The Whole Community Communication Infrastructure: The Case of Los Angeles

Abstract

This chapter describes The Metamorphosis Project, which aims to not only identify the whole community communication infrastructure of Los Angeles communities, but also make it accessible as a communication utility for residents, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to improve civic engagement, access to health care, intergroup relations, and urban planning. Among other elements, the project has identified the “storyteller networks” of LA communities, which offer discursive connections between residents, local media, and community organizations, and has unmasked several unmet information needs among the city’s diverse populations, including insufficient local media sources and neighborhood stigmatization trends.

Note: In the initial phase and under the inspirational leadership of Dean Geoffrey Cowan, the project received generous funding from the Annenberg Foundation and the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, funding that continues to date under the supportive leadership of Dean Ernest Wilson, III. Funding has also been received from First 5LA, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the California Endowment, the California Humanities, and the National Institutes of Health.