INN releases report on nonprofit media sector

Ten years after a wave of nonprofit news outlets launched to address the decline in newspapers’ watchdog reporting, the emerging ecosystem of lean, digitally focused outlets continues to struggle with sustainability and strategies for growth. A report released Tuesday by the Institute for Nonprofit News details the new journalism and funding challenges of its members, who tend to focus on original reporting and deep coverage of civic issues. It distills findings from an online survey fielded to INN members between March and May 2018. One-third of nonprofit newsrooms produce statewide coverage, filling a gap that has widened as traditional news organizations cut costs and withdraw from reporting on state government, according to the report. Outlets including CALmatters in California and VTDigger in Vermont are already covering their statehouses with larger contingents of reporters than any other news organization, the report finds. The typical INN member is a digital-born news service, though some public broadcasters have joined the organization. Therefore, the survey’s findings do not reflect trends in public media, the report states.