Plugging the gaps won't save news. It's time to redesign

Link: An Invitation to Build the Civic Information Economy, by Lillian Ruiz, Simon Galperin, and Jennifer Brandel at News FuturesThis feels like a vital exploration to me:“What does it take to fund civic information? We often focus on “more money,” but we limit the field’s potential by ignoring better capital design. Today’s landscape often sees dollars concentrated in intermediary and national plays—often with good reason—but without deliberate examination, we risk stifling the imagination of a developing field.”This is part manifesto, but also part call to action and invitation to participate. Funding for news has often been reactive, filling gaps, but what does it mean to intentionally design a genuine ecosystem with dynamics that support production of, and access to, the civic information we need that is a prerequisite for democracy to function?I love how genuinely participative this is: rather than a bunch of people trying to be smart inside institutions, this requires that the…