IPI Media Innovation and Sustainability team just kicked off the 2024 Local News Accelerator, a five-month programme designed to provide 10 selected media organizations with skills and strategies to grow their audiences and empower their teams.
This year we received 80 applications from over 25 countries, from startups to established media. We are excited to see the continued interest from local and niche news organizations. Local media are key in shaping a more diverse media landscape to better serve the needs of their audiences. During the rigorous review process, an independent jury selected 10 organizations to take part in the programme’s second iteration.
The final 10 participating media are serving local communities around the world, from Colombia to the Philippines. They represent a range of business models, formats, and niches, focusing on health, feminism and the environment, among others. The selected newsrooms stood out to the jury with their strong commitment to bringing local news to underserved groups, and their demonstrated capacity to transform their businesses through audience research and product development.
We look forward to working with these 10 teams during the Local News Accelerator, and to sharing the lessons we learn together with our wider global network.
Get to know the 2024 Local News Accelerator cohort
In their applications, the participating organizations shared their mission, vision, and challenges, and we are highlighting a few inspiring quotes from their team leads.
Health-e News is a non-profit, public-interest publication specialising in health news. Their mission is to provide accurate and relevant health information that addresses public health challenges, promotes health equity, and amplifies the voices of underserved populations.
The organization holds the government accountable by reporting on faults within the health system and offering in-depth coverage of health issues and policies. “We prioritise stories that resonate with local communities, addressing their specific health needs and challenges.” Health-e News is committed to shining a light on health disparities and advocating for the needs of marginalised and underserved communities.
Pakwach FM strives to provide a platform dedicated to community voices, promoting social justice, fostering education and mindset change, and empowering the community through inclusive and diverse programming. Pakwach FM offers a unique blend of local news, music, and educational content that resonates with the community’s needs, amplifying marginalized voices, inspiring positive change, and promoting a mindset shift. What makes them unique is that the radio is deeply rooted in the local community, with inclusive programming for diverse audiences, broadcasting in the local language – Alur.
“We seek to learn innovative digital strategies to strengthen our online presence, engage our audience more effectively, and diversify revenue sources.”
The Centrum Media is Pakistan’s first digital news network and one of the first independent news outlets established in the country. TCM was formed by a group of journalists who wanted to disrupt the way mainstream channels often censored narratives. In a complex political, social and cultural landscape, they dreamed of a more nuanced way of telling the news: highlighting unheard voices, bringing new perspectives and presenting all facts.
“Our ultimate goal is to generate lasting social change by empowering the next generation to ask questions that reach beyond the common narratives and become informed citizens.”
Fundación Hoja Blanca is a non-profit organization advancing human rights through narrative change. The team strives to achieve this through two projects: Volcánicas Magazine, and Creadoras Camp, a feminist training school for content creators. Volcánicas is a place for rigorous and bold investigative journalism. The organization uses journalistic tools and feminist principles to clearly and straightforwardly explain complex political issues that affect us.
“We are an open, safe space for voices of all identities to engage in public debate. We believe that all journalism must be feminist because journalism without political positions or stakes serves to defend the status quo, which is inherently patriarchal.”
Spot Cast is an independent media platform dedicated to amplifying the voices of the unheard and highlighting critical social issues in the Akkar Government of Northern Lebanon. The strategy includes compelling media content, mentorship programs, and community engagement initiatives, aiming for significant impact. The media strives to empower marginalized communities in Akkar, Lebanon, and beyond by providing a platform for impactful storytelling and fostering positive social change.
“We are committed to freedom of expression and delivering objective news.” Spot Cast stands out by combining in-depth local reporting, community engagement, and mentorship to drive meaningful change and elevate underrepresented voices.
Hrodna.life is a media about Hrodna city and its citizens, now working in exile from Lithuania and Poland. Their commitment to freedom of speech, led to the company getting shut down by Belarusian authorities, forcing the team to leave the country to avoid imprisonment. Hrodna.life publishes social and political stories as well as local history, small businesses, leisure time and other topics. The media tracks tenders and city development, giving its citizens the opportunity to influence local authorities.
“We work for everyone who loves Hrodna, wherever they live. We support the decolonization of Belarus from Russian influence.”
Lake Region Bulletin‘s mission is to promote knowledge sharing through ethical journalism and commitment to factual and balanced reporting amid adversity. Lake Region Bulletin is creating an audience-centred approach to content generation and dissemination. This is made possible through active audience engagement strategies, which promote content co-creation and foster audience ownership.
Vemuganga FM is a non-profit and inclusive community platform that exists to collect, share and broadcast information that promotes sustainable development in Chipinge and ensures people’s rights, access to information and community participation. The most important value proposition of Vemuganga FM is its hyperlocal content that resonates with the community’s needs, interests and culture and is a platform that offers opportunities for community members to engage, contribute and shape content.
“Vemuganga FM is poised to better serve the community and provide a platform for underrepresented voices.”
Cebu Daily News (CDN Digital) covers diverse topics with a focus on hyperlocal stories for audiences in Cebu and the central Visayas region. CDN is one of the largest regional news publishers outside Metro Manila, and an undisputed source of reliable, relevant, and factual information.
“It’s a great time to be more forward-thinking in how we will move forward in the digital space…”
Agripreneurs d’Afrique produce reports and data investigations about agriculture and the environment. Their focus is on local communities, especially the younger generations.
“Because we focus on agriculture, the environment, and the rural area, many of our readers learn about new projects, new advice and most importantly: accountability.”
What next?
The 10 newsrooms have undergone one-on-one needs assessments with IPI’s in-house experts and were paired with their coaches. Last week we kicked off the programme with the first training session on Design Thinking. The programme follows a five-month curriculum designed to support local newsrooms getting started or pivoting their business with the structure and support to identify and deliver solutions that will advance their projects toward financial and editorial sustainability.
The format is based on IPI’s innovation learning journey, piloted through our 2023 Local News Accelerator, in which publishers from around the world achieved measurable benefits such as growth in readership, doubling of subscribers, building new onboarding tools and engagement channels and launching membership models with impactful crowdfunding campaigns.
>> Learn about the Local News Accelerator 2023 participants and their success stories
>> Follow along: Over the next months, our team will share regular updates and lessons learned from the participating newsrooms. Sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter The Outlook to get the updates.
- For any questions about the accelerator or IPI’s innovation work, email [email protected].
IPI’s Local News Accelerator is made possible with support from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
