This summer, scholars Nikki Usher and Sanghoon Kim-Leffingwell’s paper, “How Loud Does the Watchdog Bark?” was published in the International Journal of Press/Politics. This research is an indicator that nonprofit, local news organizations are beneficial to democracy — and that funding for the field is imperative.
Mississippi Today’s Pulitzer win highlights the value that local, nonprofit news can bring to communities
CEO Sarabeth Berman: “We make the case for philanthropy: if you care about education in your community, you should be concerned about whether or not the school boards are covered. If you care about immigration, you should be concerned about whether or not our border is properly [reported on]."
We have a keen interest in understanding what people actually need from their local news outlets. That’s why, as part of our local philanthropic partnership work, we’ve heard from nearly 5,000 residents in eight local markets across the country about their experience with journalism in their communities and the local info they need.
This month, we celebrated the rise of local nonprofit news at AJPalooza, the American Journalism Project’s annual gathering. For three days, AJP’s grantee partners, supporters, board members and staff gathered in Cleveland to explore new, sustainable approaches to solving the country’s local news and information crisis. We left AJPalooza 2023 feeli
The American Journalism Project made its first philanthropic investments in public media with the goal of examining the role public media could play in rebuilding local news. Halfway through this program, we explore the progress being made so far during these pilot grants.
We are in the midst of a fundamental transformation in how we finance and sustain local news, and with the help of programs like the Local News Incubator, we'll continue to see this momentum build as a new generation of organizations lead the way.
In 2022, our grantees met the moment with ingenuity, resilience, and determination.
AJP CEO, Sarabeth Berman: “Nonprofit does not mean non-commercial. The goal is to leverage philanthropy to establish these nonprofit organizations [and] build into a place where they can become self-sustaining.”
We’re building a movement for local news.
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