By Ilana Newman for The Daily Yonder.
Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration

With rural newsrooms nationwide struggling, a push to fund local news infrastructure comes from Press Forward, a coalition of national funders, including foundations like the MacArthur Foundation and the Knight Foundation, coming together to fund journalism through a coordinated effort.

Beyond its nationwide pursuits, Press Forward also supports local chapters aiming to bring together smaller foundations to continue to fund local news.

Announced in 2023, Press Forward pledged more than half a billion dollars to support local newsrooms across the country. Local news is vital for government accountability, fighting misinformation, civic engagement, and strengthening social ties.

According to the State of Local News Report for 2024, three-quarters of news deserts are located in USDA-characterized rural communities. Rural communities also are underserved by publications other than print, despite rising print costs. In the past year, more than 30 publications dropped their print publication entirely, going fully digital.

In the San Luis Valley, in rural southern Colorado, Chris Lopez saw a space for an alternative digital news source, despite the majority of digital-only news sources being housed in urban environments.

Lopez grew up in Alamosa, Colorado -population 9,833- but spent 30 years working for several newspapers, before returning to Alamosa in 2015. Lopez and his wife, MaryAnne Talbott started the Alamosa Citizen - a digital publication with original reporting and feature stories - in 2021, as an experiment.

"We felt that there was an opportunity in the market for something more regular, more robust, and told a different type of story than police blotters and things like that," Lopez said.

The Alamosa Citizen was one of nine Colorado newsrooms, six of which were in rural communities, to receive $100,000 over two years in the first open call for national Press Forward funding in October. While many publications are discontinuing the print side of publication due to increasing costs and fewer printers, Lopez founded the Alamosa Citizen as an online only publication intentionally.

Print publications have continually cut their coverage due to a lack of resources, said Lopez, causing frustration in readers who want real news, not a thin newspaper full of ads. Lopez said that the Alamosa Citizen reaches a wider audience than the local print newspaper because of geographic availability. He also hopes to reach a younger audience and instill a lifelong news habit in young readers.

"We're converting older people to the platforms. Our young audience of 18 to 35 will blow you away in terms of their engagement and activity," Lopez said.

Infrastructure Funding

Press Forward is accepting grant applications to support local news infrastructure until January 15th, 2025. These grants will support audience development, operations, revenue generation, and staff.

Sam Moody, associate director of Colorado Media Project, sees Rocky Mountain Community Radio (RMCR), a coalition of non-commercial radio stations around Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico, as a perfect example of the infrastructure-building work that will support rural news in the Mountain West.

"Our real benefit of our increasingly digital age is the way that information can and often needs to be shared across communities, especially rural communities," said Moody in a Daily Yonder interview.

RMCR strengthens the capabilities of each local radio station member, some of which have newsrooms without full-time reporters, or share staff with other outlets. It provides resources, stories, and support, said managing editor Maeve Conran. Conran shares content created by each station for distribution by the entire coalition. RMCR also facilitates collaborative reporting and idea sharing.

"We have an opportunity as a coalition to really leverage infrastructure money because we can share resources and infrastructure resources across an entire coalition. It doesn't just have to go to one station," Conran said.

Conran sees Press Forward funding as valuable because it is general operating funding instead of project-specific funding - something that a small rural radio station doesn't have the capacity to pursue. Rocky Mountain Community Radio plans to apply for infrastructure funding during this round of Press Forward funding.

Press Forward's local chapters offer another opportunity for rural news organizations to get funding. In February 2024, Colorado became one of what is now 31 local Press Forward chapters, including other rural regions like Central Appalachia. Colorado Media Project is the home of the Colorado chapter and is in the process of hiring a director for the program, according to Moody.

Corey Hutchins is a professor of journalism at Colorado College and writes a newsletter called "Inside the News in Colorado". Hutchins said that news in Colorado used to be siloed until organizations like Colorado Media Project (which he advises) came to be.

"It's created a statewide local journalism scene that is collaborative, where partnerships are easily formed, and a place where people involved in local journalism have support in a way I don't think they had in the past," Hutchins said.

With rural newspapers closing all the time, like Flagler News in eastern Colorado closing just before the new year, there is even more need for sustainable funding for local news.

Lopez is confident that the Press Forward funding will get the Alamosa Citizen to their five-year mark, but what happens after that is still unclear. "We have to keep building if we're going to stick around," said Lopez.


Ilana Newman wrote this article for The Daily Yonder.


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By Kyla Russell for WISH-TV.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration

Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith said he supports efforts to redistrict Indiana's U.S. House seats, and he's seen what could be redrawn maps floating around, but has not seen any official maps.

He shared his thoughts on Friday in a one-on-one interview with I-Team 8.

"People want to scream about gerrymandering. Listen, every state does it. Democrats do it. Republicans do it. I think what Republicans have kind of fallen into the trap of doing for many years in the establishment way of thinking is if we just play nice, they'll play nice, if and when they're in power. We found out that that doesn't happen. So, listen, we've got the ball. We need to run the ball down the field, and we should do everything we can to make big wins for Republican principles, constitutional concepts and I believe ... the Republican Party embodies those principles better than the other party does. So, I'm fully in support of President Trump and his offensive-minded strategy here."

Beckwith told I-Team 8 he does not know exactly what happened on Thursday in a closed-door meeting at the Statehouse with Vice President JD Vance, Gov. Mike Braun and other top state lawmakers.

However, Beckwith said, he is aware of the taxpayer cost to calling a special session.

He says it's worth it.

"I think in the long run, if we can get the outcome that we're looking for, I think it will be certainly we're going to have to spend money. Yes, they are expensive. Nobody takes that lightly. That is certainly a conversation that needs to be had, and we need to look at that. But, I do think if we can take the 1st and 7th districts back, and really make Indiana a powerhouse red state, and then also give Washington a boost with a little bit more in the majority there. I think, economically, it will pay off in the long run, and I think we'll see our investment have big returns."/p<>


Kyla Russell wrote this article for WISH-TV.


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A public funding mechanism for Seattle elections is up for renewal in next week's election.

The Democracy Voucher program was passed 10 years ago. It offers voters four $25 vouchers to use each election cycle for candidates who accept certain fundraising and spending limits. Supporters said it is a model for more inclusive democracy, touting higher turnout, increased participation from more small donors and a more diverse candidate field.

Spencer Olson, spokesperson for the group People Powered Elections Seattle, which supports Proposition 1, said the program helps level the playing field.

"It's really important that people's voices are heard and that candidates can run being supported by their constituents," Olson contended. "Versus just listening to those wealthiest donors, those special interests that have historically been the loudest voices at the table and really dominated what priorities rise to the top."

The voucher is supported by a property tax. Olson and other supporters hope to bring the model statewide. Critics said the program is not big enough to make a difference in elections and has not curbed outside spending. Ballots are due by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Olson pointed out the vouchers have succeeded in encouraging more diverse participation in local elections.

"The intention of the program was to bring a public financing program to Seattle elections to help empower more candidates -- more diverse candidates, women, renters, people of color -- to have equal access to be able to run, and run competitive elections without having to rely on wealthy donors, special interests," Olson emphasized.

Olson noted because the money comes from a dedicated tax levy, unused vouchers roll over to the next election.

"The goal isn't to create an unlimited pot of money but to be able to provide resources for candidates to run with the community's support," Olson stressed. "But it's not a blank check at the same time."


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Texas lawmakers will return to Austin on July 21 for a special legislative session called by Gov. Greg Abbott.

The 18 items on the agenda include redrawing congressional maps. Redistricting usually occurs every 10 years, following the census, but Abbott added the item to the agenda after the Department of Justice drew attention to four Democratic seats.

Christina Sanders, founder of the nonprofit PoliChic Engagement Fund, said Texas maps are already caught up in litigation.

"Some of the court cases that are still even pending from the maps that have not been drawn fairly and the potential impact of new maps in the middle of a census cycle," Sanders explained.

The Biden administration sued Texas, alleging the state's legislative and congressional district maps discriminate against Latino and Black voters. The Justice Department, under President Donald Trump, withdrew from the lawsuit earlier this year.

The seats targeted by the Justice Department are held by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, and Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas. They are also focused on the vacant seat previously held by late Congressman Sylvester Turner. Following the 2023 legislative session, Abbott called four special sessions to pass a school voucher bill, which failed.

Sanders feels Abbott is using special sessions to push personal agendas.

"A special session would be for something like the flood that just occurred," Sanders argued. "It would be something that there is an emergency -- something immediate needs to happen at this moment -- because this policy for the state cannot wait."

Flood warning systems and communication are also on the agenda, along with hemp and THC legislation and changes to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test.