JSX connects the dots: A new tool helps local newsrooms find the support they need

Anika Anand, co-founder, Commoner Company (Photo credit: Anika Anand)

If a newsroom is looking to solve for something, like help with strategic planning, it can be like a full-time job to find who offers that support. JSX will bring together in one place resources, like journalism support organizations, consulting services or tools to help them solve for x, y and z.”

Anika Anand

Finding support in journalism can be overwhelming, but a new tool aims to simplify the process. The Journalism Support Exchange (JSX), launched in November, is a centralized database that helps local newsrooms more easily locate resources — from business training and technology tools to legal guidance and grants.

Commoner Co. built the site, with funding and catalytic support from Press Forward. Press Forward is a $500 million philanthropic effort to support local news. The free platform aggregates journalism support organizations into a single searchable site.

Melissa Milios Davis, network manager, Press Forward (Photo credit: Chantal Lawrie)

Press Forward’s role extends beyond funding. In an email to E&P, Melissa Milios Davis, network manager at Press Forward, explained that the initiative is “both a funder and a partner in development of the JSX.” Press Forward’s network of funders and newsroom grantees vetted early versions and helped inform the design and implementation.

The inspiration for JSX has roots in similar state efforts. Davis, who previously served as a Press Forward chapter leader in Colorado, helped create a comparable tool to serve regional newsrooms. “Both the CO tool and the JSX are trying to solve the same challenge,” she wrote. “Newsroom leaders are busy, and the field of journalism support organizations is often difficult to navigate.”

JSX users can filter by support type — including funding intermediaries, educators, client services, researchers or advocates — or by target issue, organization size, geographic scope, cost and offering type.

Anika Anand, co-founder of Commoner, a civic media research and strategy group founded by Anand and journalist Darryl Holliday, said in an email that the early response has demonstrated a clear demand. As of mid-December, the platform included 363 profiles and had drawn more than 30,000 page views, with more than 5,000 unique visitors.

Darryl Holliday, co-founder, Commoner Company (Photo credit: Dustin Spagnola)

The current version is in beta, and Anand said they are reaching out to organizations in the dataset to ask them to complete their profiles. As of mid-December, a third had done so. Current efforts focus on getting more organizations engaged and spreading the word so more newsrooms can use the resource.

In an October interview with E&P, Anand said Commoner’s research in the field over the last few years has shown a clear need for a single tool to find professional resources. “If a newsroom is looking to solve for something, like help with strategic planning, it can be like a full-time job to find who offers that support,” she said. “JSX will bring together in one place resources, like journalism support organizations, consulting services or tools to help them solve for x, y and z.”

The database includes diverse organizations, such as Lenfest and LION. It also covers institutions like the Institute for Independent Journalists. This institute offers business training programs for freelancers, focusing on helping journalists from underrepresented communities. Rolli is another international service that provides a vetted expert directory and social media intelligence tools to help journalists detect disinformation and identify credible sources.

Users can filter by support type — including funding intermediaries, educators, client services, researchers or advocates — or by target issue, organization size, geographic scope, cost and offering type. Each organization is represented by a standardized information card outlining what it offers, who it serves and how to access its services.

The database includes diverse organizations, such as Lenfest and LION. It also covers institutions like the Institute for Independent Journalists. This institute offers business training programs for freelancers, focusing on helping journalists from underrepresented communities. Rolli is another international service that provides a vetted expert directory and social media intelligence tools to help journalists detect disinformation and identify credible sources.

Davis emphasized that the current version is just the beginning. “The current version of the JSX is just 1.0,” she wrote. “Commoner is the project manager, and we are the launch funder.” Looking ahead, Press Forward hopes other funders will help sustain it and that it will become “the ‘go to’ spot for connecting the field of newsrooms and support orgs,” she wrote. They plan to continue iterating and “help it find a long-term home with an organization that can keep it going — in fact, those are some goals for 2.0.”

Beyond helping newsrooms find support, the database aims to highlight overlap, gaps and opportunities for collaboration. In the Press Forward announcement, Holliday said the tool provides “a real-time view of what newsrooms are looking for, in terms of support,” describing it as both a shortcut for newsrooms and “a roadmap to understand where we’re duplicating effort — and where we can build something new together.”

Diane Sylvester is an award-winning 30-year multimedia news veteran. She works as a reporter, editor, and newsroom strategist. She can be reached at diane.povcreative@gmail.com.