Supporting newsrooms in advancing democracy
Democracy SOS helps people working in journalism to adjust, improve and even re-imagine how they serve and empower a functioning democracy. We bring together initiatives, training and resources from partners, collaborators and across the field.
Key Initiatives
Each of these initiatives are born out of ongoing collaborations and partnerships.
Learn more about those involved in each effort by checking out each website.
Advancing Democracy Fellowship
Pro-Democracy Toolkit
Election SOS
In collaboration with Hearken, Solutions Journalism Network and Trusting News, this fellowship is a nine-month program that supports reporters and editors in strengthening our democracy through innovative news coverage that highlights promising responses to our democracy’s challenges, and builds civic engagement, equity and healthy discourse. Formerly called the Democracy SOS Fellowship.
A collaboration between Hearken and The Center for Journalism & Democracy, this toolkit provides resources, case studies and highlights organizations working at the intersection of civics, journalism and democracy.
A sister site of Democracy SOS, Election SOS is a pop-up support initiative helmed by Hearken that focuses on helping journalists in responding to critical election-specific information needs during major U.S. elections.
Democracy Day
America Amplified
The Citizens Agenda
Democracy Day is a nationwide, collaborative effort to draw attention to the crisis U.S. democracy is facing, provide the public with the context and information they need, and bring all types of media together to sound the alarm collectively. The collaborative was created by Hearken, The Center for Cooperative Media, INN and News Revenue Hub.
America Amplified is a community engagement journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting involving public media stations across the United States. In 2022, 30 newsrooms collaborated on election reporting and engagement in partnership with Hearken.
The Citizens Agenda is a guide for generating more responsive, inclusive & useful news coverage for voters. It’s a form of engagement journalism that’s proving increasingly useful as the norms of traditional political reporting no longer work. Created in partnership with Hearken, The Membership Puzzle Project and Trusting News.