California’s recent investment in local and ethnic media could be in jeopardy as state budget negotiations move toward a final deal.
Last year, the state committed $15 million to support the California Local News Fellowship and the Propel Initiative, two programs aimed at strengthening local reporting and community-based news organizations. Supporters say the funding marked a significant public investment in journalism at a time when many communities are seeing fewer reporters covering schools, city halls, public agencies and neighborhood issues.
That funding, however, was not included in the Legislature’s proposed budget. Unless legislative leaders and Gov. Gavin Newsom restore the money before the budget is finalized, the programs could lose support just as organizers say they are beginning to show results.
The debate comes as California faces a period of major political and social change. Voters will choose a new governor in the coming year, and communities across the state continue to confront economic uncertainty, wildfires, other natural disasters, rapid changes in technology and a complicated information landscape.
Advocates for local news funding argue that reliable, community-based reporting is especially important in those conditions. Nationally, more than 70% of journalism jobs have disappeared over the past two decades, and nearly one-third of local newspapers have closed, according to research from Northwestern University’s Local News Initiative.
The decline has affected communities across California, including areas where residents depend on ethnic media, in-language reporting and small local outlets for information they do not receive elsewhere. Supporters say the loss of trusted local coverage can leave residents more vulnerable to misinformation, reduce civic participation and weaken public accountability.
The California Local News Fellowship, launched in 2023, has placed more than 110 journalists in newsrooms throughout the state. Those fellows have produced more than 10,000 stories, according to program supporters. More than one-third of the first graduating class has since been hired into permanent positions by their host newsrooms.
The program was designed not only to add reporting capacity, but also to help develop a journalism workforce that better reflects California’s diversity.
The Propel Initiative focuses on the institutions that serve local and ethnic communities. The effort is a partnership involving the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, California Black Media, American Community Media and the Latino Media Collaborative. Together, participating outlets serve more than 20 million Californians.
This spring, Propel convened journalists, editors, publishers, freelancers and students from ethnic, community, local and legacy media organizations for training in storytelling, audience engagement, leadership, innovation and sustainability.
This summer, the initiative is expected to launch Fire Up, an entrepreneurship program intended to help emerging media leaders and local news organizations improve their business models and work toward long-term stability.
Martin G. Reynolds, co-executive director of the Maynard Institute and former editor-in-chief of The Oakland Tribune, has urged state leaders to continue supporting the programs. He cited the philosophy of Robert C. Maynard, who emphasized that all Americans should have “front door access to the truth.”
Supporters say continuing the funding would help preserve access to reliable information, strengthen civic participation and sustain news organizations that serve California’s diverse communities.
Original source: CalMatters
