The Trust Press, a commercial printing facility launched by the National Trust for Local News to
address the skyrocketing costs of producing local news in Colorado, is now operational. The new
press is printing the publications of Colorado Community Media, also owned by the National
Trust, and will begin printing dozens of other local and ethnic newspapers in the new year.
Today, Giving Newsday, is the start of the 2024 #newsCOneeds Year-End Giving Campaign! By the end of December, 35 community newsrooms are engaged in a campaign to increase public awareness and grassroots support from individuals for the vital public service that journalism provides to our communities. They collectively aim to raise at least one million dollars to support local news - and they need your help!
Denver, October 16 - Press Forward Colorado today announced that nine local media outlets have been awarded $900,000 in grants as part of the Press Forward national foundation’s first open call for funding.
These nine Colorado newsrooms - Alamosa Citizen, Asian Avenue Magazine, Aurora Sentinel Community Media, El Comercio de Colorado, KVNF Mountain Grown Community Radio, Ouray County Plaindealer, San Miguel Basin Forum, Sopris Sun, and World Journal - will each receive $50,000 per year for the next two years to support their work serving their communities, and closing coverage gaps for communities of color, rural communities, and linguistically diverse communities.
In this pivotal time for the future of local civic news, CMP seeks candidates and nominations for its next Director. The Director will play a crucial role in advancing CMP’s mission to support sustainable, equitable, and community-centered journalism in Colorado. Reporting to CMP’s Executive Committee, and employed by CMP’s fiscal sponsor, the Rose Community Foundation, this leadership position requires a dynamic and strategic individual with a passion for public service and accessible civic information, exceptional relationship-building skills, and deep expertise in fundraising, strategic communications, coalition building, and organizational management.
The Colorado Community Media properties -- 24 in all -- were purchased by The National Trust for Local News. This is a new nonprofit organization whose mission is to support local news organizations like CCM so they can remain in local ownership and control, and make the transformations communities want from their local news organizations. This is the first deal of its kind in the nation.
News coverage can be seen below here:
New Deal: Colorado-national consortium buys community papers - Washington Post
How Colorado Sun Shone on 24 Newspapers - Denver Westword
‘Tell Stories That Matter:’ Colorado Community Media Sold to Journalism Partnership
Join CMP on Thursday, May 25, for Replanting Community News: Why a new chapter for 24 weekly newspapers matters for Colorado — and the nation, a panel discussing this transaction.
These trusted Colorado news sources will receive a total of $85,000 in grants to support local journalism and community listening and reporting projects that address critical information needs, questions, and concerns about uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine among communities of color and other marginalized groups.
In the summer of 2020, two surveys — one conducted by University of Denver (DU) with support from The Colorado Trust and the other one by Colorado Press Association (CPA) and Colorado News Collaborative (COLab) of their members and partners — assessed Colorado journalists’ views of their own news outlets and coverage, and of the state of the broader news ecosystem in Colorado. In their answers, journalists highlight strengths, identify weaknesses, and propose solutions for improving local journalism in Colorado.
Sen. Bennet’s co-sponsored legislation would create a 13-member commission to examine new pathways to public funding for local news that meets information needs and addresses inequities in coverage and representation. Journalists from outlets large and small and offered insights into how they're faring, prodded Bennet about what his bill might accomplish, and urged him to examine certain aspects he might not have considered.
In partnership with Colorado News Collaborative and News Revenue Hub, our 2020 #newsCOneeds campaign and matching grant challenge will become an ecosystem-wide, public awareness-building opportunity for all Colorado newsrooms to spotlight the positive impacts they are making in their communities, and to build trust in and support for their local public-service journalism.
“All politics is local,” so the saying goes. The same could be said for misinformation. The 2016 elections brought stories of Macedonian teens pulling quick profits and Russian agents seeding polarization across the United States. But 2020 is teaching us that whatever the origins of a rumor, misleading meme or photo, it is the local twist and organic amplification that give it power — often leading to impact offline.
This fall, we’re working with partners to help build a diverse, community-minded governing board and working committees to help guide the Colorado News Collaborative, or COLab. Innovative thinkers — particularly those from outside of the journalism field, outside of the Front Range, and from historically marginalized communities — let us know you’re interested!
Join the conversation:
