Photo courtesy of Documented

By Bailey Hoskins-Orr | Senior Program Associate, Listening Post Collective

From engaging Caribbean and Chinese New Yorkers on Nextdoor and WeChat to spotlighting local services and opportunities in their Early Arrival Newsletter, Documented is an innovator in listen-first, community-centered journalism. Now, as a founding member of the Immigrant News Coalition, and with their forthcoming, three-year initiative Building Bridges: An Immigrant Media Training Program, the NYC-based newsroom is emerging as a peer leader in the increasingly vital space of immigrant media.

As part of the inaugural Building Bridges cohort in 2026, Documented will support six newsrooms to produce responsive, high-quality editorial products for and with local immigrant communities. Program Manager Maria Arce recently sat down with us to share how the Civic Information Index is helping her zero in on parts of the country that need investments in immigrant media the most. In addition to informing the recruitment process, the Index will serve as a training resource for selected outlets as they map and respond to immigrant communities’ information needs.   

“Being able to identify the exact places where local newsrooms can better serve immigrant communities is an invaluable tool for us, as it provides fact-based information for a fair and equitable selection process for our new training program.”

Check out the full case study here.