Sustainability for publishers of color is one of our four strategic pillars. We execute on this pillar through our Digital Transformation Lab, the Fund for Black Journalism, and the Word In Black collaborative, among other key initiatives.
Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion: Local Media Association, Local Media Foundation, their boards of directors, leadership, staff, and partners are committed to creating, supporting, and sustaining an inclusive community. We strive to ensure that all of our programs, services, and content reflect a world that invites the broadest possible participation. We recognize, however, that while pursuing that ideal is desirable, our industry continues to struggle with representation, and sometimes our own work doesn’t achieve that North Star. LMA and LMF are strategically investing in local media’s future by specifically supporting diversity, equity and inclusive initiatives.
Here are recent articles highlighting our initiatives toward sustainability for publishers of color, and toward diversity, equity and inclusion.
Inside 7 GNI Innovation Challenge projects that elevate diversity, equity, inclusion in newsgathering
Over three webinars, leaders from seven local news organizations showed significant impact and highlighted replicable ideas and actionable takeaways for other newsrooms.
Respected media, technology, revenue specialists excited to lead Knight x LMA BloomLab
After months of conversations and planning, the Knight x LMA BloomLab: Sustainability for Black Locally Owned & Operated Media was announced in late February, with $3.2 million in funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to cover the first three years of Lab effort. In the BloomLab, key leaders of 26 Black-owned […]
LMA + LMF 2021 Impact Report
2021 was a transformational year in our organization’s history. The global pandemic forced us to engage in new and different ways, and we learned a lot in the process. From transforming our own business through new funding sources to helping local media companies with their long-term sustainability goals, it was a year of great progress […]
John Celestand to join Knight x LMA BloomLab as program director
John Celestand will join the Knight x LMA BloomLab on March 9 as program director. The former NBA champion brings a wide range of experience including journalism, public broadcasting, program management, community engagement, business development and much more. Celestand will be responsible for the BloomLab’s strategic resources to foster long-term sustainability and independence of Black-owned […]
LMA investment in BlueLena furthers mission to reinvent business models for news
(February 24, 2022) — To further its mission to help local media companies discover new and sustainable business models, Local Media Association has made a strategic investment in BlueLena, a service provider that helps media outlets develop successful subscription, membership and donation programs. LMA completed the transaction this week in tandem with Automattic, Inc., which […]
How the Black press tells the truth mainstream media have only begun to acknowledge
Word In Black Managing Director Liz Dwyer shows ways trailblazing Black publishers fearlessly address issues facing the Black community in the same spirit as Ida B. Wells.
Creating a local journalism ecosystem ‘so juicy no one would want to resist’ — Q&A with Alicia Bell, director of the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund at Borealis Philanthropy
Alicia Bell was hired to lead the Racial Equity in Journalism Fund at Borealis Philanthropy in October 2021, with a goal to distribute resources, lead with compassion, and help build a fairer media industry that serves audiences made up of people of color. Prior to joining Borealis Philanthropy, Bell worked at the intersection of media […]
LMA to launch Technology Resource Center for media industry, supported by Google News Initiative
Technology can be an accelerant or a roadblock on the path to sustainability and growth for local media organizations. To help them achieve the best possible outcomes from investments in enabling platforms, Local Media Association plans to launch a Technology Resource Center in early 2022, with support from Google News Initiative. The LMA Technology Resource […]
What Word In Black is learning from launching a national newsletter
Digital startup Word In Black has a lofty goal to reach 500,000 newsletter subscribers in the next two years. With support from the Google News Initiative and Local Media Association, founding members recently agreed to fund three low-cost initiatives to boost newsletter subscriptions. They gained an added benefit from these audience growth initiatives: they generated […]
Q&A with Tracie Powell on disrupting philanthropy, organizational culture, and challenges to the journalism industry
Tracie Powell is an innovator, journalist and leader with a broad background across the media industry and philanthropic community. Powell most recently launched The Pivot Fund, which seeks to invest $500 million into BIPOCTM (Black, Indigenous, other people of color, and traditionally marginalized)-led news organizations that serve communities of color. She is also the founder […]
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.