RALEIGH — North State Journal announced the launch of North State Journal News Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting independent journalism and increasing access to fact-based news content for community newspapers across North Carolina and beyond.
“In an era where information is fragmented and public trust in the media is at all-time lows, North State Journal News Foundation will help ensure high-quality journalism remains accessible from Murphy to Manteo,” said North State Journal founder and publisher Neal Robbins. “With the News Foundation, we can expand our reach, helping other print newspaper outlets fully inform their readers through in-depth reporting, high-quality photography and well-written features.”
North State Journal News Foundation aims to provide in-depth news coverage, investigative reporting, sports coverage, photography, features and civic education resources, offering no-cost articles, graphics and photography to newspapers in North Carolina that print at least weekly, have paid circulation and have been publishing for at least one year.
“In today’s evolving media landscape, it is essential to have a dedicated organization committed to sustaining independent journalism,” said Dan Forest, former North Carolina lieutenant governor and partner with NC Capitol Strategies, which will lead the launch and fundraising campaign. “North State Journal News Foundation is the ideal mechanism to bring our whole state into the conversation.”
North State Journal, launched in 2016 as a weekly statewide newspaper serving North Carolina, has won several newspaper-wide and individual awards from the North Carolina Press Association, and has grown to include seven weekly community papers in Chatham, Duplin, Forsyth, Hoke, Moore, Randolph and Stanly counties.
North State Journal News Foundation will seek to partner with other media outlets, journalists and photographers to broaden the news service’s offerings.
Nonprofit news outlets have become a way to expand and offer coverage of local news as newspapers have struggled with drops in advertising and circulation in the internet age.
During the 2024 election, The Associated Press partnered with regional nonprofits to boost coverage across the country. That came a year after Press Forward, a nonprofit journalism initiative, committed $500 million over five years to help local news outlets.
“The nonprofit status will add an additional opportunity for businesses, foundations and individuals to support local coverage,” Robbins said of the new foundation. “Reader feedback across North Carolina shows newspapers with compelling content are continuing to thrive, so we want to help all newspapers to have access to content readers want.”
An online jobs portal for reporters, editors and photographers who are interested in being involved with North State Journal News Foundation is available at northstatejournal.org/jobs.
“The foundation will invigorate local newspapers with content that readers actually want,” said Robbins.
