Hearken, Inc

We are honoring The Dallas Morning News for their work in underrepresented communities! In early 2024 Asian American Bustle was launched, highlighting the development, culture and future of North Texas’ most prominent Asian American enclaves. What resulted was nuanced, in-depth pieces that captured how these enclaves have served as community hubs for Asian Americans. Congratulations Dallas Morning News, recipient of the "Engaging Underrepresented Communities" award! ??

Join us in also celebrating CBC's great 2024 engagement work! We admire the way they took a cultural centerpoint in town to encourage civic engagement from readers and prompt thoughtful dialogue between them. Congratulations CBC, recipient of the "Engaging the Future" award! ! ??

Today we are celebrating Colorado Public Radio! Partnering with the nonprofit Colorado News Collaborative they led more than 60 Colorado newsrooms in an election-centered engagement initiative. The statewide collaboration allowed involved newsrooms to broaden their reach and amplify their impact, all while pooling their resources to work more efficiently and make their engagement more manageable. Congratulations Colorado Public Radio, recipient of the "Collaborative Engagement" award! ! ??

Join us in celebrating our next Champions of Curiosity award winner: Mat-Su Sentinel! The Mat-Su Sentinel is a new newsroom, and new to the public-powered process. But they managed to jump right in, immediately producing navigable, comprehensive voter guides that were shaped by their readers, held elected officials accountable and supported growing, informed civic engagement in the region they cover. We are thrilled to honor Mat-Su Sentinel, recipient of the "Best Newcomer" award! ! ??

Hearken's Champions of Curiosity Awards celebrate community listening, community building, and needs-based service approaches that make the world a better place. In 2024, Hearken’s partners delivered innovative projects that served their communities, and this is our chance to honor that impressive work in a variety of categories. This week we'll be shining the spotlight on each winner of our 2024 awards, recognizing their outstanding contributions. Today, we're delighted to honor WBEZ Chicago's Curious City project. WBEZ is no stranger to engagement work. But last year, they did something new to capture more voices and perspectives across Chicago. With the goal of reporting on the legacy of Margaret Burroughs, a Black leader from Chicago famed for her art and advocacy work, WBEZ decided to partner with Invisible Institute to amplify a part of Burroughs’ impact that gets less attention: her work with incarcerated men. Congratulations to WBEZ's Curious City! ??

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Journalists! Join us next week for a presentation and Q&A with Tami Pyfer of The Dignity Index, an initiative aimed at changing the way we think about and speak to others with whom we disagree. https://lnkd.in/gybJ9R-T "We find that when we use contempt it's hard to see it. But once we see it, it becomes hard to use it," Pyfer said. "And when we can use the language of dignity rather than contempt in our interactions with others, we are better able to ease divisions, prevent violence, and solve problems."

Feeling like the ways you're cooking up engagement are getting a little stale? Check out these tried-and-true recipes to create nourishing, fulfilling ways of being in relationship with your community. Huge ups to Massarah Mikati for the creativity in putting these together! https://lnkd.in/gk7Ufvvf

?? Journos, are you looking to better understand communities next year? We're all ears! Take this brief (5 questions) survey from our partners at Trusting News and while you're at it, you could get some $$: https://lnkd.in/g4VXRyh7

While listening to what felt like my hundredth podcast breaking down American votes and trends, I couldn’t help but feel that the complaints I was hearing about the Democratic Party — namely, the complaints about their inability, or even unwillingness, to connect with everyday voters — were familiar. They reminded me of complaints I’ve heard about newsrooms and journalism. Journalists, I thought to myself, should start taking the advice they’ve been offering to the Democrats. So I went ahead and broke down five of the most frequent criticisms I’ve heard about how Democrats handled the presidential campaign, what journalists can learn from those criticisms, plus concrete examples of news outlets that have done better. Check it out, and share your thoughts! https://lnkd.in/eF_unnWd