Brighter journalism relies on investing in networks that serve communities

We should be doing more for unsexy but vital projects that help create structural support for independent local journalism

To understand where journalism is heading, think ecosystems. Once a concept that referred to complex communities of interdependent living organisms, the metaphor is gaining traction in sectors well beyond the natural world – particularly where the rise of digital networks has radically disrupted and reshaped old institutions. Journalism may well be at the top of that list.

The disintegration of traditional journalism’s business models, in the UK and the US, means we can no longer rely on a few institutions to gather and disseminate news. But the democratisation of tools – and access – means that acts of journalism now come from new people and places almost daily. But more needs to be done to connect those individual pieces and form new networks for civic engagement and quality journalism.

It is not enough to support one-off projects that exist in silos. The strength of ecosystems comes from interdependence

Related: BBC should help fund hyperlocal news sites, says report