Hearken's Engaged Elections training has been tested and refined by newsrooms across the U.S. to help journalists move away from polarizing or horse-race coverage of elections and strengthen their strategies for focusing on issues that matter most to local residents. Of the newsrooms who participated in Hearken’s 2020 training cycle:
84% said participating built trust between their newsroom and their community members
89% said participating helped them be more able to listen and respond to their communities
78% said participating increased the size of their audience
100% said they will use the engagement strategies they learned in the next election cycle
This fall, up to 12 Colorado newsrooms will be selected to participate in a special statewide cohort, presented by Hearken in partnership with the Colorado News Collaborative, with support from Gates Family Foundation.
Through the Colorado Engaged Elections 2023 fellowship, newsrooms will receive training, cohort support, coaching and resources from Hearken CEO Jennifer Brandel to develop a winning strategy to surface and respond to their public’s critical information needs related to elections. Each participating newsroom will also receive a $1,000 stipend to support their engagement strategy.
Applications for this opportunity are now closed.