Building power and creating new communications channels in rural communities.
Rural communities have been overlooked and ignored by Washington. As traditional communications have broken down and become more fragmented, the problem has only gotten worse. The Rural Path is working to build power for rural communities by creating new communications channels, increasing awareness of what is happening in Washington and how it is impacting rural and small town America.
Our Approach
Rural Americans are increasingly living in news deserts. According to the Local News Initiative from Northwestern University nearly 80% of news deserts in the US are in rural communities. And while many communities are replacing traditional media with online news outlets, rural Americans are being left behind, with less than 10% of digital-only news outlets centered in rural counties.
Empowering communities first starts with information.
When people don’t have local news sources, they turn to social media groups for information. For decades conservatives have invested tens of millions to make sure those spaces are dominated by right-wing voices.
The Rural Path is working to counter the misinformation showing up in these spaces by building a rural content creator network. We are building a network of trusted local voices in these communities that can talk about what is happening in Washington and how it is impacting their community. We are working to build an always on communications network that is working to break through in these communities.