The leap from community organizer to journalist is pretty short when a community trusts an individual so much that its leaders ask that person to launch a newspaper.
Approximately 30 local community members showed up at a park for a convening organized by Kevin Mahmalji in Florence, Colorado, to discuss the need for a new, independent newspaper. In those two hours, Mahmalji felt something unique was happening.
The group expressed a passion for restarting a local newspaper after the existing one had closed — and after revelations of political corruption led to the firing of the city manager and resignation of the entire city council.
The group at the park had a strong desire for accountability and transparency through hyperlocal news. Moving quickly, the group approved the new name The Florence Reporter by unanimous vote after someone made a motion and Robert’s Rules of Order kicked in organically, said Mahmalji.
By the end of the meeting, several attendees had also directly asked Mahmalji, who had a background as a community organizer, to run it. “I was ‘volun-told’ that I was going to run the newspaper,” said Mahmalji. He became the publisher of The Florence Reporter in August 2022 soon after the convening. The paper was recently recognized as “Southwest Colorado’s Most Impactful Company” in the Colorado Sun’s Readers’ Choice 2024.
It was also one of 14 news organizations in the Colorado cohort of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding, a partnership between Local Media Association and Colorado Media Project. The cohort completed six months of curriculum to learn fundraising best practices, culminating in a Pitch Day in December. The lab was made possible with support to LMA from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and contributors to CMP’s general fund, including Gates Family Foundation, The Colorado Health Foundation, Democracy Fund, and Bohemian Foundation.
Community organizer: A catalyst for change
Launching a newspaper also felt like a natural fit for Mahmalji because, after moving to Florence in 2018, “I established myself pretty early on as someone who was willing to roll up my sleeves and lead efforts,” he said. That included political organizing and being an active participant in organizations like the local Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce board and the library board.
“People naturally looked to me,” he said. “People viewed me as that catalyst for change and that person that’s going to move the ball forward on issues.”
[Caption: The Florence Reporter’s Pitch Day presentation slides for the lab.]
Mahmalji originally became a community organizer after his sister passed away at age 19 from Crohn’s disease. “I watched my sister suffer unfairly because of a broken system. That created this burning desire for justice,” he said. “For me, a community organizer is somebody who sees a need in the community and is willing to stand up and be that voice for the voiceless and serve as that agent for change.”
When he started the newspaper in 2022 with no journalism experience, he didn’t know where to begin. “I just continued to go down the path of organizing meetings and attending meetings because that’s what I knew how to do,” said Mahmalji.
This led to his first investigative piece on local water treatment, a serious subject with impact on the health of local community members. The article helped build trust, set the tone with the community that The Florence Reporter would hold those in power accountable, and resulted in a commitment from the city to be more transparent on water treatment issues.
“Kevin Mahmalji is an amazing asset to our community, [who is] doing his best to secure more transparency to the members of our community from city officials,” said community member Tracy Morgan.
The power of one-to-one connections
“My passion for healthy communities is what fuels my publication,” said Mahmalji.
This passion and hard work also allow him to accomplish all tasks of the day-to-day operation himself, including writing, editing, photography, ad sales, subscription sales, formatting and distribution, which includes personally delivering the monthly newspaper to more than 75 homes. “I approach it with the owner mentality,” Mahmalji said.
Although there are “inherent struggles of being a one man show” and a task like delivery could be outsourced, Mahmalji said there’s a lot of value in doing it himself. “People come to their door and want to talk to me about things that are happening in the community and they also give me news tips,” he said. “I’m quickly reminded when I’m delivering newspapers how valuable that is. People look forward to me coming and dropping off that newspaper.”
Also, of the original 30 people at the meeting at the park that day, five became advertisers, about 25 became subscribers and two became writers for the newspaper. The first funding came from a local security company, before Mahmalji had even created advertising rates, when the business owner said, “Give me the largest ad you can.”
Mahmalji said, “He believed in me enough to support it.” From there, the mostly traditional business model evolved into a 75/25 percent split between advertising and subscriptions.
Philanthropic fundraising: Expanding local convenings and empowering other communities
Recently, The Florence Reporter has also expanded into philanthropic fundraising to support its journalism, including receiving a grant for Advancing Equity and Inclusion in Local Colorado News, an initiative of Colorado Media Project, as well as graduating from the Colorado cohort of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding.
Mahmaji said, “The Florence Reporter is well positioned to rehumanize civic discourse. This will create a more empowered citizenry that’s more invested in local decision making, which will result in improved community relations, better policy decisions and a desire to hold local electeds accountable.”
Mahmalji also strives for philanthropic funding to support creating a replicable model for other communities by creating “resources that will empower other newsrooms to focus on hyperlocal reporting and inspire other newspapers to make information accessible, host community convenings and provide space for engaging in respectful dialogue.”
The Florence Reporter’s journey from community organizing to becoming a trusted news source highlights the power of community-driven journalism. Mahmalji’s transparent approach to hyperlocal reporting and community involvement serves as a model for other small-town publications seeking to re-establish civic dialogue and empower local residents.
“Everything that’s wrong in the world can be solved with community convenings,” said Mahmalji.
A panel of judges at Pitch Day for the Colorado cohort of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding awarded The Florence Reporter 2nd place at ‘Pitch Day’ for the cohort. You can view the pitch deck slides and watch the pitch here.
Want to add your support for The Florence Reporter’s community news efforts? Click here to donate.