The Steinman Institute for Civic Engagement has joined a nationwide initiative aimed at reinvigorating local journalism.
The institute recently announced its role as the “operating partner” of Press Forward Central Pennsylvania one of the inaugural local chapters of Press Forward, a coalition founded last year. There are 25 chapters so far: Central Pennsylvania joins Pittsburgh and Philadelphia as one of three in the Keystone State.
Since 2005, more than 2,000 U.S. newspapers have shut down and many of the survivors continue to struggle. Press Forward sees the erosion of local news in the digital age as a threat to democracy. It aims to revitalize the industry using “new models and solutions” developed by newsrooms through experimentation over the past decade.
To get the Central Pennsylvania chapter up and running, Press Forward has awarded the Steinman Institute a two-year, $175,000 grant, one of 10 “catalyst” grants totaling $1.9 million.
According to LNP, the institute is planning to spend roughly $50,000 of the grant to create a local news and media “map,” cataloguing traditional and nontraditional information sources and conducting surveys and listening sessions to learn where local residents obtain their news.
The survey will run through March. It will cover the 19 counties served by WITF, the Harrisburg-based public broadcaster that absorbed LNP and its affiliated publications and businesses in 2023. The Steinman Institute was created as part of that merger; LNP Media Group, WITF and the Steinman Institute operate under the brand name Pennon.
Once created, the media map will be updated to track changes over time “and guide opportunities for collaboration, investment and growth,” the Steinman Institute said in a statement.
“Reliable local news is just as essential as clean water,” Bob Krasne, Co-Chair of the Steinman Foundation, said. “… Becoming a Press Forward local chapter means joining a nationwide effort with others committed to reimagining the future of local news at a time of unprecedented change in the industry.”
Press Forward’s initial grants are the start of an ambitious strategy. In all, it intends to invest more than $500 million to shore up local newsrooms and shrink “news deserts,” areas left without reliable local coverage due to the collapse of the traditional news publication model in the digital era. Grants will be focused on four priority areas:
- Sustainability: Strengthening local newsrooms
- Equity: Closing gaps in coverage and bolstering reporting in underserved areas
- Infrastructure: Creating a shared data platform for local news entities
- Policy: Advocating for laws and regulations that preserve and expand access to local news and civic information
The initiative is led by the Miami Foundation with support from more than 60 national and local funding partners, including the Steinman Foundation in Lancaster County.
Created by the Steinmans, the family that owned LNP Media Group before its transfer, the Steinman Foundation’s main areas of support are journalism, early childhood education and workforce development.
