17 Feb To Strengthen Local Journalism, California Launches $20 Million Civic Media Program

(Photo by Aamy Dugiere on Unsplash)

Edward Henderson | California Black Media

To stabilize and strengthen local journalism across California, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced on Feb. 10 that it has launched an initiative called the Civic Media Program and appointed a diverse advisory board to steer the effort.

According to GO-Biz, the grant program is a $20 million public-private partnership funded equally by the state of California and Google. 

“An informed public is the foundation of a healthy democracy,” said Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom and director of GO-Biz.

“By bringing together distinguished leaders from across the state who care deeply about supporting local journalism, expanding access to trusted information and improving newsroom sustainability, the Civic Media Program will help Californians stay connected to the issues that shape their lives and strengthen their communities,” Myers continued. 

Over the past two decades, local journalism in California and across the United States has been decimated, with more than 3,200 newspapers shutting down since 2005 and closures continuing at a pace of about two per week, leaving a shrinking ecosystem of roughly 5,600 outlets today, according to statistics provided by Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. 

According to that report, the collapse of local news has diminished civic engagement and driven the expansion of “news deserts,” with over 210 U.S. counties now lacking any local news source and more than 1,500 counties with just one. This scarcity of credible news outlets means tens of millions of Americans live with limited access to community reporting. 

The advisory board will hold public meetings throughout the year to provide recommendations to GO-Biz on the program’s design and implementation. Meetings will be announced on the Civic Media Program webpage.

For Regina Wilson, the executive director of California Black Media who has been appointed to the board, the program represents an important — even if incremental — advancement. 

“I think even if this is just a baby step, it’s important that the state of California is working to address our news ecosystem,” Wilson said “The fact that we’re acknowledging the issue and trying to improve the system matters. That, in and of itself, is a good thing.”

Wilson emphasized that journalism is far more than storytelling.

“It is a democratic safeguard,” she said. “Our founders understood that freedom of the press is essential. It is enshrined in the Constitution. A free press serves as a check and balance on government. It helps hold our system accountable. The question has always been: Who pays for that freedom? How do we sustain it?”

Julian Do, co-director of American Community Media and a member of the advisory board, framed the Civic Media Program as part of a broader, historic effort to rebuild California’s news infrastructure.

“Protecting and rebuilding California’s robust media ecosystem and ensuring it serves immigrants, Latinos and communities of color equally requires an important role for philanthropy, our tech and private sector, and yes, California state government,” Do said. “We see this historic agreement as just the first major step where the state of California can lead the way in building a sustainable media ecosystem for the most diverse state in the union.”

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To ensure editorial independence, GO-Biz has selected the James B. McClatchy Foundation as the third-party administrator for the grant program which will follow a competitive request-for-proposals process. 

The foundation will craft overarching program guidelines in conjunction with GO-Biz and the advisory board but will independently process and score all grant applications ahead of final awards.

“Local journalism is essential civic infrastructure, and this program recognizes that communities across California need trusted, facts-based and timely information to fully participate in public life,” said Priscilla Enriquez, president and CEO of the James B. McClatchy Foundation.

Through regional partnerships and collaboration with community foundations statewide, Enriquez said the foundation is prepared to ensure the program reaches newsrooms where they are — while fully protecting editorial independence and honoring the leadership of journalists and publishers who know their communities best.

“The California Civic Media Fund represents a first step toward building a long term lifeline of support for journalism and revitalizing our democracy,” said Arturo Carmona, president of the Latino Media Collaborative.

“It must prioritize support for communities of color and local journalism in a way that reflects our state’s true demographics. By addressing the unique needs of a diverse media ecosystem, we recognize that local news is not just a service, but a critical civic function,” Carmona concluded. 

Members of the advisory board are:

• Arturo Carmona, president of the Latino Media Collaborative
  
• Chuck Corra, associate director of policy and advocacy at Local Independent Online News Publishers
  
• Erik Cushman, publisher of Monterey County Weekly
  
• Julian Do, co-director of American Community Media
  
• Sean Emery, president of the Media Guild of the West and journalist at Southern California News Group
  
• Jeff Glasser, general counsel at the Los Angeles Times
  
• Marian Kaanon, president and CEO of the Stanislaus Community Foundation
  
• Julie Patel Liss, chair of the California State University, Los Angeles Department of Television, Film & Media Studies
  
• Regina Wilson, executive director of California Black Media