Press Forward is launching a new docuseries, “Reimagining Local News,” that shines a light on the people and models across the country writing a new story for local news. Hosted by journalist and author Charles M. Blow, the series explores what’s working in local news and how solutions are in reach. You can watch the series now at ReimaginingLocalNews.com. Below … Read More
When Press Forward launched two years ago, we had an ambitious five-year goal: to mobilize $500 million to strengthen the local news that serves communities. Today, we’re proud to share that our network of funders has invested more than $400 million in just two years – an amount that will continue to grow. This milestone is more than a number. … Read More
The story of local news has long been told as one of crisis: mass layoffs, shuttered papers, hedge fund takeovers, and news deserts. It’s a compelling narrative, but not always a persuasive one. While news leaders and funders understand how dire the situation is, that messaging often leads community members to tune out. It’s not that people don’t care; it’s … Read More
How can a newsroom best use $100,000? Three Press Forward grantees discussed their real-world cases of using grants for long-term good last week during LION’s annual Independent News Sustainability Summit in St. Louis. “A grant is a gift, but it’s also an opportunity,” Graham Ringo, Press Forward grantee engagement and support manager, said as she opened the panel. The three … Read More
Impact snapshot from a Press Forward grantee newsroom Who: Lisa Snowden, editor-in-chief and co-founder, Baltimore Beat Where: Baltimore, Md. What: Baltimore Beat was started in 2017 after the demise of Baltimore City Paper, a 40-year-old alt-weekly newspaper. It is a Black-led newspaper and online news outlet. The Beat became a nonprofit in 2019, and received a gift of $1 million … Read More
The release of Commoner’s new white paper, “This is Local News Now,” couldn’t be better timed – or more hopeful. Press Forward commissioned this piece months before the federal government defunded public media. But the central thesis of the report gains even more relevance with the impending shutdown of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is already prompting large-scale reimagining … Read More
By Mark Glaser Public media has been a stalwart provider of local news in communities around the country for decades. Now the system is being severely challenged after the loss of $1.1 billion in federal funding and the closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. And that’s particularly dire in rural and Native communities, where the share of federal funding … Read More
When Kimberly Spencer became director of the Colorado Media Project (CMP), home to Press Forward Colorado, she had one clear priority: listen first. Spencer, who stepped into the role in February 2025, spent her first two months meeting with newsrooms across the state to ask what roadblocks they’re facing. Some answers were expected — like revenue challenges and hiring concerns. … Read More
Impact snapshot from a Press Forward grantee newsroom By Mark Glaser Who: Nancy Flores, editor and publisher, Austin Vida What: Flores relaunched an online magazine that had been shuttered for five years, reimagining it for a new generation of bi-cultural Austinites with a solutions journalism lens. Austin Vida is a digital Latino news and culture outlet. Austin Vida has curated … Read More
