Author Archives: Haeven Gibbons

Across West Virginia, public decisions are increasingly made without journalists — or residents — in the room. Legislative committees meet. Boards vote. Agencies set policies that shape daily life. Yet in many rural communities, no one is consistently present to witness and document what happens. When meetings go uncovered, decisions affecting education, healthcare, labor protectionsContinue reading “A Scalable Model for Rebuilding Rural Civic Information Systems: Black by God’s Folk Reporters Program”

Location: Remote (U.S.) | Reports to: CEO | Works closely with: Chief Development Officer Direct reports: Portfolio manager, Communications manager (and others as applicable) Status: Full-time, Exempt About The Pivot Fund The Pivot Fund empowers independent, community-rooted news outlets serving underrepresented urban and rural communities. We provide funding and strategic support that strengthens local newsContinue reading “We’re Hiring: Director of Programs”

A Great Lakes study of nearly 5,000 residents reveals that the crisis in local news isn’t access — it’s relevance. It’s been more than a decade since Tracie Powell — now founder and CEO of The Pivot Fund — emailed me with a simple question: Would I partner with her on a study examining howContinue reading “Journalism’s True North: The Audience”

Across West Virginia, public decisions are increasingly made without journalists or residents in the room. Legislative committees meet. Boards vote. Agencies set policies that shape daily life. In many rural communities, no one is consistently there to witness and document what happened, and that absence is an accountability problem. Pivot grantee partner, Black by God,Continue reading “Black by God’s Folk Reporters are rebuilding rural civic coverage in West Virginia”

Print isn’t dead. For many communities, it’s infrastructure. In the digital-first era, print is often framed as a platform newsrooms should move away from. But for many community-rooted and immigrant-serving outlets, print is central to their mission. It’s tied to how trust is built and it’s key for helping people access vital information, and theContinue reading “Why Print Still Matters for Community and Immigrant-Serving Newsrooms”

Black History Month often arrives wrapped in celebration—progress, perseverance, firsts. But this year, it begins with a sobering reminder that some of the most dangerous chapters of U.S. history are not behind us. They are repeating. Last Thursday, Black journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were arrested for doing their jobs. The charges—widely viewed asContinue reading “Black History Month Begins With a Familiar Repression of the Black Press”