Press Forward works to strengthen local news so communities stay informed, connected and engaged.
About Press Forward
Most Americans still want and value reliable local news about their communities, but it’s getting harder and harder to know who to trust online.
Trusted local outlets now compete with a patchwork of platforms that provide information but often lack depth, consistency, and connection. Meanwhile, local newsrooms— which provide verified, independent reporting—have been shrinking for years. Even if it’s not always obvious, every community feels the loss.
Strong local news does more than report facts. It connects neighbors, holds leaders accountable, and gives people the context they need to make decisions. When those connections fray, communities lose one of their most important sources of trust and shared understanding.
A Public Mandate
The American public already knows this work is essential. According to our national poll:
- 93% want independent local news in their communities.
- 74% say they trust local media.
- 66% rely on local news to make everyday decisions.
At a time when trust in so many institutions is fading, local news remains a rare and unifying source of credibility. The challenge is to ensure local outlets have the resources to meet demand with the depth and consistency communities deserve.
The Opportunity
After decades of experimentation and investment, real solutions are emerging. Sustainable models are taking root. New funding streams are being built. And a generation of dynamic newsroom leaders is stepping forward with vision and urgency.
Our Approach
Funding
$200 million + invested since 2023 to support independent, high-quality outlets.
Catalyzing
Bringing funders, newsrooms, and partners together to achieve impact no single funder could accomplish alone.
Advocating
Elevating local news as a public good—essential to strong, connected communities.
Press Forward’s Leadership
Press Forward’s Management Committee
Vidya Krishnamurthy
Chief Communications Officer and Senior Adviser to the President, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Our vision
The goal of this initiative is to catalyze a local news renaissance that will reshape the local news landscape and re-center local journalism as a force for community cohesion, civic participation, and government accountability.
We seek to fund programs and organizations that will bolster democracy at the local level, support greater diversity, lean in to digital technology, develop long term sustainable models, and help drive demand for the high-quality local news and information necessary for every member of every community to thrive.
Simply put, our ambition is to raise significant new resources for local news, and lower the transaction costs to both funders and grant seekers in the process.
Our work will be grounded in a set of shared values.
Prioritize transformation
We will invest in ideas that will have profound and lasting change in the American media landscape, and its role in our society. We believe the sustainability of local news will depend on shifting newsrooms practice, community support, philanthropic priorities, and policy frameworks to ensure all communities have access to trusted local news and civic information.
Center community needs
We will support the news and information local communities need to flourish, foster belonging, and embrace a pluralistic democracy. Journalism takes many forms and plays many roles in a democracy, but central is truth, accuracy, and independence. This effort is focused on meeting community information needs, expanding community-centered reporting, and listening to individuals and organizations in the field.
Enable growth with equity and diversity of thought
We will close longstanding inequities in media ownership, philanthropy, and journalism, so the future of local news in America is more relevant and better serves all communities, especially those that have been historically marginalized in media and democracy.
Ensure accessibility
We will move resources to trustworthy, independent journalism that is in service to, in demand by, and available to people across America. We see journalism as a public good, that must be accessible to the widest population regardless of economic, technological, or language barriers.
Independence and interdependence
We will ensure media in America can remain strong and independent in the face of threats, while cultivating a vision of local news that values collaboration, connection, and community. Freedom of the press is paramount to any vision of a thriving democracy. At its best, that press can and will make our communities more free too.