The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta announces Civic Journalism Impact Fund

The Fund will fortify local journalism ecosystem throughout the region by supporting key reporting initiatives.

ATLANTA – October 4, 2022 – In response to the rapid decline of credible local news outlets in metro Atlanta and across the U.S., the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta (“Foundation”) is creating the Civic Journalism Impact Fund (CJIF). Owned and managed by the Foundation, the Fund will expand, support and strengthen reporting of community-oriented news and information throughout metro Atlanta and allow donors to support journalism in all of its forms.

“A free and independent press is essential to a strong community and functioning democracy,” said Frank Fernandez, president and CEO of the Foundation. “Local journalists are the boots on the ground—covering school boards and local government meetings—and they hold the powerful accountable. They report on what’s happening in the heart of the community, where decisions that affect our lives are being made in real time, and they provide the information and context we need to make the best, most informed decisions for our families and our lives.”

Increasingly, local journalism is in jeopardy. According to a report by Northwestern University, the U.S. has lost more than a fourth of its newspapers (2,500) since 2005 and is on track to lose a third by 2025. In Georgia, 17 counties lack a newspaper. What’s more, most communities that lose a newspaper do not get a digital or print replacement.

Compounding the problem is the fact that more than a fifth of the nation’s citizens live in news deserts – areas with very limited access to local news – or that are at risk of becoming news deserts. Often, this void is filled by unvetted social media content.

“In our 24-hour news cycle, citizens sometimes struggle to identify quality, fact-based journalism in cluttered social media channels,” said Kevin Riley, editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta’s flagship newspaper since 1868. “It’s vital to our democracy for there to be free, trusted and non-partisan local news sources that know how to responsibly pursue the facts and hold the powerful accountable.”

The loss of a healthy, vibrant journalistic ecosystem has far-reaching implications for communities. Research shows that in the vacuum left by a credible news and information source, voter participation declines and corruption in both government and business increases.

The reverse is also true. Studies show that residents in communities with a free and fair local press are more civically engaged. But high-caliber, local journalism comes at a cost—one that is often considerably higher than the revenue generated by local newspapers. Increasingly, local news outlets across the country are turning to philanthropy for support.

“This fund allows us to build on our history and knowledge of the nonprofit ecosystem to identify and elevate those organizations investing in quality community news gathering and reporting.” said Fernandez. “Donations made to the Civic Journalism Impact Fund will help organizations with work like this, and in the process help to improve local news coverage, accountability and results for residents.”

One example of recent local news coverage that drove accountability and results was “Dangerous Dwellings,” the AJC’s three-part, investigative series on deplorable living conditions in some of Atlanta’s most notorious apartment complexes. The series got the attention of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and prompted conversations about the DA possibly filing criminal charges against several absentee landlords of those properties.

The Fund will allow the AJC and other qualified media outlets to accept tax-deductible donations to support journalism that helps make our city stronger. For example, the AJC, an early recipient of the Fund, will use donations to increase coverage of climate change and health and provide tools to educate students on media literacy.

“Telling these difficult stories is core to our mission, because we know how important it is for our citizens to be informed and have access to the facts,” said Riley. “But the benefits of a free press aren’t free. We need support from our residents so we can continue to follow the facts and fund the credible journalism this city deserves.”

The Civic Journalism Impact Fund is open and accepting donations. To learn more or to donate, click here.

To watch a trailer for “Dangerous Dwellings,” click here.

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About the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta inspires and leads the Atlanta region toward equity and shared prosperity for all who call it home. TogetherATL is the Foundation’s strategic ethos, working through a collaborative approach with community stakeholders, donors, nonprofits and others to examine complex challenges the region faces and create solutions that build a thriving region. Started in 1951, the Community Foundation shepherds approximately $1.4 billion in current assets through its 1,000+ donor funds, while simultaneously raising and deploying more than $120 million annually to thousands of nonprofit organizations. It is Georgia’s second largest foundation. For more information visit: cfgreateratlanta.org or connect with the Foundation via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

About The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is dedicated to uncovering the truth, protecting the public’s right to know and pressing on to help build a better metro Atlanta and Georgia. We are the leading source of news, information and advertising for metropolitan Atlanta. We reach more than 7 million unique online visitors each month and more than 125,000 subscribers support our mission to produce real, local journalism. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises Inc.