How to Create a Digital Community for Your Newsroom (on Discord)

This practical how-to guide was designed with media organizations like yours in mind. In it, you will find actionable advice for starting and growing a digital community for your newsroom (on the social chat app Discord or another platform).

Digital communities are distinct from traditional social media accounts, as they rely on direct and participatory relationships between the digital community managers and members of the public.If you want to build a news community, strengthen audience trust, and truly interact with your readers or listeners online — this guide is for you!

This resource was created by KQED and participants in the Spring 2025 Digital Community Fellowship. A special thank you to our newsroom partners at KALW, KVCR, and KZYX — whose insights helped shape the foundation of this guide. And to the many community volunteers on Discord, who contributed their time, suggestions, and additional best practices! This project was supported in part by the Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.