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About Ear to the Ground (ETTG)

Your complete local information hub.

Ear to the ground: (noun)
(idiomatic) The practice or characteristic of carefully gathering information; a state or mindset of attentiveness.
(attributively, usually hyphenated) Pursuing the practice or having the characteristic of carefully gathering information; well-informed.

ETTG (Ear to the Ground) is grassroots local information infrastructure for America - a single platform where you can find the news sources, government offices, community events, organizations, and public resources for any city, county, or state in the country. Our mission is to make local information findable, accessible, and independent: connecting every community with what’s actually happening where they live.

Our Story

ETTG started in 2024 with the belief that local news matters. In an age of information overload, we strive to highlight relevant sources and make it easy for communities to stay informed about what's happening in their area. The idea for ETTG began for our founder back in 7th grade, when he had to write twice-weekly reports on current events for school. "I remember wishing there was a single place to easily discover all news, especially local stories that mattered to my community. That idea never left me — and in 2024, I finally had the tools and the drive to build it.". Nearly two decades later, that wish inspired the creation of ETTG: a platform designed to make it simple for anyone to find and follow local news, events, resources, and more.

What We Offer

  • Nationwide Coverage: All 50 US states, 3,000+ counties, and 110,000+ cities - virtually any location in America has a dedicated page.
  • Local News: Continuously updated headlines from 7,000+ local newspapers, TV stations, radio outlets, and digital news sources.
  • Government Directory: Contact information and resources for city, county, state, and federal government offices serving your community at every level.
  • Community Events: Local events sourced and curated from hundreds of local outlets, calendars, and organizations across the country.
  • Community Groups & Organizations: Local nonprofits, civic groups, advocacy organizations, sports teams, and more - mapped to the communities they serve.
  • Local Spots: Points of interest, landmarks, and places tied to their communities.
  • Community Resources: Public services, food banks, legal aid, healthcare resources, and more - discoverable for any location.
  • School Districts: School district information linked to the geographic communities they serve.
  • Free Public API: Developers, journalists, researchers, and civic technologists can access all ETTG data through our free public API.
  • Platform Transparency: Curious about our actual reach? Our Impact & Coverage page shows live stats on sources indexed, articles ingested, geographic reach, and how many counties still lack a direct local source.
  • Community Corrections: Every listing has a Suggest an Edit link so anyone can propose field-level corrections (wrong website, outdated phone number, etc.). Location pages also have a Suggest a Correction link for broader feedback. Every suggestion is reviewed by our team before any change is applied.
  • Editorial Neutrality: We aggregate sources across the political spectrum without commentary - you decide what to read and who to trust.

New to ETTG? Check out our complete user guide to learn how to get the most out of the platform. We've made it simple to discover local news in just a few clicks.

What’s Next

We’re actively building ETTG into the most complete local information platform in America. On the horizon:

  • Local Timeline: A unified chronological feed for any city, county, or state - news, government activity, events, and community posts in one stream.
  • Place & Topic Alerts: Follow a place or topic and get notified the moment something happens that matters to you.
  • Trending Locally: See what stories and topics are gaining traction in your community right now.
  • Cross-Region Search: Search any topic across states or counties to understand how local stories connect to a national picture.
  • “Use My Location”: Instant local discovery - go directly to your city or county without having to navigate there manually.
  • Civic Intelligence Dashboards: Purpose-built tools for journalists, researchers, NGOs, and campaigns who need structured local data at scale.

Our Values

We see our abilities and opportunities as gifts from Jesus Christ. With His help, we hope to use said abilities and opportunities wisely - to serve our neighbors, strengthen our communities, and honor Him in all we do.

We are FIRM believers in the First Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech. This foundational principle guides everything we do - ensuring diverse voices are heard, protecting the free flow of information, and defending the vital role of a free press.

Get Involved

We welcome feedback, suggestions, and contributions from the community we serve. If you'd like to get involved or have ideas to share, please contact us.

How We Built This

ETTG was built by a small team using modern technology and AI-assisted development. This lean approach lets us focus on what matters most: helping communities stay informed. We're transparent about our methods - learn more on our Ethics & Transparency page.

Support Our Mission

ETTG is community-powered and independent. Help us keep local news free and accessible by supporting our work. Every contribution helps us keep improving and stay independent.

Thank you for supporting ETTG!