Supporting Local Journalism

Image

Supporting Local Journalism for Stronger Communities

In a media landscape increasingly plagued by misinformation and eroded trust, local journalism plays a crucial role in informing and empowering communities. As local news outlets across the United States continue their steep decline, newsrooms are eagerly searching for holistic support—spanning not just technology, operations, and financial resources, but also community engagement—to strengthen and sustain impactful local journalism.

That’s why we launched our yearlong StoryReach U.S. Fellowship program, which supports nine journalists working with U.S. local newsrooms—from Texas to Indiana, Missouri to Alaska. Our Fellows work with Pulitzer Center staff to develop reporting projects that resonate deeply with audiences, ensuring they see themselves, their issues, and their aspirations reflected in the news.

From uncovering environmental hazards to shedding light on barriers to health care, with the right kinds of support, the work of these dedicated journalists has the opportunity to drive real change and keep communities informed and safe. Here are a few recent examples from our Fellows:

• Jasmine Aguilera (El Tímpano) and reporting partner Cassandra Garibay exposed Oakland’s delay in using millions from a 2019 lead paint settlement to address lead contamination. Their investigation, "Toxic Inaction," has already led Alameda County officials to urge Oakland to spend some of the $5 million in settlement funding to protect students from lead exposure in schools.
• Lorena O'Neil (Louisiana Illuminator) broke news on Louisiana's restrictive law for misoprostol, a lifesaving medication for pregnant women, bringing national attention to reproductive rights. Her reporting was cited in a recent lawsuit by health care providers challenging the law as unconstitutional.
• Ashton Pittman (Mississippi Free Press) and reporting partner William Pittman uncovered incorrect polling place and unreported precinct changes that could have misled Mississippi voters just days before the election. His work caught the eye of national civil rights organizations and could inspire reforms to strengthen voting access across the state.
• Jenae Barnes (Capital B Gary) launched her series with “Toxic Air, Limited Care: The Cost of Motherhood in Gary, Indiana,” which explores the high cost of motherhood in Gary—a predominantly Black community facing severe health disparities. Her reporting highlights the systemic challenges faced by mothers and infants in a state with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation.

These stories underscore why local journalism matters. They also illustrate how experimenting with new ways to engage audiences—both online and in person—can strengthen newsrooms' connections to their communities and create a meaningful impact. Given the many challenges facing newsrooms today, support for this form of journalism is essential for robust civic engagement, greater accountability, and a well-informed public.

Image

Impact

Musinguzi Blanshe, a 2023 Rainforest Investigations Fellow, has won the African Investigative Journalist of the Year award. Blanshe was celebrated for his Pulitzer Center-supported investigation, Timber Smuggling: From DRC, through Uganda, to the Rest of the World, uncovering the networks involved in smuggling timber from the Democratic Republic of the Congo into Uganda, where it is then processed and exported globally.

Blanshe accepted the award at the annual African Investigative Journalism conference, where Pulitzer Center delegates spoke on six panels and in training sessions, covering tips for pitching grant proposals, AI reporting and open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools, and in-depth environmental reporting in Africa. 

Photo of the Week

Image

This message first appeared in the November 15, 2024, edition of the Pulitzer Center's weekly newsletter. Subscribe today.

Click here to read the full newsletter.