As newspapers continue to face financial headwinds, the publisher of the Chattanooga Times Free Press said many news organizations have turned to nonprofit support or established a philanthropy arm to fund their reporting.
“At its core, local journalism is a public service,” Eliza Gaines told members of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga on Thursday. “It benefits everyone — even those who don’t pay for it and can’t pay for it. But it cannot exist without financial support. That’s why so many newspapers have turned to a new funding model that goes beyond advertising and subscriptions.”
(READ MORE: Eliza Hussman Gaines to become publisher of Chattanooga Times Free Press)
The Seattle Times, the Charleston Post & Courier, the Minnesota Star Tribune and the Times-Picayune in Louisiana have launched community funds, she said. WEHCO Media, the company that owns the Times Free Press, meanwhile, has launched philanthropy campaigns across newspapers it owns in Arkansas, Gaines said, and donations have helped fund specific roles like an additional education reporter, an environmental reporter and a new investigative editor.
Chattanooga Times Free Press publisher talks future of news
“Before I get the question,” Gaines said Thursday in Chattanooga, “I’ll say that philanthropy is something we have considered here, but it’s not something that I would announce today. If we do launch a campaign, I hope we can count on your support.”