What community publishers can learn from Michigan’s news ecosystem

More than a decade ago, veteran journalist and educator Joe Grimm studied Michigan’s local news landscape for a media ecosystem report. When he recently read The Pivot Fund’s new Michigan analysis, he saw something unsettling: many of the same challenges remain.

“That’s why I’m scared,” Grimm said. “The same problems we had 10 years ago are the problems we have now. We are sliding down a slope.”

The report considered the state of local media from the point of view of the audience, the people consuming news and information they consider essential to their day-to-day lives. The report found deep connections between Michiganders and the people purveying information, but it also noted the fragility of many of these outlets.

Despite having loyal audiences and long ignored deficits in hyper-local news, many of the media entrepreneurs cited in the report were existing without succession plans or sustainable business models. 

“That’s why I’m scared,” Grimm said. “The same problems we had 10 years ago are the problems we have now. We are sliding down a slope.”

Grimm joined Michigan State University in 2008 as an editor in residence after more than 30 years in newsrooms, including 25 years at the Detroit Free Press. He has spent his career developing journalists and studying how news ecosystems evolve.

His reflections echo what many community publishers already know: the work is essential, yet it’s getting harder to sustain.

Relevance starts with how people actually use information

One of Grimm’s biggest takeaways from The Pivot Fund’s report is its emphasis on listening directly to communities, an approach that mirrors what community publishers have been doing all along.

“One thing that I really like about what The Pivot Fund has done is it has talked to citizens about how they use media and what they want,” he said.

That approach is critical at a time when the meaning of “news” is no longer fixed, he said. 

The report shows that younger audiences are not disengaged; they’re just looking for information that fits into their daily lives, often outside traditional formats. People are deciding for themselves what is worth paying attention to. 

For publishers, that’s a signal that relevance depends on meeting real information needs.

“We need to serve them,” Grimm said. “That means going to where their interests are, not trying to pull them into traditional models.”

But Michigan’s audience is not moving in a single direction. It is one of the oldest states in the country and is aging faster than the national average. In 2001, it ranked 29th in the share of residents age 65 and older. By 2021, it had risen to 14th, according to the Population Reference Bureau. 

Today, nearly half of the state’s 10 million residents are over 40, and many of these older residents remain deeply loyal to traditional news sources, including print and television.

That dynamic sets Michigan apart from other states we’ve studied and creates a distinct opportunity: collaboration between legacy news organizations and emerging community publishers. 

Rather than competing for the same audiences, these models can complement each other, reaching different segments in ways that reflect how people actually consume information.

Trusted community media exists, but it’s under strain

The report makes clear that the foundation for a stronger ecosystem is already in place. But Grimm warns that this foundation is fragile, and time is running out to strengthen it.

“This is an urgent situation,” he said. “If we don’t act now, it won’t just be harder to rebuild local news. It will cost more to replace lost outlets, retrain new leaders, and reconnect with audiences who have already moved on.”

As local news continues to shrink, new pressures are compounding the challenge—from growing competition for attention to AI-generated “pink slime” content designed to mimic credible local reporting.

What’s becoming increasingly clear is that sustainability isn’t just about producing content. It’s about being embedded in the community itself.

At the same time, across Michigan, trusted community organizations are already doing the work.

In Flint, the model is embodied by Flint Beat, a nonprofit newsroom founded by journalist Jiquanda Johnson. A Flint native, Johnson returned home in 2017 to build a platform rooted in and accountable to the community. Since its launch, Flint Beat has become a leading source of local news, covering government, education, and public safety while practicing solutions journalism.

“I know we’re impacting and we’re making changes,” Johnson told The Pivot Fund. “We cover gun violence … we do a special issue for the aging and the people who care for them. We focus on the underserved and marginalized population.”

Johnson’s approach reflects a deeper principle: proximity builds trust. As a resident, she engages in the same daily rhythms as the people she serves—shopping locally, attending events, and maintaining relationships that inform her reporting. Those interactions shape coverage that reflects real community needs. 

As Flint Beat puts it: “Flint residents are not voiceless. They have a voice. Flint Beat is here to give them an opportunity to share that voice and to empower, impact and inform the community we serve.”

In Harbor Springs, Miigwech, Inc., a Native-led nonprofit, hired Indigenous journalist Sierra Clark to report by and for Indigenous communities, demonstrating a model that could be replicated by other trusted organizations serving Latino, Black, Asian, or rural populations. 

In Detroit, Mack Alive serves as a longstanding hub for the city’s east side Black community, where residents have expressed a desire not just for coverage, but for the tools to tell their own stories and report on their neighborhoods.

Public Media Network in Kalamazoo is doing just that. It has evolved into a participatory news hub, launching documentary training programs and creating a local news team that empowers community members to share their own stories. 

Meanwhile, Urban Aging News reaches older adults through a hybrid distribution model across more than 200 community sites. Grassroots outlets like Detroit One Million and Flint’s “Tha Morning Bump” podcast are building audiences by centering culture and lived experience.

But Grimm’s concern is not whether these models exist; it’s whether they can last.

He points to a deeper structural issue: many outlets remain underfunded, overextended, and dependent on a single founder. Some startups have already disappeared, while others struggle to sustain consistent content, technology, and growth.

“There’s more competition for people’s time than ever,” Grimm said.

At the same time, many long-standing community outlets are being carried by leaders nearing burnout or retirement, often without a clear succession plan.

That tension defines Michigan’s ecosystem today: the most trusted journalism is already happening inside communities, but without sustained support, much of it remains at risk.

The future will be built by those already doing the work

Grimm’s perspective points back to something simple, but powerful: the future of local news will be shaped by the people already doing the work. That means continuing to build from within communities, adapting to how audiences actually access information, and finding ways to sustain the work long-term.

For community publishers, that’s both a challenge and a reminder: the work you’re doing isn’t just filling gaps, it’s defining what local journalism becomes next.