A new Knight Foundation report provides details on locally focused nonprofit news websites and their progress in engaging web audiences, building revenues and cultivating donors.
"Getting Local" profiles seven news start-ups and draws conclusions about what it will take for them to become financially self-sustainable.
Nonprofit news ventures must "aspire well beyond producing high-quality journalistic content," write co-authors Mayur Patel and Michele McLellan. "Entrepreneurial revenue development, audience focus and a mission of engagement, and technology to support that mission are essential components of a sustainable nonprofit news venture."
Poynter columnist Rick Edmonds summarized highlights of the report in this Oct. 18 column, which includes an archived chat with Joel Kramer of MinnPost and Melissa Bailey of the New Haven Independent -- two of the featured news start-ups.
