Houston Landing’s Strategic Plan
Today, Houston Landing announces a new strategic plan that will define and inform all our work as journalists and as part of a team dedicated to Houston.
We center you, our neighbors, in everything we do — from how we make coverage decisions, to how we show up in the community, to how we create measurable change for Houstonians.
Houston Landing is for and about Houston.
To remain relevant and useful to a city as diverse and dynamic as Houston, we’re committed to impact and solutions-based journalism. We exist to help Houstonians understand the forces that shape everyday life in our city. We must not be passive observers. While it’s not our role to legislate change, we will show the way forward to address chronic issues and use all our capabilities to pursue a better and more equitable Houston.
To do this, we:
- Report on the opportunities and challenges that impact the majority of Houstonians.
- Listen to your concerns.
- Provide the context you need to understand our community.
- Create a sense of shared optimism by connecting you to solutions.
Our plan to get there starts with our mission, vision and values statements.
Mission Statement
Houston Landing is for and about Houston. We create journalism that helps Houstonians understand the forces that shape our city and connect with each other through stories that inspire positive change.
Vision Statement
Through rigorous reporting on the opportunities and challenges that impact the majority of Houstonians, we seek to create a sense of shared optimism by connecting audiences to solutions. This journalism has the ability to shift policies and inspire people to shape their own future.
Our Values
Relevant
We strive for cultural competence in every story, for each audience, on all platforms. To do this, we will be obsessed with facts about our audiences and feedback from them.
Relational
We approach the communities we serve with humility, listening to more stories than we write. We engage in two-way conversations about issues that matter to Houstonians. This approach allows us to better reflect and serve our city.
Rigorous
We employ robust systems of accountability that ensure accuracy in every story we publish. We are transparent with and accountable to all. Establishing trust with people from all backgrounds, political persuasions, and identities is central to our work and crucial to our mission.
Responsible
We adhere to the highest ethical standards set by key organizations in journalism. Beyond this, we strive to practice genuine social concern to avoid repeating journalism’s past harms. We will work to be in alignment with communities as we report for them.
Rooted
We are committed to staffing our organization with those local to, and passionate about Houston. We believe it’s important to live in and engage with the communities we cover. We want Houstonians to know where and how to reach us, and to be confident we will listen and respond when they do.
Our Commitment to Houston
We will measure Houston Landing by the change we create, in policy, in law and in practice.
Part of that work is fighting news avoidance by highlighting solutions where possible, and generating a sense of optimism in readers – that problems are solvable, that opportunities can be realized and that issues can be addressed.
This looks like helping audiences see themselves as agents of action in city life. To do this, we ensure that stories explain plainly what is happening, why, and various potential outcomes. We frame stories with an eye for local impact so audiences can finish a piece of journalism and decide for themselves what, if anything, they might want to do. And we make sure they know how to take a range of actions.
A priority in our work is to report on the conditions, roadblocks and opportunities facing those communities traditionally ignored by the media in the city. When we cover City Hall, for example, we will pay attention to how well public spending is supporting the underserved citizenry of Houston. We will spend time with the powerful, but also with those lacking power whose lives are affected by the actions of government, schools, public-safety agencies and more.
A focus on chronic absenteeism in the schools would logically center more on young families and the issues they face, but would have a dual audience of elected and school leaders. We can connect those audiences through our stories, live events and newsletters.
New Strategic Pillars
Audience Focus
In constant conversation with Houstonians, we stand side-by-side with, follow and serve our audience.
Crucial Information
Our journalism is differentiated from market competitors, delivering actionable information that helps Houstonians make decisions about themselves and our community.
Impact
We improve the lives of underserved Houstonians in measurable ways large and small by connecting them to solutions, resources and organizations. We change policy and clear barriers to information.
Financial Sustainability
With a focus on responsible fiscal management, we control costs, and support our work with a mix of major gifts, grants, sponsorships and membership.