluating community needs doesn't need to be a months-long endeavor. Instead, it can be as simple as calling a few key sources and having a short chat.