North Carolina Local News Lab Fund

??Today, the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund announced $535,000 in new grants to 31 local news and community organizations. On the heels of Hurricane Helene and days before early voting begins in North Carolina, we’re sharing expanded support for organizations in Western NC, along with a statewide network of trusted communicators. This latest round of grants will provide grant recipients with flexible funding to best meet their communities’ needs, from providing life-saving information during the emergency response to helping people across the state navigate their local elections. A quarter of the organizations awarded in this grant cycle are based in or have a local reporter in Western North Carolina. We’re proud to support trusted communicators across the state who drive understanding and share essential information in this moment and beyond. Read the announcement to learn more about our latest cohort and how they ensure their communities can find, trust, and use the information they need to make decisions impacting their daily lives: https://lnkd.in/eJenYMZe

Over the last few months, journalists across the state focused on the 2024 election, sharing essential information about voting and the democratic process. But democracy doesn’t end on Election Day. Now two and a half weeks out from the election, NC’s trusted communicators continue to provide essential civic information in their communities—like how to make sense of the results and stay civically engaged in the long-term. A few good reads and resources: ? “Democracy Dies Without Local News”: a commentary by Josh Stearns. https://lnkd.in/ezUXr67E? ?Hearken, Inc's Election SOS 2024 Scenario Planning Guide, full of relevant journalist safety resources for the year ahead. https://lnkd.in/e7dFDK3W? ? “How funders can navigate election anxiety—and prepare for what’s next”: resources for funders from Angelica Das.? https://lnkd.in/ecNRM-he Share any other useful, current resources below. ??

This giving season, consider supporting our grant partners through donations, subscriptions, and memberships. Their essential work in NC ensures communities statewide can access and understand the information they need. https://lnkd.in/gAhhs5YP You can also find NC-based members of the Institute for Nonprofit News Network to donate to via NewsMatch, “a collaborative fundraising movement to support independent, public service journalism.” https://lnkd.in/eHgGr2N3

Hi all, I recommend this longform conversation from Charlotte Talks on WFAE about "the state of local news in NC and across the nation." https://lnkd.in/e5TY4REN Why? Service-oriented local news does a ton of under-appreciated work to serve people's needs: holds officials accountable (more local government news –> more transparency –> less corruption), informs people's decision-making and thinking (from who are the candidates to what's at stake), provides life-saving information during crises (recent example: Hurricane Helene in WNC), and more. And maybe you want to learn more about my work too. These panelists get into it: – Lizzy Hazeltine – my colleague who directs the North Carolina Local News Lab Fund – Glenn Burkins – editor and publisher of QCity Metro, news outlet that focuses on serving Charoltte's Black residents – Kyle Villemain – founder and editor at The Assembly, North Carolina's longform journalism outlet about power and place – Tim Franklin – professor at Northwestern University Medill School's journalism department and director of the Medill Local News Initiative It aired live this morning and will air again tonight on WFAE at 8pm ET. The audio will also be uploaded at the link here.

Game-changing solutions wanted: Press Forward’s Open Call on Infrastructure is open for applications! Local news outlets should be easier to start and sustain. That’s why Press Forward is investing up to $20 million in solutions to the common challenges newsrooms face through this grant opportunity.? ? This Open Call seeks ideas for strengthening the essential infrastructure the field needs to: ??Build Audience? ??Strengthen Operations? ??Cultivate Talented People &?? ??Generate Revenue. We’re looking for bold ideas that can scale or replicate to impact the sector, with grants of $500,000 to $1.5 million. All journalism support organizations and newsroom-led coalitions and collaborations are eligible to apply. Learn more and sign up for an information session at pressforward.news/opencall.?

As Election Day nears, the critical importance of robust local news to a healthy democracy cannot be overstated. ? This piece from Josh Stearns shines a light on why authoritarian movements so often focus on undermining news organizations. When these movements spread disinformation, they stoke fear and diminish trust in our democratic institutions. ? The solution is community-centered, reliable local news that helps to bridge divides and hold those in power accountable. Read the op-ed for more insights: https://lnkd.in/ezUXr67E

Newsrooms, journalists, and other trusted sources can set expectations with their communities on the timing of election results. Counting each vote takes time, and the election won’t be over until each ballot is counted. Many races may not be called on Election Night, and official results can take days or weeks to be confirmed. This is an expected, expectable part of the process of how democracy works. And it’s a lag where bad faith, misinformation, and opportunism can create confusion, stoke distrust, and animate hate. Trusted communicators and local, accurate reporting can interrupt these forces, help people cast their ballots, and know the results when they're officially reported. The best of their work also helps us understand our individual and collective stakes in the results. That work doesn’t end in November: news and information providers play a crucial role in holding public officials accountable and fostering continued civic engagement beyond the election cycle. If you’re looking for trusted communicators in NC, we invite you to learn more about the great work our grant partners are doing across the state and visit their websites: https://lnkd.in/gAhhs5YP What organizations do you want to spotlight this election cycle? Drop them in the comments below. ??

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we’ve seen an uptick in the spread of mis- and disinformation across the state. The impacts of mis- and disinformation can be harmful and threaten the health and safety of our communities—especially after a natural disaster when access to information is compromised. In these moments, verified local reporting is crucial to informing people and helping them make decisions that impact their daily lives and our democracy. #NCJournalists: To help you get ahead of mis- and disinformation on Hurricane Helene and the General Election, use the below resources, many of which were compiled by our grant partner, the North Carolina Local News Workshop: ??FEMA’s Hurricane Rumor Response (in 14 languages): https://lnkd.in/gDqjP9rW? ??North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s “Hurricane Helene: Fact vs. Rumor” guide (available in Spanish): https://lnkd.in/eCCwdZtE? ??UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Center for Journalism Ethics’ resource, “Don’t repeat the myth: A local reporter’s toolkit for covering mis- and disinformation on social media”: https://lnkd.in/ebi66Uqd? ??Trusting News’ toolkit, “Explain your sourcing”: https://lnkd.in/eua7fp87? ??Hearken, Inc’s Election SOS resources to support your pre- and post-election coverage: https://lnkd.in/gwmZKn8?

?NC Residents: Early voting ends this Saturday, November 2, and General Election Day is next Tuesday, November 5. Use the resources in the below post to help you cast your ballot and make your voice heard, whether you’re navigating the aftermath of Hurricane Helene or not. ??

Democracy Fund recently released a new report from Impact Architects measuring civic engagement and democracy among 10 news and information ecosystems nationwide, including North Carolina. Here are some key takeaways on North Carolina’s news and info ecosystems from the report: ??New partnerships and news organizations in NC are filling information gaps and finding solutions to distribution challenges. ??Cross-sector collaborations are creating a critical information infrastructure for Spanish-speaking farmworkers and communities in the region.?? ??Challenges to civic engagement include geographic gaps in coverage and the state legislature’s 2023 decision to change the state’s public record laws. ??Trusted communicators across the state are receiving recognition and resources for their work. The report also recognized the Fund as a “funder that invests in network-building and supports news and information providers throughout the state.”? Read the report in the below post to learn more. ??