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Philadelphia Enterprise Reporting Awards

by Jan Schaffer | Published on December 15, 2011

A study of how 14 $5,000 journalism awards jumpstarted public affairs reporting, incentivized media partnerships among new and old news sites, and delivered a doable model that can be replicated.

"We were interested in what happened if enterprising news organizations had resources to focus on under-reported topics. The results have been outstanding."

— Jeremy Nowak, president and CEO, William Penn Foundation

"Most of all, we learned that a new generation of public-interest journalism is being hatched in new venues. "

— Jeremy Nowak, president and CEO, William Penn Foundation

Rules of the Road: Navigating the New Ethics of Local Journalism

by Scott Rosenberg, Jan Schaffer (editor) and Andrew Pergam (editor) | Published on July 20, 2011

Where a bright ethical line once separated a newsroom from its business operations, one person now often wears multiple hats, as editor, business manager and grants writer.

"...Offers encouraging and reassuring signs that as the torch of local journalism is being passed, the flame of at least ethical aspiration remains strong."

— Ed Wasserman, Knight Professor of Journalism Ethics, Washington

"The first consideration of the contributors is always: What impact will my decision have on the community? ... There’s no “them” and “us” in the new newsroom."

— Tom Grubisich, Street Fight magazine

New Voices: What Works

by Jan Schaffer | Published on October 8, 2010

After five years of funding hyperlocal start-ups, J-Lab shares its findings about what works.

"We're not a fan of the many breathless reports and studies on hyperlocal these days, but this one is based in reality and worth the time to read. "

— Cory Bergman

"This is absolutely wonderful! You’ve done it again, and your good insights will help guide our next steps for our own local initiatives at NewsTrust."

— Fabrice Florin