Three of Houston’s leading philanthropies — Houston Endowment, the Kinder Foundation and Arnold Ventures — have joined forces with the American Journalism Project and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to invest $20 million in an independent, local nonprofit news operation in Houston that will be one of the largest in the country.
The initiative will be sustained by a diverse mix of local contributions, including philanthropy, corporate partnerships and audience support. This will ensure the organization is both independent and grounded in local needs.
The project is the culmination of more than a year’s worth of research for which the American Journalism Project conducted surveys, interviews and focus groups with more than300 people in four languages across Greater Houston. The findings provided a deep understanding of residents’ daily information needs and the gaps that existing media lacks the resources to cover.
A local search committee will select a Chief Executive Officer and Editor-in-Chief.
We will provide information without barriers, distributed across multiple formats and platforms, free from paywalls or subscription requirements. We also be forming a community advisory committee, comprising a diverse representation of stakeholders who can openly provide feedback on whether the newsroom is living up to its mission. This feedback will be used to inform coverage decisions, but not dictate them.
Our newsroom will join forces with other local news organizations to broaden the relevant reporting available to all residents.
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