Better Local Journalism, by Local Reporters, Is the Goal of a New Database

Sarah Baird, a journalist who created the database Shoeleather with the aim of improving coverage of smaller communities around the country, in Lexington, Ky., Oct. 25, 2018. Shoeleather connects journalists outside New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco with editors across the country. (Jessica Ebelhar/The New York Times)