The national initiative Press Forward is coming to Middle Tennessee to collaborate with journalists, editors, publishers, civic communicators, community leaders and local news organizations to create a stronger local news and information ecosystem, according to a press release sent April 7. The organization will be housed at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
The initiative will focus on improving how communities receive local news and filling in information gaps.
“People make better decisions, look out for their neighbors, and show up for their communities when they have good local information,” said Kelly Walberg, Vice President of Marketing and Communications and Press Forward chapter founder at CFMT. “Press Forward Middle Tennessee is about strengthening that foundation of trusted local information so that everyone in our community can stay informed and connected.”
Walberg is experienced with community partnerships, according to the release. From the Nashville Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster to community convenings, Walberg saw how dire it is for a community to have access to accurate, clear, and timely local information. That experience also revealed to her the need for a stronger local news and information reach.
From lack of funding to the dwindling trust in journalism, local newsrooms across the country feel the effects of modernization and change. The United States has lost more than a third of its local newspapers, according to the Free Speech Center at MTSU. These losses create gaps, or news deserts, where communities don’t receive adequate news and information.
The initiative aims to remedy these information gaps by identifying where and why they exist and supporting local news in those areas.
“We want this work to begin with listening,” Walberg said. “People already know when the news isn’t reaching them, and why trust is weak. Press Forward Middle Tennessee is about understanding those gaps and helping build stronger, more trusted local news and information for the future.”
Ken Blake, an MTSU associate journalism professor and former newspaper reporter, said that Press Forward aims to fill revenue gaps in local papers that were once filled with advertisements.
“Local newspapers, in particular, supported themselves by selling advertising space to nearly everyone who needed to reach local consumers,” Blake said. “Papers arrived in homes stuffed with ads and coupons from local grocery stores, car dealerships, retail shops, service providers and more.”
With the emergence of digital ads and sponsorships, that revenue model has collapsed.
“None of the revenue involved in those dealings comes to newspapers anymore, so keeping the lights on and the doors open has gotten difficult,” Blake said. “Many local newspapers have shut down or, like the one I used to work for, are hanging on with a fraction of the staff and readership they once enjoyed.”
Press Forward plans to launch a region-wide survey to hear from communities across its 40-county service area to gather input on how citizens access news and where they see gaps in information.
“Insights from the survey will help guide future investments and partnerships to strengthen local news and information systems across Middle Tennessee,” the release said.
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