C.J. Robinson on Why Local News is Becoming Essential Research

In a piece for the Columbia Journalism Review, C.J. Robinson captures a key takeaway from our New(s) Knowledge Symposium: when government data falters, many researchers are turning to the news as data.

Researchers like Maia Majumder and Bia Carneiro are increasingly using to local reporting to track disease outbreaks, food insecurity, and climate-driven migration, often spotting early signals long before official data appears. Tools like Media Cloud, maintained by our team, make this work possible. C.J.’s reflections highlight why strengthening collaboration between journalists, researchers, and technologists matters more than ever.

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Read C.J.'s full reflections here 👉 https://www.cjr.org/tow_center/why-economists-and-doctors-are-monitoring-local-news.php