1 of 19

Who’s your source?

THE NONPROFIT FUTURE OF JOURNALISM

2 of 19

Nonprofit news is a growing, nationwide movement to provide journalism as a public service.

News for good, not for profit

This profound change is bringing millions of Americans a new kind of news reporting:

Coverage based on public needs rather than profit
Nonpartisan by nature
Earning trust through independence and transparency
Offering inclusive, in-depth, high-quality reporting
Governed by a board of volunteer directors

TALKING POINTS

Being a nonprofit – a charity defined as a 501c3 in most cases – fosters a deep commitment to community and an investment in the reporting that is at the heart of great journalism.

And those two things create the conditions for exceptional news coverage that is growing across the country.

A few things you should know about this kind of news:

Nonprofit newsrooms are being launched as community assets rather than companies an owner can simply close down to use to take profits out of a community: one reason we’re seeing legacy newspapers decline.
They have independent boards that govern to ensure a public service mission.
As 501(c)3 orgs, they don’t endorse political candidates
And they have a culture and a corporate responsibility to build trust through transparency. The best news nonprofits tell you who funds their reporting, who does the journalism, and how they do it. They wear their values on their sleeves with statements of editorial independence and inclusion.

When you’re nonprofit, you’re not producing news as click-bait. You can invest in deep coverage, expert coverage, or in local news, in going out and meeting the community, engaging with people.

3 of 19

We’ve been losing our sources of news.

What’s at stake

More than a fifth of Americans live in places without a reliable source of local news. In these “news deserts”:

Participation in elections and civic life goes down
Government costs and corruption go up
Corporate crime increases
Misinformation grows
Democracy becomes more vulnerable

TALKING POINTS

Being a nonprofit – a charity defined as a 501c3 in most cases – fosters a deep commitment to community and an investment in the reporting that is at the heart of great journalism.

And those two things create the conditions for exceptional news coverage that is growing across the country.

A few things you should know about this kind of news:

Nonprofit newsrooms are being launched as community assets rather than companies an owner can simply close down to use to take profits out of a community: one reason we’re seeing legacy newspapers decline.
They have independent boards that govern to ensure a public service mission.
As 501(c)3 orgs, they don’t endorse political candidates
And they have a culture and a corporate responsibility to build trust through transparency. The best news nonprofits tell you who funds their reporting, who does the journalism, and how they do it. They wear their values on their sleeves with statements of editorial independence and inclusion.

When you’re nonprofit, you’re not producing news as click-bait. You can invest in deep coverage, expert coverage, or in local news, in going out and meeting the community, engaging with people.

4 of 19

The momentum behind the nonprofit news movement:

How nonprofits are turning the tide

Hundreds of newsrooms have launched in a decade
Bringing the public 1,100+ stories a day
Sharing that reporting with 7,000+ other news outlets
Reaching most American news consumers
Attracting strong, growing support from readers and individual donors

Photo by Luna Anna Archey for High Country News

5 of 19

Being nonprofit allows an investment in excellence and service:

The nonprofit news difference

Reporting consequential stories that otherwise go untold
Service-oriented reporting from and with communities
Nonpartisan news coverage
Transparency that earns trust: the public sees who controls a news outlet and who funds it
Inclusive coverage and more representative reporting
Engagement with the public: news as a two-way street

Photo courtesy of MinnPost

6 of 19

How communities benefit

Photo by Ricardo Rodríguez for Centro de Periodismo Investigativo

7 of 19

Relevant

A source for stories that matter to our lives.

Driven by community interest rather than a financial bottom line
More likely to generate difficult-to-tell, deep reporting
Reveals what is happening in and to our communities
Committed to telling stories that reflect our multicultural society

EXAMPLE

https://www.thetrace.org/2024/02/north-minneapolis-aniya-allen-kg-wilson/

The Trace and Sahan Journal partnered on a longform feature more than a year in the works. "The Lost Children of North Minneapolis" focuses on K.G. Wilson, a former gang member who started his community activism as a preacher in Minneapolis in 2004, and how he has sought justice for and honored youths lost to gun violence in the city.

A city spokesperson told project reporter Selin Thomas that the piece is “really good work. The story spans years of the trauma and triumphs of North Minneapolis residents. You treated each soul with care and provided context of different levels."

Since publishing a follow-up piece in late February 2024, Thomas has also heard from people nationwide whose children were shot and killed.

8 of 19

Trustworthy

A source for certainty and objectivity in a confusing and polarized world.

Free of a profit motive
Transparent in funding and governance
Nonpartisan in orientation
Rooted in communities rather than delivered to communities

9 of 19

Empowering

A means of strengthening communities

Exposing corruption
Holding people and institutions accountable
Leads to increased civic participation

EXAMPLE

https://www.invw.org/2023/12/13/reforms-coming-to-wa-elections-after-three-counties-settle-with-the-uclas-voting-rights-project/

Boulder County, Colorado’s elected coroner Emma Hall resigned after Boulder Reporting Lab obtained and first brought attention to an internal workplace investigation and report that revealed years of complaints about her from employees, a toxic work environment of antagonism and fear, and high turnover in an office that receives almost no public scrutiny or accountability. Complaints from employees, as well as from people in the community who had negative experiences with her after their loved ones died, were unknown to the wider public. As such, the coroner won extended term limits through a ballot measure only a few years ago. She was in her fourth term upon her resignation and would have been eligible for five consecutive terms, or 20 years in office.

This work highlights the vital importance of nonprofit community news that is committed to bringing back true hyperlocal accountability journalism for their communities.

10 of 19

Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Watch

11 of 19

The INN Network

An alliance of news organizations committed to shared values that advance excellence in journalism, trust between the press and the public it serves, and best practices for the nonprofit news field.

TALKING POINTS

The Institute for Nonprofit News was founded in 2009 as a consortium of about two dozen investigative news organizations and has grown to support more than 450 members. Together, the newsrooms in the INN Network are helping to fulfill INN’s mission of a world were people in every community have access to trusted sources of news.

It’s important to note that each INN member is an independent 501c(3) organization, or similarly structured entity, that provides news as a charitable service or public good.

To become members, applicants must demonstrate that they meet membership standards for journalistic quality, editorial independence and public transparency around the sources of their funding and their control. Once INN staff recommends an applicant for membership, the organization must be approved by experienced journalists on INN’s Board of Directors.

12 of 19

Scale

INN Network at-a-glance

450 nonprofit news organizations across the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean

Providing local or statewide coverage in about 49 U.S. states + Puerto Rico + DC

Reporting through ~ 4,000 journalists

Photo by Katia Patin for Coda Story

13 of 19

Growth

INN Network at-a-glance

200% membership growth since 2017

$800+ million network revenue

Photo courtesy of News Haven Community Radio / New Haven Independent

14 of 19

Stability

INN Network at-a-glance

90% of INN startups make it through the startup phase

Multiple revenue streams

Photo by Rob Lange for The Record North Shore

TALKING POINTS

INN has seen remarkable staying power among the startup members, with the vast majority operating three years after launch.

Foundations were the primary sources of funding when INN started in 2009, but over time nonprofit newsrooms have become more adept at attracting major gifts and earned revenue. Today, Two-thirds of nonprofit outlets operate with a portfolio of three or more revenue streams, including foundation funding, individual giving and earned revenue. They tend to be older, local, and have lower overall earnings. These are organizations that have learned to survive. Only one in eight nonprofit outlets relies on a single revenue stream.

The composition of philanthropic funding is changing, too: In 2022, for the first time, nonprofit news organizations attracted more matching funds from local funders than from national and regional foundations during NewsMatch, the year-end matching-gift campaign that is transforming how communities sustain and expand access to the news coverage they need.

Over time we are seeing more individual donors, more business income and more regional and local funders engaging with NewsMatch.

See INN Index data on revenue.

15 of 19

Diversity

INN Network at-a-glance

Racial and ethnic diversity of member staff reflects composition of U.S. population

More than half of executives are women

>20% of newsrooms primarily serve communities of color

Photo by Alyssa Schukar for The 19th

16 of 19

Depth

INN Network at-a-glance

More than two-thirds of INN members focus on investigative or explanatory journalism

Photo by Carol Connor for Oklahoma Watch

TALKING POINTS

Chart based on 2023 Index data.

In 2023, 6 in 10 organizations focused primarily on in-depth, time-intensive news, including investigations and explanatory reporting. These organizations invest in more cost-intensive endeavors like investigating injustices or communicating complicated topics to audiences (including local politics, government, environment and climate), often resulting in fewer, deeper stories than their news of the day peers.

One-eighth of outlets focus entirely on covering a single topic like criminal justice, education or gun violence.

Many nonprofit news outlets say they serve populations historically underserved by commercial media, including people of color as well as rural and low-income communities. Serving communities of color is either the primary mission or one of several core priorities, as outlined in their mission statement, for 60% of nonprofit news outlets. More than half say they target an underserved community that is not defined by race or ethnicity — typically low-income, rural and immigrant communities.

See here for more.

17 of 19

FindYourNews.org

18 of 19

Joining the movement for nonprofit news

Optional member slide

[Name of member] is proud to join fellow members of the INN Network in:

Bringing quality journalism to our communities and issue areas
Advancing high standards for news and countering misinformation
Attracting resources to make news and information more accessible to all

19 of 19

Join us in creating the nonprofit future of news.

Photo courtesy of The Atlanta Voice