How philanthropy moved money at the ‘speed of news’ during Minnesota’s immigration surge
Seven lessons for funders from how Press Forward Minnesota mobilized to support local news during Operation Metro Surge
When federal immigration agents flooded the Twin Cities earlier this year as part of “Operation Metro Surge,” local newsrooms scrambled to cover what was unfolding.
It was a moment when local news mattered — when it could report what was happening, show how it was affecting communities across the region and have the resources to do it.
Press Forward Minnesota moved quickly, too.
Related Knowledge Center: State of the business model
The traditional journalism business model has long since collapsed, and news organizations have shrunk or disappeared entirely. While a number of promising experiments are under way, the public has not shown a willingness to buy what news organizations are selling.
Related Knowledge Center: Local media
The hollowing out of the local news ecosystem has been well documented; in some communities, efforts are underway to reverse the growing news desert.