Community Information Toolkit

If information isn’t flowing freely between government entities and the general public, a complete breakdown in communication renders the best policies and most savvy tools virtually worthless. The Knight Foundation refers to this flow of information as a community’s information ecosystem because a symbiotic relationship must be formed between all entities.  When a blockage occurs in one area, the entire information ecosystem, not to mention civic life, is at risk.  A healthy information ecosystem begets citizens who are informed, engaged, and empowered to take action on the things that matter most to them. Some would even point out that freely flowing information and access to news and data builds stronger communities. 

The Knight Foundation, who views such access to information as equally essential as the right to clean air and safe streets, has taken note of this phenomenon.  Partnering with the Monitor Institute, the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy studied what communities are doing to ensure a continual flow of information.  With observations collected from across the country, they ultimately concluded that community leaders as well as the public, are in need of a better way of assessing the flow of news and information in order to understand and assess their own strengths and weaknesses. 

To counteract this deficit, they’ve developed the Community Information Toolkit.  The user-friendly toolkit will aide in creating a deeper understanding of the necessity for healthy information ecosystems, guide users in assessing and provide parameters for gauging their community’s information ecosystem, and introduce a plan of action for future growth.  When rolling out the toolkit, the Knight Foundation selected three pilot communities to test how easily replicable the toolkit was.  The diverse communities chosen; Macon, GA, Philadelphia, PA and San Jose, CA each brought their own set of problems regarding size, location and socioeconomic needs.  The toolkit proved to be insightful in each instance and offered a wealth of experiences to draw from.