Growing up in Middle Georgia, Rodney Manley remembers waiting every day as a child for his local newspaper to arrive. And when he finally got his hands on The Courier Herald , he went straight to the sports section. Rodney Manley, reporter, The Courier Herald Back then, he had no idea that he’d one day end up working for his hometown newspaper and uncovering the dire financial condition of the Dublin City School District. Manley has covered just about everything over a 35-yea

The Colorado Trust for Local News has completed a strategic digital expansion that brings community journalism directly to the inboxes of readers across the Front Range. Over the first six weeks of 2026, the COTLN newsroom launched six newsletters that are custom-built for email. The goal is to provide readers with topic- and community-centric news in a convenient digital format. These free newsletters also allow COTLN to build one-to-one relationships with new readers, reduc

"Innovation lives in the space between we can't and we did." The National Trust for Local News brought together leaders from its newsrooms in Maine, Georgia & Colorado for an energizing summit in Atlanta to galvanize a culture of innovation across the organization.  As the industry continues to evolve, we empower our local teams to innovate and experiment with new ideas that can secure a bright future for vital community news.

Katherine Lee understands the power of harnessing new technologies to drive journalistic impact. Earlier in her career, her team’s timely adoption of social media at the Tuscaloosa News earned them a Pulitzer Prize. Now, she carries that embrace of fresh innovations to her work leading features coverage as the news and culture editor at the Portland Press Herald. “We have to get outside our comfort zone and figure out how to use it,” Lee said of new technology. When Lee was c

Over the past two years, Central Maine reporter Emily Duggan started noticing routine school board meetings weren’t so routine. Parents who organized against the anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from growing conservative parents’ organizations stand outside school administration offices in Gardiner, Maine. Candidates with Christian nationalist agendas were elected to the boards, and the rhetoric changed from budgets and field trips to cultural issues such as LGBTQ+ youth and putting Bible

A town-by-town snapshot of everyone detained  by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after a week of enhanced enforcement in Maine. Protesters gather for anti-ICE rally in Portland's Monument Square on Jan. 30. A Maine-focused analysis  of the people identified in the Department of Homeland Security’s “worst of the worst” list.  Interviews with Mainers who welcome immigration sweeps  and on-the-ground coverage of protests against ICE enforcement. A father detained on h

Joshua Wilson has spent nearly two decades telling stories about the Deep South. But when he relocated to Macon in 2025 to lead The Macon Melody, the Mississippi native noticed something remarkable: Everywhere he turned, he encountered the city's extraordinary contributions to music. "Macon's influence on American music is staggering," Wilson said. "The Allman Brothers, Little Richard, Otis Redding, Jason Aldean — this city shaped, and continues to shape, the music we cherish

As the National Trust for Local News works to transform community news assets to grow the reach and impact of local journalism, the nonprofit today announced the launch of its new digital marketing agency, Switchline Digital . Led by experienced executives at the National Trust, Switchline will provide human-led, AI-driven marketing strategies for businesses across every industry. “Switchline Digital represents one example of the National Trust for Local News’s enhanced focus

In early 2025, The Portland Press Herald  stopped running nationally syndicated op-eds and started focusing solely on the state of Maine. The Maine Trust for Local News  also created a single Opinion and Letters section to serve all of its daily papers, giving top priority to Letters to the Editor and op-ed submissions that have a local or statewide focus.  📈 The result? Within six months, web visits to opinion stories or letters were up by 63%, with more than 300 new subscr

Strong communities rely on strong local news and information. That's why the National Trust for Local News is proud to be a founding partner of the inaugural  Local News Day .  Launching April 9 , this national day of action is designed to connect communities with trusted local journalism and encourage people to engage with and subscribe to their local news outlets.  This coordinated effort can help local newsrooms nationwide broaden their impact and build ongoing engagement

Srengthening local news requires bold ideas ignited by journalists in the field. Catalyzing sparks of innovation that come from those working every day to educate, engage and inform our readers can transform the industry and charge growth.  The National Trust for Local News believes in accelerating visionary concepts from our journalists to power solutions for market challenges. The News Innovation Sprint, sponsored by the  Google News Initiative , represents one way the Nati

The local news organizations owned by the National Trust for Local News drive earned revenue to fund their essential journalism. While individual donations and philanthropic partners provide crucial capital, the majority of NTLN’s revenue comes from subscriptions, advertising and other emerging sources.  That’s why the National Trust invests in teams and technology that experiment with new ways to grow consumer revenue while ensuring the widest possible access to news in the

Laura Corley has been reporting in her hometown of Macon, Ga., for more than a dozen years. A veteran of multiple local news organizations who has worked nearly all the beats, from breaking news to business and education, she joined The Macon Melody shortly after its 2024 launch. Her work, focused on accountability journalism, is funded by a grant from the Peyton Anderson Foundation.  In the course of her reporting, Corley started attending board meetings for local authoritie

Claire Tighe has watched talented reporters reach for more. They have the instincts, the sources, the stories worth telling — and they’re driven to tell them in new ways.  Claire Tighe, Deputy Managing Editor In her role as deputy managing editor at the Maine Trust for Local News, she works with reporters eager to engage more readers through multimedia formats. The 120 talented journalists she works with are deeply skilled in reporting and writing. But as Tighe puts it: "Havi

We’re hiring: Executive Director / Publisher, Georgia Trust for Local News Position Summary The National Trust for Local News has an opening for one of the most exciting jobs in community journalism. We want a leader who’s eager to join us in building a new model for providing high-impact news to rural America. This work will have an immediate impact on more than a million Georgians while creating a national playbook for news organizations serving millions more. If you want

The Georgia Trust for Local News was created to prevent news deserts and stimulate creative solutions to build sustainable journalism in Middle Georgia. Those aims have been met, with the Georgia Trust now boasting a portfolio of 20 community titles, ranging from some of the state’s oldest newspapers to the startup The Macon Melody. The National Trust for Local News’s successful launch of the Georgia Trust wouldn’t have been possible without DuBose Porter, a 40-year veteran o

When classrooms shut down during the pandemic, Suzie Glassman worked as a freelancer while at home with her children. She suddenly had a front-row seat to her children’s schooling – and she noticed her daughter struggling. Her third grader was ultimately diagnosed with dyslexia – a late diagnosis Glassman said should have been caught sooner.  Suzie Glassman, Education Reporter “I got a firsthand look at the flaws in the education system,” said Glassman. “I felt like the only

Becca Blais, head of development, National Trust for Local News The National Trust for Local News has hired Becca Blais, an entrepreneur and co-founder of Bluebonnet Data, as its first Head of Development.  With Bluebonnet Data, Blais focused on closing gaps in talent acquisition and data capacity in the civic sector. She also worked on local economic development in the City of Daytona Beach and in impact investing in small and medium-sized enterprises with the Stanford GSB I

As the Macon Melody broadens its reach through expanded digital offerings, the startup newsroom recently launched The Riff , a weekday newsletter that reimagines how readers stay connected to their community. Melody Executive Editor Joshua Wilson and Sports Editor Micah Johnston designed the newsletter around a simple insight: People want to understand what's happening locally, but most weekday mornings don't allow time for deep reading. The Riff lands in readers’ inboxes wi

Preserving and strengthening local news requires a bold vision propelled by journalists in the field. To ignite fresh ideas and scale effective approaches at this pivotal time for local media, the National Trust for Local News (NTLN) launched its inaugural News Innovation Sprint, sponsored by the   Google News Initiative . Tom Wiley, CEO of the National Trust for Local News, said initiatives like the sprint  represent an important component of the nonprofit’s growth strategy,