Capital B’s local newsrooms in Atlanta and Gary, Indiana, are very different, but share some DNA. 

The reporters, editors, and engagement teams who power our journalism live in the areas we cover — many with lifelong ties and deep roots. They know firsthand how important it is to meet neighbors where they are with stories that matter, not just on our website or on social media.

That was the idea behind Capital B Offline, a 13-month effort we launched in July 2023 to build trust with and better understand our audiences. Through surveys, events, focus groups, print newsletters, and even billboards, we reached thousands of people in 2024, and learned valuable lessons about what can happen when journalists meet audiences where they are. 

Building newsrooms with empathy

In Gary, where our newsroom launched in 2023, editor Javonte Anderson collected over 100 surveys from residents eager for news that showed the city in its fullness — not just its challenges. They asked for coverage of local heroes, small businesses, and educational achievements, alongside coverage of critical issues like youth violence, abandoned buildings, and economic opportunities. 

We responded with an ongoing series of community spotlights that have been among Gary’s most read and shared stories, and partnerships like this one with The Trace to examine the city’s progress in combating gun violence.

In Atlanta, residents told our community engagement team about their strong interest in youth and education stories — feedback that helped us sharpen our education beat — and led to projects like APS Votes, a civic engagement campaign for school board elections. We produced the most comprehensive voting guide available to Atlantans looking for information about school board candidates, whose races often go overlooked. 

The power of print in Gary

In the early days of our community engagement, Gary residents also asked for something we were eager to deliver: to see Capital B Gary in print. Last spring, we designed and sent mailers to 7,000 Black households with QR codes that linked to our weekly newsletter. Along with the mailers, we introduced residents to Ask Capital B, an SMS service that allowed residents to text our newsroom with questions about anything happening in their city, and we would work to get them answers. We purchased three billboards on the city’s busiest roads, advertising Ask Capital B, too.

But the real highlight has been the success of Gary Monthly, our print newsletter that puts our best stories of the month on paper. From June to December we printed 25,000 copies of the newsletter, distributing them through a partnership with Gary’s local libraries, and to nearby colleges, small businesses, churches, train stations, community events and on the streets. The word-of-mouth success of the newsletter also got the attention of a local advertiser. In September, we ran our first paid advertisement in the paper.  

Lakeisha Bridgeman, community engagement and marketing coordinator at the Gary Public Library system, said, “The patrons are going to love this!” when we dropped off our first stack in July. The positive feedback continued to roll in. One reader said Gary Monthly helped them with “staying updated on what’s happening in my city.” Others said they appreciated that the newsletter was free, and several others said they’d be willing to pay a few bucks for it to keep it going.

Events and focus groups spark “hope and empowerment” 

In 2024, we held over a dozen gatherings on issues ranging from gun violence to maternal health to Black immigration. These gatherings lead to new connections, new story ideas, and deepened the impact of our reporting. 

In May, nearly 40 residents of Atlanta’s Fairburn and Gordon Apartments attended a Community Sound-Off to speak out about hazardous living conditions like mold and pests. The gathering followed months of award-winning reporting from politics reporter Chauncey Alcorn that led the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to cancel its contract with the complex’s owners. Residents connected with advocates, officials, and our newsroom, leaving empowered to advocate for themselves. Community engagement editor Ann Hill Bond said one resident asked her, “How can I learn more about advocating for my community?”

“I saw a spark of hope and empowerment”, Ann said. 

Residents later reached out to us for advice on interacting with other media outlets, a sign that their experience with Capital B has strengthened their interests in media literacy. Since then, we have stayed connected with the residents, reporting on their relocation efforts, following government efforts to hold the owners accountable, and sharing updates via printed stories and an SMS group chat with numerous residents. 

“Keep doing what you’re doing. We appreciate it,” one Fairburn and Gordon resident who goes by Rose told us in a survey.  

In July, we partnered with I Am Them, a youth advocacy group, to host a focus group with kids ages 10 to 17 about life in Gary. They shared concerns about safety, abandoned buildings, and gun violence, often knowing victims personally. Their candid feedback inspired future stories and deepened our connection with local youth.

It also led to an invitation to cover Chicago rapper G Herbo’s visit to Gary, where he discussed trauma with the group. Community engagement editor Derreka Rollins noted a key takeaway: small, familiar settings foster meaningful dialogue with vulnerable communities. 

Answering community questions about elections

Our offline campaign supported a key part of our 2024 election strategy: connecting residents with candidates through events that encouraged civic engagement and direct dialogue.

In Gary, we partnered with BLACK (Building Leaders Advancing Community Knowledge) to host a candidate mixer for those running in the May primaries. About 50 attendees exchanged ideas and contact information with candidates, fostering deeper connections between local leaders and the community.

In Atlanta, our “Connect with Your Candidates” event at The Ke’nekt Cooperative introduced Ask Capital B to the local audience. With 60 attendees, the event created a space for meaningful discussions on rent control, public school resources, and crime, driven by community-submitted questions. Outreach efforts, including 1,000 flyers and social media promotion, ensured strong engagement.

These events yielded tangible results: 62 new newsletter sign-ups, two dozen follow-up participants, and seven published stories inspired by community questions. Attendees left with actionable voter guides and a renewed sense of civic responsibility. The events also highlighted a recurring theme: residents want not just information but accountability. Questions like “How will you hold yourself accountable to the community?” reflect a desire to track how candidates’ actions align with their promises, underscoring the role Ask Capital B played in bridging the gap between residents and elected local officials.

Through events like these, we saw how listening to residents’ concerns, gathering feedback, fostering meaningful relationships, and crafting stories informed by those conversations can create journalism that truly reflects the needs of our communities. These offline efforts offer an important lesson, especially as the news industry strives to connect with and build new audiences: listening can make a real difference.

Correction: Dr. Tifany Jamison was misidentified in a photo caption in an earlier version of this story.

Adeshina Emmanuel is the former managing editor of local of Capital B.