The University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship (IDJC) this morning launched the nation’s first Local News Experimental Testing Lab (Local NExT Lab) to help local newsrooms test strategies for informing and engaging their communities.

The lab will be led by Joshua Darr, associate professor in the Newhouse School of Public Communications and a senior researcher with IDJC, with work to begin in the 2025-26 academic year. The pilot is made possible with funding support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

“Despite the challenges local news is facing, there’s real opportunity to innovate and learn,” Darr says. “Local NExT Lab is taking an optimistic approach to testing, sharing and building on those ideas from today’s leaders in local news.”

Strengthening Local Journalism

The initiative connects local newsrooms eager to experiment, funders committed to supporting innovation in local news and academic researchers interested in designing and interpreting field tests. Together, they’ll collaborate to identify promising practices that strengthen local journalism and ensure more communities have access to trusted information.

“Local NExT Lab builds on our commitment to strengthen democracy through research and public dialogue,” says IDJC Kramer Director Margaret Talev.

The lab will produce annual reports, peer-reviewed articles and a planned book on newsroom innovations.

Research Director Johanna Dunaway, a political science professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, says the lab “will propel Josh’s excellent research on local news and provide new opportunities to expand the IDJC’s research mission in this important area.”

Local NeXT and IDJC will establish a community of practice, offer executive short courses to share best practices and organize a conference where newsrooms can exchange ideas and lessons learned.

New Approaches to Delivering Local News

Darr, whose earlier research has been supported by the Knight Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Center for Media Engagement, says he is seeing “so many new approaches to creating and delivering local news” as journalists, funders and community leaders adapt to the modern political and media environment. He also has partnered with Trusting News, Hearken, Solutions Journalism Network and the American Journalism Project.

“We know that strengthening local news is one of the best ways to improve democratic outcomes, from lower polarization to better representation, higher participation and lower corruption,” Darr says. “Local NExT Lab’s goal is to understand how the approaches being pioneered today can help sustain those benefits into the future.”

For more information on how to participate with or support Local NExT Lab, visit the lab website.