“A nonprofit with a mission so important even its critics want it to succeed”

The Weekly Wrap: March 28, 2025

“A nonprofit with a mission so important even its critics want it to succeed”

The National Trust for Local News has “saved dozens of beloved community newspapers from closure or predatory ownership” — but also “gone through multiple rounds of layoffs,” closed some of the papers it acquired, and seen long-time editors leave. This week, we published an investigation into the Trust by Sarah and Sophie. Here’s some of what they found:

Nieman Lab talked to the outgoing cofounder and CEO, current leaders at the Trust, and executives and journalists who’ve worked for newspapers it owns. We found a well-intentioned nonprofit with the resources, scale, and community goodwill to make a lasting impact on local news in the U.S.

We also found an organization reflecting and reorganizing after some missteps and failures: Multiple once-profitable papers that are now in the red, a lack of transparency that has alienated some employees and local partners, and a number of local journalists working without health benefits even as national executives were awarded substantial raises.

This story is heavily reported and researched, interesting, and fair. Thanks to all the people who spoke to Sophie and Sarah for it on and off the record — and all of their contact information is at the bottom of the piece if you have more to add. Read “‘Some hard and important lessons’: One of the most promising local news nonprofits looks back — and ahead” here.

Nieman Storyboard has a new podcast

Our sister publication, Nieman Storyboard, has launched its new weekly podcast.

“I view Nieman Storyboard’s mission as highlighting the work journalists are doing, offering tools and lessons on reporting and storytelling, and fostering a greater understanding about how journalism works and the role it plays in a free and democratic society,” Storyboard editor Mark Armstrong writes. “Podcasting is another way to serve that mission.” Find your favorite way to listen here.

— Laura Hazard Owen

From the week

How can we reach beyond the local news choir? Spotlight PA’s founding editor has ideas In the wake of the 2024 election, where “democracy” was not a top issue for most voters, local news messaging focused on democracy may not suffice to build the broad coalition essential to give local news in the U.S. a sustainable future. By Sophie Culpepper.

Robert W. McChesney, America’s leading left-wing critic of corporate media, has died After studying the early days of radio, McChesney developed a holistic critique of media structures that exposed how open they were to manipulation by those in power. By Joshua Benton.

“Some hard and important lessons”: One of the most promising local news nonprofits looks back — and ahead The National Trust for Local News is a nonprofit organization with a mission so important even its harshest critics want it to succeed. By Sarah Scire and Sophie Culpepper.

Jeffrey Goldberg got the push notification of all push notifications — and a hell of a story His inclusion on a high-level Signal chat about American war plans highlights how the Trump administration is operating — and how much of a threat it is to a free press. By Joshua Benton.

Highlights from elsewhereThe Hill / Zach SchonfeldTrump administration restores funding for Radio Free Europe, Open Technology Fund after lawsuits →“The Trump administration says it has restored funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Open Technology Fund after the groups sued. The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) had cut off the funding as part of the administration’s broader effort to eliminate the agency, which also oversees Voice of America. In a pair of new court filings, the Justice Department said the groups’ demands for injunctions are effectively moot now that the government has restored the funding.” Bloomberg / Paige SmithSports Illustrated is starting a prediction market so you can bet on everything about a game except who wins →“The platform, which will be known as SI Predict, joins a growing field of quasi-betting exchanges, including Polymarket and Kalshi, which offer products based on derivatives contracts. SI Predict will be available globally and feature bets on things such as football-game attendance or what song a halftime musician will perform, but not who will win a specific game…the Sports Illustrated brand is now owned by Authentic Brands Group Inc., which licenses it out for ventures including ticketing platform SI Tickets, hospitality operator SI Resorts and film, television and podcast producer SI Studios.”WIRED / Andy Greenberg and Matt BurgessHow to enter the U.S. with your digital privacy intact →“Citizens are far from immune. CBP detainees from journalists to filmmakers to security researchers have all had their devices taken out of their hands by agents.”Vanity Fair / Anna PeeleNick Denton on moving to Hungary and life past Gawker →“My line is that Musk did not take over Twitter, Twitter took over Musk.”Bloomberg / Richard ZoglinA look back at The Onion’s history previews how comedy can deal with a satire-proof presidency →“As Trump has entered his second term with guns blazing, the comedians aren’t backing off. But the stridency can be wearing. [Stephen] Colbert’s gleeful Trump-bashing, in particular, has become hard to watch — an insult comic throwing out red meat to the cheers of a like-minded audience. ‘I don’t even know what to say anymore,’ [Seth] Meyers pleaded after one of Trump’s loonier riffs on the California wildfires. ‘I’m so over this guy. I’m running out of clever retorts.'”The New York Times / Katie Van Syckle and Benjamin HoffmanTeen Vogue’s interview with Elon Musk’s daughter was months in the making →“[Editor-in-chief Versha] Sharma said her editorial team was aware of the potential problems of publishing a story that is critical of the richest man in the world and that ‘we expected there could be some reaction, but we really wanted this story to be guided by Vivian, and also to focus on who she is, beyond just his daughter.'”

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