The Scope

The Scope is a hyperlocal news organization focused on telling stories of justice, hope and resilience in Greater Boston. We are editorially independent and operated by Northeastern University’s School of Journalism. We practice journalism as an act of service, working to connect communities, inform civic life and amplify voices that are often overlooked or mischaracterized by traditional media. Our work is available for free on a variety of digital platforms and is intended to supplement, not compete with, the city’s existing news outlets. Our staff includes graduate and undergraduate students who are supervised by a full-time professional editor and a faculty advisor. We cover relevant news events, produce watchdog journalism and seek diverse commentary and in-depth analysis of local equality and justice issues. Engaging underrepresented communities, building sustainable outreach models and increasing civic participation is central to our mission. The Scope embraces a variety of techniques including solutions journalism and “less-extractive” reporting in an ongoing effort to redefine the relationship between journalists and the communities they cover. On occasion, we also experiment with new technologies and storytelling techniques with the goal of sharing best practices with other local news organizations and journalism educators.