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Stacker and Patch Labs partner to bring local data journalism to independent publishers

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Stacker and Patch Labs are joining forces to provide independent publishers the content, services and technology they need to scale their operations. Their new partnership will provide Patch Labs publishers free access to the Stacker Newswire.

Despite headwinds facing the industry, there is reason for optimism in local news. An increasing number of creative, entrepreneurial digital publishers are reimagining the model of local news for a new era. At the same time, innovations in technology are uncovering new ways to automate some of the time-intensive work of journalism, freeing up reporters to focus on the work that only they can do. The mission at Patch Labs is simple: help independent local journalists make a sustainable living doing what they love.

“We know that local journalists are time-starved and resource-constrained. Partnering with Stacker gives Patch Labs an additional way to support our member news organizations by providing them with high-quality, data-driven reporting that’s geographically relevant to their audiences. We are thrilled to partner with an organization like Stacker to help improve outcomes for local journalists,” said Sarah Gayden, director growth and partnerships, Patch Labs.

Stacker’s newswire is built to promote accessibility to quality journalism, enabling news organizations to sustainably grow their audiences and better resource their own storytelling efforts. Stacker delivers over 200 data-driven features each month, including stories across all 50 states and 384 localities. Stacker’s coverage contextualizes the world’s events — like the impact of Supreme Court decisions, immigration, real estate and gas prices — and will enable Patch Labs publishers to easily access data and stories relevant to their hyperlocal communities. The newswire is delivered through Stacker’s proprietary News Distribution Suite which includes RSS feeds, Stacker Story Hub and Stacker Email Alerts.

“Stacker and Patch Labs share a common mission — to empower publishers and the journalists working in those newsrooms. The combination of Stacker’s newswire and Patch Labs’ technology is an important step forward in providing local journalists the tools they need to thrive in a challenging media environment,” said Ken Romano, vice president of distribution at Stacker.

“As editor of Westwood Minute, a hyperlocal publication that seeks to provide news of interest, accuracy and reliability to a local audience on a daily schedule, I've used Stacker to increase reader interest and engagement on my site,” said Darlene Cancell, editor of Westwood, Massachusetts-based Westwood Minute. “Sometimes I supplement a news posting with a related article from Stacker. It's great to have another tool to bring accurate information to my audience, and on a breadth that I couldn't achieve myself.”

About Stacker:

Stacker is a newswire focused on creating and distributing stories to the world’s publishers. Our newsroom of data journalists creates hundreds of stories each month, including national features and local series that leverage a proprietary tech platform to deliver local stories at scale. We make our stories freely available to publishers to help support their own coverage efforts and partner with brands to fund high-impact storytelling to help expand their reach. To learn more about partnering with Stacker, go to http://stackermedia.com/publishers.

About Patch Labs:

Patch Labs, a division of Patch, is committed to helping talented independent local journalists make a living doing what they love. Our innovative, intuitive content management system enables journalists to launch a local news site in minutes–publishing tools, newsletters and revenue support are all built right in. To learn more about Patch Labs, go to https://labs.patch.com.