Opening AJPalooza 2026 by sharing what’s shaping this year’s convening, starting with stories that show how this work is making a difference in communities. Taking the stage now: @orlandopbailey.bsky.social (@outliermedia.org) Amy Pyle (@civilbeat.bsky.social) and John Adams (@montanafreepress.org)

AJPalooza 2026 kicks off today! 💡

Leaders from across AJP’s portfolio, alongside supporters and partners, are coming together to share ideas, learn, and build momentum for #localnews.

Looking forward to the conversations ahead.

Sarabeth Berman on What Dies When Local News Does: The Crisis Nobody's Covering What's really at stake when a community loses its local newspaper? Civic engagement drops, polarization rises, and corruption goes unchecked. But Sarabeth Berman, CEO of the American Journalism Projec...

What’s at stake when communities lose #localnews? In a recent episode of the Good Citizen podcast (@trpl.bsky.social), @sarabethb.bsky.social joins Ted Roosevelt V to discuss what it will take to build stronger, more sustainable local outlets across the country. 🎧 Listen here:

Vice President, Growth Investments - American Journalism Project

🚨 Happening tonight at 6 p.m. ET

Join our info session on our VP, Growth Investments role — a senior leader who works with news org CEOs and leadership teams to set and execute ambitious growth strategies.

If you’ve led at a senior level in a news or nonprofit org, join us.

Register:

AJP-supported @sahanjournal.bsky.social has been named the 2026 recipient of the Columbia Journalism Award. 🎉

The newsroom's work demonstrates the impact of #localnews rooted in service — helping build trust, strengthen accountability, and inform communities.

At the American Journalism Project, we’re reimagining #localnews as a public good — and we’re growing our team to help drive that work forward.

We’re hiring:

🔹 Vice President, Growth Investments
🔹 Head of Product & AI Studio
🔹 Senior Technical Product Manager

Learn more and apply:

Today is #LocalNewsDay — a moment to reconnect with the local newsrooms that keep communities informed & engaged. AJP is proud to be part of the coalition behind this effort.

👉 Find a local newsroom, subscribe, donate & help others do the same. More at LocalNewsDay.org.

Local News Day A National Day of Action Connecting Communities with Trusted Local News

On April 9, communities nationwide will mark #LocalNewsDay, showing support for local journalism as essential civic infrastructure. Proud to be part of the coalition of journalists, nonprofit leaders and media innovators leading this effort.

Learn more ⬇️

Amalie Nash joins American Journalism Project Board of Directors - American Journalism Project

We’re excited to welcome @knightfoundation.org's Amalie Nash to the American Journalism Project’s Board of Directors. Her appointment adds deep insight as we continue working to strengthen the long-term sustainability of #localnews.

Attending #ONA26 next week? ✋ Catch AJP’s Liam Andrew on March 30 moderating a conversation with Matthew DeFour (@wisconsinwatch.org) Eve Lacivita (@citybureau.bsky.social / Documenters), and Cynthia Tu (@sahanjournal.bsky.social). They’ll share what local newsrooms are learning from AI experiments.

Englewood Girl Scouts Had To Sell 2,100 Cookie Boxes To Fund Troop — They're At 25,000 Now Soon after Block Club reported on the troop's mission to sell 2,100 boxes so they could remain active, support from readers across the nation poured in. Now, they want to sell a box to someone in ever...

After AJP-supported @blockclubchi.bsky.social reported on an Englewood Girl Scout troop working to sell 2,100 cookie boxes to stay active, readers responded immediately. Within six hours, the troop surpassed its goal. Within days, they had sold more than 25,000 boxes.

🚨 Tomorrow: Join our webinar on careers in nonprofit #localnews.

You’ll hear from the AJP team, Amir Vera of The LA Local and Lauren Williams of @capitalb.bsky.social on how the sector works, what careers can look like, plus practical tips and Q&A.

Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Last week, the American Journalism Project team gathered for our annual staff retreat.

Coming together in person gives us dedicated time to strengthen our team culture, connect with colleagues and reflect on the work ahead to build a stronger future for #localnews.

Tulsa mayor says no police footage exists of deadly shooting Karmen Glunt said she was quoted $3,000 and an eight-month wait for footage of her brother being killed by police, video that doesn't exist.

The Oklahoma Eagle reported that the family of Michael Glunt was told it could take 8+ months and $3,000 to obtain bodycam footage from a Feb. 8 police shooting. After publication, the family met with the mayor’s office and was told the video does not exist.

Free Press Indiana hires statewide editor in chief Lindsey Erdody will lead an Indiana-based team of reporters covering issues that impact Hoosiers.

@lerdody.bsky.social has joined AJP-supported Free Press Indiana as editor in chief of its statewide newsroom.

She is the second journalist to join the statewide team, following @smashfizzle.bsky.social’s hiring in September as women & girls reporter. More:

Local news matters, and so do the people building its future.

On March 26, join AJP + Amir Vera of @thelalocalorg.bsky.social for a conversation about careers, pathways and opportunities in nonprofit #localnews.

Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Signal & Trust - Issue II - Aspen Digital Public media faces a future of rapid structural changes, yet public sentiment remains more supportive than the political headlines suggest.

What does sustainable #localnews look like in a rapidly changing technology landscape? @sarabethb.bsky.social explores this question in a Q&A with @aspendigital.bsky.social, a program of the @aspeninstitute.bsky.social.

Head of Product & AI Studio - American Journalism Project

📢 We’re #hiring!

AJP is seeking a Head of Product & AI Studio to advance bold product strategy and responsible AI integration for nonprofit #localnews organizations nationwide.

Apply today:

Research in action: How newsrooms can use AI to integrate “Words That Work” into their strategy - American Journalism Project

Fresh from our Product & AI Studio: Learn how to embed new research from Press Forward directly into your newsroom messaging. Find step-by-step instructions, plus a playbook and prompt pack, here:

Want to build a stronger earned revenue function in your news organization? Start by listening to potential sponsors - American Journalism Project Extending community listening to the business side of journalism can lead to conversations that offer a better understanding of a sponsor’s goals and challenges, what audiences they want to reach, wha...

Want to grow earned revenue in your #localnews org? In our latest blog post, AJP's Lisa Heyamoto explores how AJP-supported @spotlightdelaware.bsky.social and @cvilletomorrow.bsky.social strengthened their sponsorship programs by asking potential partners what they actually need.

Hogsett hasn’t delivered a ‘Disclose Indy’ ethics portal. So we built one. We also obtained records not previously made public as promised.

In 2015, Indianapolis’ mayor promised a public portal for ethics filings, campaign finance records and city contracts. It never launched.

So, AJP-supported @mirrorindy.org, with the IndyStar built it — putting critical public records in one searchable place.

This Valentine’s Day, we’re sending our love to #localnews.

Trusted, independent local news fills essential information gaps, keeps institutions honest, and brings us closer to one another.

Share a card with someone who believes local news matters. 💌

Local News Day A National Day of Action Connecting Communities with Trusted Local News

This week marks the launch of the public campaign for Local News Day, a nationwide effort to reconnect people with trusted #localnews.

We’re excited to be part of the coalition leading the charge, with AJP-supported @montanafreepress.org as managing partner.

At the Local News Summit in San Antonio, AJP’s Liam Andrew and @biglocalnews.bsky.social Founder Cheryl Phillips led a session on how AI might support innovation in journalism. Hosted by @lenfestinstitute.org and @aspendigital.bsky.social. #localnews

We're investing $1.5M in @missionlocal.org to expand its neighborhood-first, multilingual journalism across San Francisco.

As it grows, Mission Local will deepen its impact, strengthen operations, and reach more San Franciscans with trusted, #localnews.

Announcing Indy Voices, a forum for diverse Nevada perspectives - The Nevada Independent Announcing Indy Voices, a forum for diverse Nevada perspectives. Read more at The Nevada Independent.

AJP-supported @thenvindy.com is extending its commitment to community-centered journalism through Indy Voices — a forum for opinion and commentary from people across the state. Learn more:

Opinion | Local Newspapers Are Closing. Local News Is Surviving.

Thanks to @sarabethb.bsky.social and @theajp.bsky.social for supporting local news efforts around the country and building public awareness about the progress that is being made. @deepsouthtoday.org is proud to be part of the AJP portfolio of nonprofit newsrooms.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/o...

Opinion | Local Newspapers Are Closing. Local News Is Surviving.

In an op-ed published today in @nytimes.com, our CEO @sarabethb.bsky.social writes about the rise of trusted, independent local newsrooms across the country and the growing coalitions sustaining them. Read more:

FBI Wiretaps, Illegal Drugs, and Dead Horses The feds gave New York key evidence on horse racing’s largest doping ring. State regulators have done nothing with it for years.

AJP-supported @nysfocus.bsky.social uncovered that state regulators long-ignored evidence of illegal drug use in horse racing. Now, a state investigation is underway, and an official is on leave. Read the reporting:

The LA Local: Your neighborhood, our city. The LA Local is a nonprofit news organization in Los Angeles dedicated to community-centered journalism.

AJP-supported The LA Local is live — one of the largest locally-led philanthropic efforts in the country to grow #localnews. Built by and for Angelenos, it’s expanding local reporting capacity across L.A., with a focus on 10 under-covered neighborhoods.