CSOM – Education Solutions Focus of News Collaborative Initiative
We have long valued the role that local community newspapers play in society. With a clear focus on news that is relevant to you and your neighbors, the journalists at these publications have an opportunity to become entrenched in the community and bring forth the good stories that impact you where you live and work.
That’s why when I read an article in one of Independent Newsmedia’s online editions about the Arizona Local News Foundation’s multiyear funding to expand journalism about education solutions in Arizona, I knew I wanted to learn more about it.
I invited Chris Kline, president and CEO of the Arizona Media Association + Arizona Local News Foundation, to join me on Copper State of Mind to talk about what he says “is one of the most ambitious efforts in Arizona’s history to empower local media and tackle one of our state’s most pressing challenges.”
Thanks to $2 million in philanthropy already raised as part of a growing Arizona Community Collaborative, each partner newsroom will hire a new journalist to focus exclusively on education solutions reporting. This collaborative will dramatically expand community conversation and launch new discussions about how to improve Arizona education for students of all ages.
Dozens of newsrooms across Arizona applied to be a part of the initial effort, the following 15 newsrooms were selected to participate in this first effort:
- Arizona Daily Sun, Wick Communications, Flagstaff
- Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, Community nonprofit, Phoenix
- Arizona Luminaria, Community nonprofit, Tucson
- Arizona Republic, Gannett, Phoenix
- Casa Grande Valley Newspapers, Kramer Media, Pinal County
- Colorado River Public Media, Arizona Western College, Yuma
- Independent Newsmedia, Independent Newsmedia Inc., Phoenix
- KAET-TV, ASU Media Enterprise, Phoenix
- KOLD-TV, Gray Media, Tucson
- KPNX-TV, Tegna, Inc., Phoenix
- KTAR-FM, Bonneville International, Phoenix
- Nogales International, Wick Communications, Southern Arizona
- Prescott Newspapers, Western News&Info., Prescott
- Today’s News-Herald, River City Newspapers LLC., Lake Havasu
- Univision Arizona, TelevisaUnivision, statewide
According to Chris, the effort will include public service advertising as well, as the Arizona Media Association is leveraging its Public Education Program network of more than 250 local media brands to disseminate millions of additional dollars’ worth of local advertising about education solutions available to Arizona families.
This Arizona Community Collaborative is comprise of public, private and nonprofit community partners and is actively looking for financial supporters for the education project and is to help expand the program to other newsrooms.
For more information about the project, visit https://azmedia.org/foundation/collaborative/. And of course, listen to our conversation for more insights into this effort.
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