Many journalists would prefer a tall wall separating the state from the fourth estate, yet with local news outlets disappearing at an alarming rate, there have been increased calls for journalism to receive public support in order to survive.
The nonprofit Rebuild Local News advocates for public policies “to counter the collapse of local news and revitalize community journalism.” Founded in 2020 by Steven Waldman, former president and co-founder of Report for America, it includes a coalition of organizations — among them the Institute for Nonprofit News, National Newspaper Publishers Association, Local Independent Online News (LION) and Association of Alternative Newsmedia — that represent more than 3,000 locally owned and nonprofit, community-based newsrooms.
In this conversation, edited for length and clarity, Rebuild Local News policy director Anna Brugmann spoke about the long history of government support for journalism and ways to protect against interference, all while winning over a public that has grown distrustful of news reporting.
