As part of a Digital First initiative to spur innovative local coverage, staff members from four newspapers will develop pop-up newsrooms in their respective communities. Journalists will set out in vans, immersing themselves in local suburbs and counties to increase the depth of their reporting.
Earlier this year, Steve Buttry, director of community engagement and social media at Digital First, asked members of its newsrooms to submit proposals outlining new ways to approach hyperlocal coverage. In early May, 12 submissions were selected to be executed, four of which focused on the concept of portable newsrooms.
Of course, the reporters aren't abandoning social media entirely -- they'll be equipped with laptops and Wi-Fi, along with audio and video equipment.
"We want all our newsrooms to engage their communities in multiple ways -- on our websites, social media, blogs, text messages and print products, but also in person," Buttry said in the press release.
The four publications involved in the project are Connecticut's New Haven Register, TwinCities.com in Minnesota, California's San Jose Mercury News and the York Daily Record in Pennsylvania.
In a recent interview with journalism.co.uk that the project will also aim to increase citizens' involvement in local news, allowing them to start their own blogs and develop specific areas of interest.