Local Angle is a consultancy and product lab
that helps news organizations deploy emerging
technologies in alignment with journalistic values.
Local Angle was founded by Chase Davis, a journalist who has spent his career working at the leading edge of news and emerging technologies.
Among other things, he has led the Interactive News team at The New York Times, overseen digital and cultural transformation at the Minnesota Star Tribune, and worked as a reporter, data journalist, and software engineer at a variety of news organizations.
Local Angle partners with forward-thinking organizations interested in accelerating their adoption of new technologies in ways that serve both the mission and business of news. We build, we teach, we co-create — often in partnership with some of the best minds in journalism and technology.
Here are some things we believe:
News is different
News is a public trust. News businesses are unique because they must continually balance this mission with their bottom line.
Working with news organizations means being able to frame the business in the valuable norms, ethics, and standards that are central to the mission — and vice-versa.
We think this natural tension is a feature, not a bug. And navigating it is key to success.
We have a journalistic obligation to understand new technologies
It is reasonable to be skeptical or anxious about how AI and other emerging technologies show up in the news industry. It is not reasonable to ignore them or refuse to engage.
Our sources are using them. The institutions we cover are using them. Our communities will continue to be shaped by them. We don't have to blindly adopt them, but we do have a journalistic obligation to understand them.
Play offense, thoughtfully
The news industry has an unfortunate history of having emerging technologies inflicted upon it. Whether it's Craigslist, search, social, video, or any number of other technological and social trends, we often find ourselves on the back foot.
Succeeding at the pace of modern technological change means putting systems and processes in place to prevent this — approaching new technologies with a sense of curiosity, optimism, and thoughtful experimentation.
Performative innovation isn't
There's a lot of bullshit out there. Especially now. Half-baked products and fancy demos dressed up to tell a story of innovation, rather than solve real problems or create meaningful new opportunities.
The best work is inspired by the hardest problems. That's where we prefer to spend our time.
We're all builders now
AI is breaking down the walls of expertise that used to divide disciplines. Journalists who have never written a line of code are now vibing their own web scrapers. Product managers are building working prototypes. Advertising, finance, and human resources professionals are using skills and custom GPTs to make their lives better and easier.
Everyone is a builder. And that's incredibly empowering. It magnifies what each of us is capable of and helps us draw connections that can take us in exciting new directions.
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