Village Media, based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, announced a partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to launch digital newsrooms in three American states.
The Miami-based nonprofit Knight Foundation is investing $5 million to bring Village Media’s model for journalism to 15 American cities, starting in the state of Wisconsin. Other tentative locations include communities in Pennsylvania and Illinois.
The new U.S. sites will be built on Village Media’s digital publishing platform, community engagement tools and operating model. Each newsroom will be locally focused and locally staffed, according to a release on the company’s website.
The initiative will begin with a focus on clusters of communities. The cluster approach is intentional. By launching groups of neighboring communities, the partnership will build local newsroom capacity while sharing operational support, sales infrastructure and editorial expertise across each regional network.
A search of online jobsites showed Village Media seeking reporters and editors in Appleton, Fond du Lac, Kaukauna, Manitowoc and Sheboygan.
Village Media operates digital-only local news networks serving 27 communities and 4 million unique visitors. It was founded in 2013 by Jeff Elgie.
