Connecting people with information about what’s happening in their community to make informed decisions has become a growing challenge in many parts of the country.

The media landscape has been rapidly changing since the early 2000s, particularly since the 2008 recession. Local newspapers and television stations have been forced to adapt their business model to shifting revenue patterns based on how people consume news.

Data from the Pew Research Center shows:

• Newsroom employment (in newspapers and television) dropped nearly 25 percent in less than a decade.

• Newspapers have been the hardest hit. For instance, in 2017, 39,210 people worked in newsrooms, a 15 percent drop since 2014 and a 45 percent drop since 2004.

With continued newsroom layoffs, there’s less staff to provide comprehensive local coverage. In addition, the digital age has forced some newspapers to close shop all together.

In addition to those challenges, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation published research which showed the public’s declining trust in the media. The foundation’s report shows that 69 percent of adults who participated in the survey say “their trust in the news media has decreased in the past decade.”

This decline in newsroom capacity and  trust from the public present real challenges in ensuring communities receive comprehensive local coverage and information on local issues and that its being viewed as factual and accurate.

We are seeing philanthropy supporting innovative approaches to address these challenges to ensure this critical public service continues.

CMF member, The Knight Foundation, has been working deeply in the area of building capacity and support for factual nonpartisan reporting.

“An informed citizenry is essential for a well-functioning democracy. Local news organizations ensure the people can determine their best interests,” Alberto Ibargüen, president of The Knight Foundation said.

The Knight Foundation has produced a robust body of resources and research around the challenges facing journalism and solutions the foundation is funding to create systemic change.

The foundation provided $500,000 this year to support collaboration between the Center for Investigative Reporting and local newsrooms.

Earlier this fall, the foundation announced a new $20 million national fund in collaboration with the Lenfest Institute for Journalism to strengthen local journalism for the digital age, with a focus on areas where news organizations are facing challenges.

The Knight Foundation isn’t alone. We are seeing growth in an emerging brand of journalism, community journalism, supported in many cases by philanthropy.

Community journalism is generally defined as locally-oriented news coverage focused on city neighborhoods or small towns which highlights issues facing the residents and lifts up solutions.

Issue Media Group (IMG), based in Detroit, was named one of the 18 newsrooms in the U.S. to receive grants from the Community Listening and Engagement Fund, funded in part by the Knight Foundation.

IMG is a media company that “publishes local online magazines about growth, investment, and the people leading cities across the country into the new economy.”

In addition to Knight’s grant to IMG, at least 10 CMF members are supporting IMG digital publications in their region.

Epicenter, a weekly IMG publication which launched in August, is supported by the Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation.

“Joining with several funding partners throughout our county, we have been able to offer an alternative news source that focuses on positive news about local people, emerging assets, economic and community development,” Amanda Schafer, executive director, Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation told CMF. “The stories told feature entrepreneurs with creative ideas, businesses making big waves far beyond our county borders and community problem solving through philanthropy. Epicenter highlights the very best of who we are and the incredible place we live, work, learn and play.”

We’re seeing these publications launching around the state.

The Midland Area Community Foundation supports Catalyst Midland, an IMG publication.

“In the Knight Foundation’s Soul of the Community study, places with the highest levels of community attachment have the highest rates of local economic growth,” Sharon Mortensen, president and CEO, Midland Area Community Foundation said. “We also know that talent attraction is critical to the success of our area. Telling these stories is essential to attracting and retaining talent.”

Another example is Flintside, supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Ruth Mott Foundation and Community Foundation of Greater Flint, which covers economic development, neighborhoods, health and transportation in the Flint area.

Want more?

Check out The Knight Foundation’s collection of research and work in journalism.