Civic journalism is when people who are interested in news and information about their communities work together with journalists to help make the news more useful and relevant for everyone.
Just like how you and your friends help each other with homework or play games together, people who practice civic journalism work together to gather and share information about things happening in their town, city or neighborhood.
Journalists, who are people whose job is to report the news, can't be everywhere all the time, so they rely on members of the community to help them report on important things that are happening. Sometimes, this could be something like sharing a photo or video of a local festival or event, while other times it could be about a more serious topic like a school board meeting or local budget issue.
Civic journalism is important because it helps make sure that people in a community are informed about what is happening around them. By working together, journalists and members of the community can make sure that the news is accurate, fair and helpful for everyone.