A scrappy news startup plows a new (and profitable) model for local news
What does the future of local journalism look like? There isn’t a single answer here. In Baltimore, the Banner launched, with a newsroom of more than 40 staffers, thanks to the backing of their billionaire owner. In Iowa, Gannett sold one of their local papers, not to a hedge fund, but to a husband and wife team who run a local, independent site. In Jacksonville, a longtime local reporter is building a journalism collective, an outlet owned and shaped by its staff. In Chicago, a prominent non-profit newsroom got a $10 million grant to expand a program where locals document public meetings.
And that’s just some of the news about local newsrooms from this summer alone.
There is still an audience for local news, and it might be up to savvy journalists — including some with ties to a legacy outlet in their market — to successfully cover their communities on their own. For a case study in pulling this off, look no further than The Charlotte Ledger, founded by Tony Mecia, a former business writer and editor at The Charlotte Observer.