Celebrate the first annual Local News Day by supporting journalism in your community
By Dan Kennedy Today is Local News Day — the first of what we can hope will become an annual reminder of the importance of community journalism. Organized by the nonprofit Montana Free Press, the event “is a national day of action connecting communities with trusted local news. Our mission is simple: reconnect people to…
Rachel White tells us how an AP initiative is helping state and local news outlets
On the latest “What Works” podcast, Ellen and Dan talk with Rachel White, CEO of the Associated Press Fund for Journalism. Rachel joined the nonprofit AP Fund for Journalism in 2024, after a 10-year run with The Guardian, the one-time print newspaper in the U.K. that has become a global digital powerhouse. In 2016, White…
Trouble in nonprofit paradise: Low pay, AI worries and a restive union lead to turmoil at VTDigger
By Dan Kennedy On Monday, Joshua Benton reported for Nieman Lab that VTDigger was the 17th-most-trafficked nonprofit news website in the U.S., with about 800,000 visits in January, the most recent month for which figures were available. That’s quite an accomplishment for a media outlet operating in a state where, as legend has it, there…
Zuri Berry tells us how The Banner, a nonprofit startup, is reviving local news in DC’s Maryland suburbs
On the latest “What Works” podcast, Ellen and Dan talk with Zuri Berry, the executive editor of The Banner in Montgomery County, Maryland. He’s also a Boston Globe colleague of Ellen’s from days of yore. The Banner is a nearly 4-year-old nonprofit digital startup founded in Baltimore that has been expanding into the Maryland suburbs…
A new report on nonprofit local news calls for collaboration — and warns that philanthropy has its limits
By Dan Kennedy After reading Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro’s interview with Richard J. Tofel about her new report, “Rebuilding Local Journalism at Scale: A Field-Level Analysis of Infrastructure Needs,” I was concerned that she was going to propose widespread consolidation in the local and hyperlocal news space. I was alarmed enough to write a blog post…
Please join our Facebook group to keep up on news about local news — and our upcoming webinar
We have started a Facebook group for people who are interested in keeping up on our activities — especially our upcoming free, all-day webinar for local news publishers, which will be held on Thursday, May 21. The group will also help us with our outreach as we get closer to the event. Please join today!
Barbara ‘Bob’ Allen tells us about the nexus of student journalism and local news
On the latest “What Works” podcast, Ellen and Dan talk with Barbara “Bob” Allen, a Los Angeles-based journalist, trainer and consultant who founded CollegeJournalism.org in 2025. The site provides resources and news for journalism educators and student media advisers across the country. Allen is also the editor of the Student Press Report, a brand-new national…
Local doesn’t scale: How community publishers can survive and thrive in the AI era
By Dan Kennedy Folks who work at finding solutions to the local news crisis are understandably frustrated at what a difficult, frustrating slog it can be. Earlier this week, Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro, the former executive director of the National Trust for Local News, gave Richard J. Tofel a preview of a report she’s written for…
Mark your calendar: Our May 21 webinar will offer free workshops on audience, events and AI
We are excited to announce that our 2026 What Works webinar aimed at practical skills for local news publishers will be held on Thursday, May 21. The free all-day event will comprise three interactive workshops on event planning, audience development and AI skills as well as a keynote address. We’ll be sure to announce more…
Dale Anglin tells us how Press Forward is leveraging local news to build community
On the latest “What Works” podcast, Ellen and Dan talk with Dale Anglin, the inaugural executive director of Press Forward, a philanthropic effort that is dedicated to funding local news initiatives nationwide. Before she was named as the leader of Press Forward, Anglin served as a vice president for grantmaking at the Cleveland Foundation. She…
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