D.I.G.

The Problem

Across the world, democratic institutions are under stress: environmental disasters, public health crises, political instability, and the steady erosion of local journalism.

These crises share a common thread: information.

In critical moments, access to reliable local news and public-interest information determines who can act safely, who can exercise their rights, and who can hold institutions accountable.

Yet the systems that produce and sustain this information remain fragile, fragmented, and poorly supported.

Access to reliable information determines who can exercise rights, who can act safely, and who can hold institutions accountable.

What is D.I.G.?

D.I.G. is a practice-oriented initiative dedicated to strengthening democratic governance by institutionalizing how public-interest information is produced, coordinated, and sustained in times of institutional stress, with a focus on Global Majority contexts.

Not a media project. Not a tech startup. A democratic infrastructure initiative.

D.I.G. treats information governance as a foundational democratic function. Just as cities need water systems, health systems and emergency systems, they also need coordinated information systems.

Why the Global Majority?

Global Majority contexts concentrate a rare combination of conditions that make them a living laboratory for democratic innovation: democratic fragility and polarization, high digital connectivity alongside deep inequality, recurring climate shocks affecting dense urban populations, and decentralized governance systems that allow municipal and state-level policy experimentation.

At the same time, these contexts have strong traditions of investigative journalism, civil society mobilization, and cross-border collaboration. This tension — between institutional stress and civic capacity — makes Global Majority contexts uniquely positioned to test and refine durable models of information governance that can strengthen democratic resilience and generate lessons transferable accross regions.

The tension between institutional stress and civic capacity makes the Global Majority uniquely positioned to test durable models of information governance.

Field building

Research

• 2024 Brazil Floods Research: Documented how communities, journalists, researchers, and governments co-produced information during the largest climate disaster in Brazil, generating a new framework for information governance.
• Civic Media Census: Research mapping the civic media field in the US and identifying emerging models for community-centered journalism.
• Braskem Citizen-Generated Data: Developing participatory methods that transform community-generated information into evidence for public accountability and environmental governance in Brazil.

Institution building

• Brazilian Journalism Fund: Co-designed Brazil’s first national fund dedicated to strengthening independent and public-interest local journalism through innovative funding mechanisms.
• AJOR: Helped establish Brazil’s first national association of independent digital news organizations, advancing sustainability, collaboration, and public policy advocacy.
• Énois: Built one of Brazil’s leading civic media organizations, strengthening local journalism, media literacy, and information access in underserved communities.
• The Intercept Brasil: Supported its nationalization and leadership transition by strengthening management, strategic planning, and organizational structures.

Programs & networks

• Caravana Abraji: Co-designed and led a nationwide training program equipping local journalists with investigative, safety, and access-to-information skills.
• Abraji Conference: Curated one of Latin America’s largest journalism conferences, bringing together global discussions on AI, diversity, and the future of journalism.
• Public Safety Reporting Forum: Facilitated the creation of São Paulo’s first cross-sector forum connecting journalists, civil society, and public institutions to improve reporting on police violence.