Local newspapers are shriveling, and the trustworthy news coverage that communities need for civic and economic health is shriveling with them. Papers are dying far faster than digital news sites are taking root, hence a crucial pillar of democracy’s infrastructure is crumbling.
This makes the need more urgent than ever for new models for community journalism that can thrive in the digital future — and the Banyan Project is a robust response. Our mission is to help seed independent news cooperatives in underserved communities, then offer support to help them succeed. Success means not only restoring lost news coverage but also stirring greater community engagement than legacy models ever did.
Banyan took a strategic approach to find a new model that 1) delivers professionally edited and trustworthy news coverage; 2) invites and empowers exceptional levels of civic engagement, community spirit and people helping one another; 3) sustains itself financially in the Digital Age, and 4) is easily replicable, community by community, coast to coast. Further, the model must deliver on Banyan’s value proposition: Readers will experience its journalism as relevant to their lives, respectful of them as peo