The Courier Eco Latino’s innovative approach to diversifying revenue through its obituary platform is paying off—but not in the way originally expected. Since launching the initiative in October, the Columbus, Georgia-based news outlet has shown that building sustainable revenue is about flexibility, creativity, and staying deeply connected to community needs. Now partnered with more thanContinue reading “Courier Eco Latino Adapts Revenue Idea to Meet Community Needs”
Author Archives: Tracie Powell
How to Build a Hyperlocal Media Empire: Lessons from Georgia Fort
From maternity leave denial to a multiplatform powerhouse, Fort’s journey offers a roadmap for founders redefining journalism from the ground up. What does it take to build a media empire in 2025? For Georgia Fort, founder of digital platform BLCK Press, it started with a no—and turned into a national yes. When traditional media denied herContinue reading “How to Build a Hyperlocal Media Empire: Lessons from Georgia Fort”
Baltimore Beat Scoops National Press on Deportation Case
When Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported in a high-profile case that made national headlines, only one newsroom in Baltimore reported a critical detail others missed: that the government’s case relied on the testimony of a police officer deemed untrustworthy by a county’s state’s attorney’s office. That newsroom was Baltimore Beat. The story was reported by a freelancer andContinue reading “Baltimore Beat Scoops National Press on Deportation Case”
Rebuilding Local News: Insights from Community Media Leaders
At a recent webinar, media entrepreneurs Carmen Robles and Jolene Jones made one thing clear: community-rooted journalism is not just surviving in Minnesota — it’s reshaping how news is made and trusted. The conversation, moderated by The Pivot Fund and grounded in new research commissioned by the McKnight Foundation, explored how hundreds of Minnesotans view and accessContinue reading “Rebuilding Local News: Insights from Community Media Leaders”
Stories That Matter: Partnering to Tell Them With Care
At The Pivot Fund, we believe journalism can be a tool for healing as well as for truth-telling — especially when covering topics as sensitive and urgent as domestic violence. That’s why we partnered with the Blue Shield Foundation of California to produce a webinar aimed at strengthening trauma-informed reporting practices across the country. Together,Continue reading “Stories That Matter: Partnering to Tell Them With Care”
When Funders Treat Community as an Afterthought, News Organizations Crumble
The collapse of the Houston Landing, a widely discussed, Texas-based nonprofit newsroom that received millions in philanthropic backing, sent shockwaves through the journalism funding world, which has placed enormous hope in the nonprofit model for reviving local news. But it shouldn’t have been a surprise. The Landing was a skyscraper built on sand — designedContinue reading “When Funders Treat Community as an Afterthought, News Organizations Crumble”
How Trauma-Informed Reporting Built Trust—and Won an Emmy
When NotiVisión Georgia set out to report on domestic violence in Latino communities, their goal wasn’t accolades—it was healing. But the newsroom’s commitment to trust, cultural care, and deep listening led to a powerful, Emmy-award winning series that reframed the way domestic violence is understood and discussed in Middle Georgia. Earlier this month, The PivotContinue reading “How Trauma-Informed Reporting Built Trust—and Won an Emmy”
As Nonprofit News Is Targeted, Co-ops Offer a Way Forward
Nonprofit journalism is under pressure—and under fire. With rising scrutiny from politicians and increasing calls for audits, oversight, and even revocation of nonprofit status, media entrepreneurs face an uncertain road ahead. The chilling effect is real, especially for nonprofit newsrooms focused on accountability, equity, and public-interest reporting. In this landscape, cooperative media offers a powerful alternative—one that’sContinue reading “As Nonprofit News Is Targeted, Co-ops Offer a Way Forward”
285 South’s Groundbreaking Reporting Recognized for Impact
We’re proud to share that 285 South, a grantee of The Pivot Fund, has been named a finalist in two categories at the 2024 Atlanta Press Club Awards: Digital News and the Rising Star Award for reporter Gabriela Henriquez Stoikow. The team is also a nominee for the Center for Civic Innovation’s 2024 Good Trouble Honors—recognition thatContinue reading “285 South’s Groundbreaking Reporting Recognized for Impact”
What Selling My House Revealed About How Our Industry Values Us
Last spring, I put my house on the market and got a crash course in valuation—not just in real estate, but in journalism too. Like many of you, I’ve poured time, money, and love into my home. My neighborhood is one of those quietly transforming American suburbs, shifting from mostly white public-sector workers to aContinue reading “What Selling My House Revealed About How Our Industry Values Us”