D.I.G.

Democratic Information Governance!

D.I.G. is an initiative dedicated to strengthening democratic governance by institutionalizing how public-interest information is produced, coordinated, and sustained in times of institutional stress, with a focus on Global Majority contexts.

Learn more ↓ About the founder

01 — The Problem

Across the world, democratic institutions are under stress: environmental disasters, public health crises, political instability, and the steady erosion of local journalism.

These crises share a common thread: information.

In critical moments, access to reliable local news and public-interest information determines who can act safely, who can exercise their rights, and who can hold institutions accountable.

Yet the systems that produce and sustain this information remain fragile, fragmented, and poorly supported.

Access to reliable information determines who can exercise rights, who can act safely, and who can hold institutions accountable.

02 — Institutional Stress

When organizations are overwhelmed:

  • Official information is delayed or fragmented
  • Journalists lack coordinated access to local data
  • Community knowledge remains scattered
  • Verification becomes slower and more stressful
  • Vulnerable populations receive information late, or not at all

Coordination exists — but it is improvised.

03 — Hidden Infrastructure

A Hidden Democratic Infrastructure

During crises, multiple actors already work together: journalists, community organizations, researchers, public agencies, and civic groups. They form local information ecosystems.

But these ecosystems lack legal recognition, lack stable governance frameworks, and lack sustainable institutional support.

D.I.G. aims to address that.

04 — The Initiative

What is D.I.G.?

D.I.G. is a practice-oriented initiative dedicated to strengthening democratic governance by institutionalizing how public-interest information is produced, coordinated, and sustained in times of institutional stress, with a focus on Global Majority contexts.

Not a media project. Not a tech startup. A democratic infrastructure initiative.

D.I.G. treats information governance as a foundational democratic function. Just as cities need water systems, health systems and emergency systems, they also need coordinated information systems.

05 — Our Work

What We Do

Research and Ecosystem Mapping

Identify how local information systems actually function under stress: Who produces? Who verifies? Who circulates? Where do breakdowns occur? And generate structured, public data.

Policy Design & Prototyping

Convene cross-sector coalitions and collaborative networks to design municipal crisis information protocols, public funding models with independence safeguards, legal recognition of collaborative information systems, governance models for civic data coordination, and context-aware technology development.

Pilot Institutional Innovation

Test developed instruments in cities and communities, document feasibility, legal viability, democratic impact and institutional sustainability. Produce model legislation templates, policy briefs, implementation toolkits and comparative analysis.

06 — Why Here, Why Now

Why the Global Majority?

Global Majority contexts concentrate a rare combination of conditions that make them a living laboratory for democratic innovation: democratic fragility and polarization, high digital connectivity alongside deep inequality, recurring climate shocks affecting dense urban populations, and decentralized governance systems that allow municipal and state-level policy experimentation.

At the same time, these contexts have strong traditions of investigative journalism, civil society mobilization, and cross-border collaboration. This tension — between institutional stress and civic capacity — makes Global Majority contexts uniquely positioned to test and refine durable models of information governance that can strengthen democratic resilience and generate lessons transferable accross regions.

The tension between institutional stress and civic capacity makes the Global Majority uniquely positioned to test durable models of information governance.

07 — The Founder

Nina Weingrill

Nina Weingrill

Nina Weingrill is a Brazilian journalist, civic media leader and public policy scholar working at the intersection of information governance and democratic resilience.

She co-founded Énois, one of Brazil’s pioneering civic media organizations, with over 16 years advancing community-centered journalism in underserved territories. She also served on the founding board of AJOR (Brazilian Digital Journalism Association), representing 100+ independent news organizations nationwide, and co-created Brazil’s first National Journalism Support Fund, supported by five international foundations.

Nina holds a Master’s in Public Policy (FGV) and is currently a PhD student in Public Administration (FGV) and Knight-Wallace Fellow (University of Michigan). She is a former ICFJ Fellow and led the U.S. Civic Media Census through News Futures.

Contact her here: nina@diglab.info

08 — Institutional Home

An Institutional Home

D.I.G. will be incubated within the Brazilian Journalism Support Fund (Fundo de Apoio ao Jornalismo). The Fund operates philanthropically, has multi-foundation backing, and has governance and financial infrastructure already in place.

D.I.G. will function as a research and policy design arm focused on public governance.

09 — Network

Local Partners

  • This section is under construction If you are a person or an organization working with information, civic space and democracy

  • Become our partner Write to nina@diglab.info.