Simply translating news stories is not enough to serve multilingual communities effectively. Across The Pivot Fund’s Great Lakes landscape analyses, residents repeatedly described turning away from traditional outlets that failed to understand how their communities communicate, build trust, and share information. Instead, participants across Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin said they gravitated toward journalism thatContinue reading “Serving multilingual communities with care, cultural competency: Lessons from Pivot’s landscape research”
Author Archives: Haeven Gibbons
El Tímpano’s Civic Partnerships Playbook Offers a New Revenue Path for Hyperlocal News
For many hyperlocal publishers, traditional local news revenue models built around advertising, affluent audiences, and memberships simply are not reality in the communities they serve. Low-income, rural and underrepresented communities often lack the financial foundation that serves as the underpinnings of many traditional outlets. El Tímpano is offering another approach to sustainability. The Bay AreaContinue reading “El Tímpano’s Civic Partnerships Playbook Offers a New Revenue Path for Hyperlocal News”
Reaching Audiences Where They Are: What Connie Ballmer’s NPR Donation Signals for Philanthropy
Connie Ballmer gets it. Her $80 million donation to NPR, isn’t notable just because of the sum. It’s also important to journalism philanthropy because it signals a shift from supporting the cause of journalism to investing in work that reaches audiences where they are. Ballmer didn’t make the largest ever donation by a living donorContinue reading “Reaching Audiences Where They Are: What Connie Ballmer’s NPR Donation Signals for Philanthropy”
What AI Means for Community Newsrooms—and Why It Matters for Funders
I recently learned that a chart-topping song I’d been listening to for weeks wasn’t sung by a real person. The voice—the phrasing, the emotion—felt authentic. It was anything but. That same dynamic is now showing up in journalism—much closer to home. The Mississippi Free Press recently discovered it had unknowingly published an AI-generated opinion columnContinue reading “What AI Means for Community Newsrooms—and Why It Matters for Funders”
When the Byline Isn’t Real: What the Mississippi Free Press Incident Means for Independent Newsrooms
I recently learned that a chart-topping song I’d been listening to for weeks wasn’t sung by a real person. The voice—the phrasing, the emotion—felt authentic. It was anything but. That same dynamic is now showing up in journalism—much closer to home. The Mississippi Free Press recently discovered it had unknowingly published an AI-generated opinion columnContinue reading “When the Byline Isn’t Real: What the Mississippi Free Press Incident Means for Independent Newsrooms”
Passing the Torch: A Legacy Continued at The Atlanta Voice
For nearly five decades, Janis Ware has worked out of the same building—the longtime home of The Atlanta Voice. Now, she’s stepping back and passing the paper to the next generation. “To be in a position… to transfer to the third generation is something that has to be celebrated,” she said. In community journalism, thatContinue reading “Passing the Torch: A Legacy Continued at The Atlanta Voice”
Without Legal Infrastructure, Local Accountability Reporting Breaks Down
In Harvey, Illinois—just outside Chicago—accessing basic public records can require a lawsuit. For Amethyst Davis, founder of the Harvey World Herald, that reality shapes what journalism is possible. In a place she describes as a “legal desert,” few attorneys are available to support accountability reporting, and many represent the very government entities she is tryingContinue reading “Without Legal Infrastructure, Local Accountability Reporting Breaks Down”
The Local News Crisis Is an Audience Crisis
What Wisconsin reveals about the future of local journalism—and why rebuilding starts with the audience. Wisconsin offers one of the clearest pictures of where local journalism stands today. From Milwaukee to rural communities, traditional newsrooms no longer meet the demand for hyperlocal information. But outlets like Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service (NNS) show what does work—reportingContinue reading “The Local News Crisis Is an Audience Crisis”
What Youth Trust Requires—and What Funders Should Support
As media habits shift and trust in institutions declines, community publishers face an urgent question: how do they build meaningful relationships with younger audiences? For funders, the more important question is: what kinds of investments actually make that trust possible? Insights from The Pivot Fund’s recent webinar—featuring leaders from Atlanta’s VOX ATL, Minneapolis’ ThreeSixty Journalism,Continue reading “What Youth Trust Requires—and What Funders Should Support”
Michigan Shows the Gap Between Community Trust and Sustainable Funding
More than a decade ago, veteran journalist and educator Joe Grimm, who spent 25 years at the Detroit Free Press, studied Michigan’s local news landscape. When he revisited it through The Pivot Fund’s latest analysis, his conclusion was stark: the same problems remain. “The same problems we had 10 years ago are the problems weContinue reading “Michigan Shows the Gap Between Community Trust and Sustainable Funding”