How equitable journalism funding is creating transformational change in Columbus, GA.

Ask Wane Hailes; he'll tell you he can sell ice to Eskimos, but he's needed an editor for years.

That all changes this week for the former McClatchy-owned Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer advertising sales rep turned founder of The Courier/Eco Latino. That's because his newly hired editor-in-chief, Janell Williams, starts work September 1.

For Hailes, it wasn't easy attracting journalism talent to rural Georgia, especially to an ethnic media outlet in rural Georgia. But with funding and recruiting support from The Pivot Fund, he finally found the editor he'd been waiting for.

“I’m emotional because I’m tired,” Hailes shared with an applauding crowd at last month's Columbus business leaders event . “She will be Courier/Eco-Latino’s first editor-in-chief."

The appointment comes nearly one year after the news outlet received support from the Pivot Fund's first round of grants and is a leading example of our commitment to prioritizing and investing in BIPOC-led community news organizations through equitable capacity-building.?

The Courier/Eco Latino joins Pivot grant recipients Pas La Voz Savannah and BEE Tv Network , which have hired a sales representative and sports writer, respectively, to expand their newsroom capacity to grow and reach new audiences by providing credible, quality information to the local communities they serve.

Williams comes to the Courier/Eco Latino from The Augusta Press, a local digital news organization that covers residents 250 miles away in Augusta, Ga., where she reported on crime and other local news.

The Pivot Fund caught up with the new editor on her priorities and vision for the outlet. “I’m inheriting the paper from Wane and am excited to continue his vision. I’ll be reporting and reviewing stories, helping secure a new reporter, and being a decision-maker,” Williams said.?

She will become "the face" of the Courier/Eco Latino, Hailes said.

Williams said she is ready to hit the ground running, sharing that her priorities “will focus on growing the Courier’s readership and continuing to build brand awareness in Columbus and online.” She outlined three major goals:

• Developing an engaging social media strategy for the digital outlet with video storytelling to capture online audiences.
• Hosting community engagement events with local partners that encourage readership among youth and families.
• Creating a more robust partnership with Davis Broadcasting to bring audio and podcast content to streaming platforms, resulting in an additional income stream and a stronger online base.

The Pivot Fund currently supports the Courier/Eco Latino and Davis Broadcasting collaboration.?

Williams' experience as a police reporter aligns with Hailes' desire to report more on the Columbus region's judicial system. Williams said that her experience supporting communities of color, particularly Black youth, through community service piqued her interest in the Courier/Eco Latino role.

“I’m looking forward to honing my Spanish, launching the publication’s newsletter, and continuing to nurture relationships with local business and civic leaders and Columbus’ Black community members,”? added Williams. “If someone had told me a year ago, or even a few months ago, that I’d be here… I wouldn’t have believed it."

Bringing on a dedicated leadership team member is a significant milestone with the potential to create transformative change. Our research report, "Architects of Necessity: BIPOC News Startups’ critique of Philanthropic Interventions ," found that BIPOC-founded outlets have an average of 6.49 full-time (both paid and unpaid) employees and further underscores what we already knew: Newsrooms are spread thin, and philanthropic institutions have an opportunity to meet their expressed needs.?

Anya Schiffrin's (2019) analysis of startups in the Global South found that three-quarters of the 35 media outlets surveyed sought foundation funding to support their operations, with several respondents saying they relied on the donation of labor to continue publishing. In our survey, only 21% of respondents stated that their current funders meet their basic operational needs, and a few mentioned that well-intended grants with intensive reporting requirements can actually stretch smaller newsrooms.?

While Schriffin links the reluctance to proper funding to an inability to see straightforward returns or measure intangible benefits like increased civic participation, equipping publishers with operational support can result in immeasurable long-term effects.??

Join The Pivot Fund in leading the way in creating transformational capacity-building and tangible change in the journalism ecosystem.

Congratulations Courier/Eco Latino!