KQED-FM 88.5 has formed a news-reporting partnership with four local websites, Berkeleyside, OaklandLocal, NeighborWebSJs and SF Public Press.

The four local websites will provide KQED’s radio station and website with broader and more in-depth reporting. In exchange, the local sites will benefit from greater exposure of their work.

“Emerging news organizations such as Berkeleyside are vital to the information needs of the Bay Area,” said KQED News Director Bruce Koon. “It’s important for KQED News to support pioneering journalism efforts. Equally as important is what they can teach us about different communities and their issues and new approaches to news reporting.”

According to Berkeleyside, the collaboration is the latest result of Networked Journalism, a national project founded by J Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism, with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Networked Journalism aims to establish relationships between online-only media and more traditional news organizations. Other Networked Journalism projects are led by The Oregonian, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and The Seattle Times newspapers.