The Guardian launches Building power, a landmark reporting series on civic action

There’s a profound hunger among our global audience for stories that cut through cynicism and show that collective action still matters. Building power aims to surface stories of resilience and reinvention — not to romanticize them but to understand the real dynamics of power at play.”

Jessica Machado, editor of Building power

The Guardian has announced the launch of Building power, a landmark reporting and data journalism project examining how communities across the country are organizing to protect democracy, civil rights and public health in the face of growing political and social challenges.

At a time when much of the national conversation remains fixed on Washington, the Guardian’s new initiative will shift focus to the people and places driving civic renewal from the ground up. The series will help readers both in the U.S. and globally understand how pro-democracy movements and grassroots organizing efforts are shaping both policy and the national conversation.

Building power will feature original reporting, investigations and profiles. A companion data project will track and visualize the deletion or alteration of public information — from environmental and health data to records of law enforcement misconduct — and investigate how the loss of government information threatens civil rights and community health.

Building power is made possible in part by philanthropic support from theguardian.org — an independent 501(c)3 dedicated to supporting independent journalism — and its partners including Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation and others. All reporting published by the Guardian remains editorially independent.

Jessica Machado, editor of Building power, said: “There’s a profound hunger among our global audience for stories that cut through cynicism and show that collective action still matters. Building power aims to surface stories of resilience and reinvention — not to romanticize them but to understand the real dynamics of power at play. We’ll investigate how communities are finding new ways to protect one another, hold institutions accountable and keep democratic values alive amid enormous pressure. Our goal is to ultimately inform, connect and inspire readers who believe that change is still possible.”

Betsy Reed, US editor of the Guardian, said: “At a time when rights and freedoms once taken for granted are being rolled back, we think it’s vital to document how people are responding — not just in protest, but through organizing, coalition-building and in acts of solidarity. Building power is about capturing the new civic energy we’re seeing across the country — the creativity, persistence and hope — going beyond what’s broken to also illuminate how ordinary people are working to repair our democracy.”

Nicole Kotzen, senior vice-president for development at the Guardian and executive director of theguardian.org, said: “Much of the national conversation about democracy is still framed around politicians and institutions in Washington. But power doesn’t only reside there. It’s built every day in school board meetings, union halls and community centers across the country. We’re proud to support the Guardian’s new Building power series highlighting those local and often overlooked efforts — the places where people are experimenting with new forms of leadership and collective action and, in doing so, redefining what democracy means in practice.”

About the Guardian:

 The Guardian is a global, reader-funded news organization committed to high-quality journalism, progressive values and editorial independence. Founded in 1821, the Guardian is renowned for its rigorous reporting and commentary on politics, the environment, social justice, sports, wellness and culture geared for a global audience.

In the U.S., the Guardian has more than 100 editorial staff members across its bureaus in New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Its agenda-setting journalism draws an audience of more than 40 million U.S. readers every month, making it one of the top news sites in America. The Guardian’s U.S. newsroom has been recognized with several awards, including the George Polk Award, Scripps Howard Award, Edward R Murrow Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

About theguardian.org:

The theguardian.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was set up by the Scott Trust in 2017 to support quality independent journalism about some of the most pressing issues of our time. The organization raises funds from individuals and foundations, and directs them towards projects that advance public discourse and citizen participation on issues such as climate change, human rights, global development and inequality. For more information, visit theguardian.org.