News deserts are spreading. Rural communities are losing the local reporters who once held duty-bearers to account, and the stories that survive get told from far away.
S5 · Intervention 4 of 6
Stabilising Rural Journalism.
Mobile studios and community-based reporting using solutions journalism.
- S4
- Of 6 pillars
- 2
- Active projects
- 4
- Concrete deliverables
- 1
- Featured initiatives
The challenge we’re fixing
Local journalism faces an existential threat. Media is urban-based and focuses on rural problems rather than rural solutions.
Our approach
How Rural works.
The MCI SDGs Media Van and Karamoja-based desks take journalism to hard-to-reach communities — because stabilising local and rural journalism is how the ecosystem stops leaving whole regions behind.
Our mobile studio allows young journalists to cover under-reported rural stories using the solutions journalism approach — reporting alongside community reporters rather than over them.
2 projects delivering this work.
FeaturedMCI SDGs Media Van
A mobile newsroom that brings journalists together to collaborate and co-produce media with and for the community, improving grassroots journalism.
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SojoTV
Solutions journalism video content from rural and under-served communities.
Read moreWhy Rural works.
Rural sharpened the way our newsroom thinks about its craft. The cohort kept us honest, and the mentorship built lasting habits.
What MCI gets right with Rural is treating fundamentals as a system — not a one-off workshop. That's why it sticks.
Funders see Rural graduates produce credible journalism within months. That's the bar.
I came in unsure I belonged in a newsroom. Rural gave me the tools, networks, and confidence to lead my own.
Frequently asked questions.
Mobile studios and community-based reporting using solutions journalism. We accept journalists, students, and newsroom leaders who fit this profile and are ready to commit to a full cohort cycle.
Each cohort has its own application window. Most projects under Rural link to a dedicated landing page or form — see the project cards below. For partnership enquiries, use the CTA at the bottom of this page.
MCI's flagship cohorts are funded — participants do not pay tuition. Some specialised tracks may carry materials fees, which are stated on each project page.
The 6S Model is interlocking by design. Rural feeds into every other pillar — and is in turn supported by them. Use the "Continue exploring" cards below to see neighbouring interventions.
Support Rural
Help us scale stabilising rural journalism.
Mobile studios and community-based reporting using solutions journalism.