Sarah Baird, a journalist from Richmond, Ky., together with the developer Cameron Decker, has developed a tool to promote better local reporting. It is Shoeleather, a database aimed at connecting journalists outside the nation’s media hubs — New York City, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco — with editors across the country for the purpose of reporting on their home regions. Since it was announced on Twitter in late September, more than 400 reporters representing ALL 50 STATES have registered, Ms. Baird said.
