February 23, 2024

More than a dozen well-established nonprofit newsrooms across the country now have access to reliable election results, operational support and industry data as new members of the Institute for Nonprofit News. In total, this year INN has welcomed 19 news organizations, most of them founded before 2021, to its membership ranks.  

Most of the outlets focus on local and regional news coverage, which is the fastest-growing segment of INN membership — a trend noted in the INN Index. That’s a significant distinction during an election year and a time when many regional news outlets are laying off staff and shrinking coverage areas. INN members have access to state and national election results and related graphics through a recently announced collaboration with The Associated Press, with funding from the Google News Initiative. 

The majority of these new member news organizations cite goals of boosting reader engagement and to holding local governments accountable. Some focus on specific populations within their communities such as people experiencing homelessness (Street Spirit) and Black communities in Nebraska (the forthcoming Dreamland Report). Others cover specific topics, homing in on issues such as factory farming and animal policy (Sentient Media). INN also welcomed an affiliate member, News Ambassadors, that supports solutions-based journalism.

INN reviews membership applications and accepts new members throughout the year. Organizations applying to join INN are vetted by INN staff to ensure they meet standards for ethics, transparency, independence and quality of journalism and are then approved for membership by leading journalists on the INN Board of Directors.

As INN members, the news outlets have access to INN programs that will help them develop revenue and business models to support strong reporting, collaborate on editorial and business innovation, share services and advance the diverse leaders who are forging a new future for news.

“At a time when we’re seeing news organizations shrinking and shutting down, and with elections scheduled throughout 2024, it’s heartening to see so many new communities served by nonprofit newsrooms that are part of the INN Network,” said Jonathan Kealing, INN’s chief network officer. “Residents of these communities can rest assured that these news sources have the highest commitment to quality, transparency and independence.”

News organizations that are full members of INN regularly publish original investigative or public service journalism. They have 501(c)3 status or editorial independence from their fiscal sponsor. The newest full members of the INN Network are:

• The Allegheny Front of Pennsylvania focuses on local and regional environmental news and stories to help people connect to their communities and become part of the civic dialogue around those issues.
• Atlanta Community Press Collective is “an abolitionist, not-for-profit media collective” with a mission to make everyday workings of local government accessible to the public and “provide an independent voice in a local media landscape increasingly dominated by corporate interests.”
• CommonWealth Beacon in Massachusetts provides nonprofit, nonpartisan and original civic news coverage that aims “to build a more inclusive and vibrant civic culture” that makes local government more responsive and effective. 
• Down in the County is a North Carolina-based weekly publication that “fights conspiracy theories with reliable journalism and bridge-building by providing news literacy, training and ethical content from a diverse pool of local storytellers.”
• Fredericksburg Free Press provides independent journalism that “fosters social cohesion, encourages community participation, informs the public about local government decisions, promotes economic development, advances the arts, and ensures the social welfare” of residents of Virginia’s Fredericksburg Region.
• Houston Landing of Texas is ”devoted to public service journalism that seeks to strengthen democracy and improve the lives of all Houstonians one story at a time.” 
• KHNS News, based in Alaska, aims to “create a more informed public in Haines, Skagway and Klukwan — one challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures.”
• Long Beach Post focuses on providing a platform for the California city’s “diverse voices, holding those with power and influence to account and reporting the truth with authority, integrity and heart.”
• Mirror Indy provides “community-based journalism that informs and empowers Indianapolis, Indiana, residents to shape their city for the better.”
• Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, a regional publication based in Columbia, Missouri, aims to “enhance the quantity, quality, and impact of journalism on agriculture, water and related issues throughout the basin.”
• Root River Current is “committed to producing journalism and storytelling that builds community in southeast Minnesota’s greater Root River valley.”
• Sentient Media, based in San Francisco, provides national factory farming and animal policy coverage. It aims to boost “public awareness of the agriculture industry’s impact on the climate crisis, extraction of natural resources and systemic exploitation of those bound up in food production.” 
• Winter Park Voice covers the local city hall and beyond to “engage, inform and connect” residents on issues affecting the quality of life in Winter Park, Florida.
• WNYC / Gothamist “provides independent local journalism and civic information for New York City and the New York-New Jersey metropolitan region — on the radio, online, and through in-person civic dialogue.” 

Provisional members of INN receive support while working to fully meet INN’s membership standards for editorial excellence, independence and transparency. Provisional members often are fiscally sponsored by INN in order to receive nonprofit status with the IRS to launch their fundraising efforts. They can tap into INN’s Network Philanthropy Center to learn about fundraising and access resources for audience growth. They also benefit from the INN peer community that shares knowledge and tips.

Our current list of provisional members includes:

• Austin Free Press, based in Texas, aims “to empower Austinites through independent reporting, diverse opinions, and civil dialogue.”
• Baltimore Beat, a Black-led, Black-controlled newspaper and media outlet based in Maryland, aims to “honor the tradition of the Black press and the spirit of alt-weekly journalism with reporting that focuses on community, questions power structures and prioritizes thoughtful engagement” with readers.
• The Dreamland Report, which has not yet launched, aims to “catalyze a new relationship between Nebraska’s Black communities and journalism that prioritizes and platforms the voices of Black people.” 
• Street Spirit, an independent newspaper in the East Bay of San Francisco, is dedicated to covering homelessness and poverty from the perspective of those most impacted. 

Affiliate membership is open to organizations that share the INN mission of advancing nonprofit public service journalism but aren’t primarily newsrooms. This month, the INN Board welcomes News Ambassadors, which aims to reshape journalism with “news that uplifts common ground and explores solutions to wide-facing social problems.” Its mission is to “recruit radio stations and journalism schools to create these stories, and spread this groundbreaking approach.” Other affiliate members of INN include academic institutions — like Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism — and field-building organizations like American Journalism Project. To find one of more than 425 nonprofit newsrooms covering a specific region or topic across North America, visit the INN Network Directory.