Apply to join the Local Newsroom Revenue Project

This pilot project will help newsrooms do high-quality solutions journalism stories and series, and use this journalism to raise revenue.

In October, SJN brought several news organizations together at the Richland Source in Mansfield, OH. Participants shared case studies and best practices for revenue generation and fundraising using solutions journalism. (photo credit: Skyler Reid)

Note from SJN: This announcement has been modified to reflect a change in the deadline to apply for the project. Due to the volume of applications, we will now only have one round that will close on December 6th.

Journalism is in urgent need of repair, on two fronts. Journalism must once again become valued and trusted by the public. And local news organizations desperately need new business models.

The Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) believes (not surprisingly) that solutions journalism can help with both crises. We are launching the Local Newsroom Revenue Project, a pilot supported by the Google News Initiative, which will run until March 2021.

This project will help newsrooms do high-quality solutions journalism stories and series, and use this journalism to raise revenue.

By using rigorous reporting to tell the full story, solutions journalism can build a better relationship between a news organization and the community it serves. Our hypothesis is that these relationships have the potential to unlock the support local news organizations need.

SJN will select approximately 10 newsroom partners based across the US. Applicants should be local news organizations facing financial difficulties and serving communities that are marginalized in some way. In addition, they should demonstrate a commitment to producing solutions journalism and developing revenue streams (ie. reader revenue, fundraising, sponsorship, …). Selected newsrooms will also form a community of practice and must be dedicated to share and learn from each others’ experiences.

The local newsroom revenue project manager, Alec Saelens, will work with SJN’s regional managers to deliver solutions journalism training. Alec will also bring in experts to help newsrooms identify revenue opportunities, and provide in-person as well as remote help and coaching as needed on both parts of the project.

In addition to receiving training and coaching from SJN and a range of experts, selected newsrooms will receive small grants (up to a total of $10,000) to support solutions journalism projects and business experiments built around that journalism. They will also be advised on other SJN grants available to support their solutions reporting.

The deadline to apply to join this project is Friday December 6th 2019.

Find out more about the four key ingredients of solutions journalism here.

Selection Criteria

Partners in SJN’s Local Newsroom Revenue Project will:

Serve people from at least one of the following categories: (1) rural areas, news deserts, communities struggling to access news; (2) African-American, Latino/a/x, Native-American, or immigrant communities; (3) socio-economically deprived urban area

Face financial challenges, such as the loss of an income stream, the reduction of revenue from particular sources, and difficulties in fostering business growth.

Have been exposed to solutions journalism.

Be committed to producing solutions journalism regularly.

Have at least one team member who can lead the development of revenue streams.

Have ideas about possible new revenue streams.

Be willing to form a community of practice with other newsroom partners, and share learning from the experiments.

Be either nonprofit or for-profit, using any business model.

Be a local media outlet based in the US.

Contact

If you have any questions about the Local newsroom revenue project or your application, please contact alec@solutionsjournalism.org.