Category Archives: News

When local news disappears, communities do not stop needing information. They adapt. Across Wisconsin, residents are piecing together information from Facebook groups, school district pages, podcasts, government newsletters, search engines, neighbors and community organizations — building their own systems to stay informed as traditional local news continues to shrink. But amid that fragmentation, one newsroomContinue reading “This local newsroom became a trusted source in a state where 60% of newspapers have disappeared”

People don’t always turn to a newsroom first when they need information. They ask a librarian. Check a neighborhood Facebook group. Stop by a community center. Talk at church. Open WhatsApp. Attend a local event. Reach out to a nonprofit they trust. Community spaces are increasingly functioning as informal civic information infrastructure — places whereContinue reading “Communities already have trusted information hubs. Publishers are tapping in”

As immigrant-serving and community-rooted journalists face legal threats, detention, funding cuts, and political retaliation, some are being forced out of public view altogether. BY TRACIE POWELL Across the country, trusted community journalists are losing grants, facing detention, navigating legal threats, and in some cases disappearing from public view altogether — not because their work lacksContinue reading “The Newsrooms Philanthropy Can’t See”

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”

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”

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”

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”

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”

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”

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”