Tiny News Collective

Our mission

We help communities build newsrooms.

We provide the tools, resources and commonwealth of knowledge to help people build sustainable news organizations that reflect and serve their communities.

We support voices historically excluded from media and media ownership.

Our vision

A world where everyone can participate in creating relevant, accurate and culturally conscious local news and information is one where everyone can more fully engage in civic life, make more informed decisions, and better understand the world around them.

Our Team

Anika Anand

Deputy Director, LION Publishers

“The Tiny News Collective has the potential to ensure more underrepresented and overlooked voices are heard by empowering news entrepreneurs who may not have the access to tools, training and networks to launch a local news business.”

Jillian Bauer-Reese

Co-Founder, Kensington Voice

“I'm part of the Tiny News Collective because I believe journalism's future begins with anti-oppression, and Tiny News is working to build a more socially-just news ecosystem.”

Heather Bryant

Interim Executive Director, Tiny News Collective

“I’m glad to be a part of the Tiny News Collective’s comprehensive approach to tools, training, and community because building and sustaining a local news organization is a complex and ongoing process and we need an ecosystem of support that will empower a broader, more diverse generation of news ownership.”

Gina Chua

Global Managing Editor, Operations, Reuters

“The Tiny News Collective tackles two huge problems in journalism - underrepresented voices and viewpoints in news, and the complexity of starting and running a news organization. Addressing those two challenges can reshape the media landscape from the ground up.”

Tyler Fisher

Deputy Director, News Catalyst

“I’m excited to build a platform that works for the tiniest of news orgs and for a collective that centers equity in media ownership.”

Jo Ellen Green Kaiser

Coach, Tiny News Collective

“As a coach I'm excited that Tiny News Collective creates real equity by giving founders working in and for underrepresented communities the tech infrastructure and tools they need from the very start.”

Lisa Heyamoto

Director of Teaching and Learning, LION Publishers

“Starting a news business isn’t easy, and the Tiny News Collective minimizes many of the hurdles that trip up founders and stall worthy projects. I’m excited to be a part of this collective because it creates a streamlined path for local news entrepreneurs, which leads to a more robust and representative news ecosystem and more empowered communities.”

Jacqui Lough

Lead Developer, News Catalyst

“I'm part of the Tiny News Collective because I believe that local news from a diverse set of voices is fundamental to a functioning free society. I'm thrilled to help build the tools necessary for supporting these new media businesses.”

Chris Krewson

Executive Director, LION Publishers

“I am helping with the Tiny News Collective because we have a chance to build a new generation of news organizations representative of the communities they serve, and I’m proud to welcome them into the world.”

Kara Meyberg Guzman

Co-Founder, Santa Cruz Local

“I support the Tiny News Collective because I want to make it easier for others like me — women, people of color, young people, and those with nontraditional journalism backgrounds — to enter this industry and build successful companies.”

Jessica Morrison

Product Lead, News Catalyst

“Tiny news orgs have a big opportunity to serve the information needs of their communities, and I’m excited to support innovation in local news.”

André Natta

Principal, Urban Conversations

“There's a need now more than ever to help amplify the voices of underrepresented communities large and small. I'm excited to provide long-needed support for tiny news organizations, particularly those led by people of color, as they navigate the process of getting started and not throwing away their shot.”

Aron Pilhofer

Director, News Catalyst

“Communities deserve to have access to quality news and information -- now more than ever. I believe The Tiny News Collective will help solve this growing problem, and do so at scale. What could be more important than this? ”

Lillian Ruiz

Founder, Ci-X Strategies

“Now, more than ever, news entrepreneurship that reflects the cultural makeup of society is so important. I’m excited to work with the TNC to build turnkey solutions that democratize news and storytelling.”

Temple University students Colin Evans, Moumita Paladhi, Ian Walker and Amelia Winger contributed to this project.

Our Advisers

Jennifer Brandel

Founder, Hearken

Adam Huttler

CEO, Monkeypod

Ava Lubell

Cornell Law First Amendment Clinic

Alexander Papachristou

ED, Vance Center/Lawyers for Reporters

Nabiha Syed

President, The Markup

Our Partners

What Makes the Tiny News Collective Unique?

Our structure — essentially a form of fiscal sponsorship — allows us to efficiently share services across our newsrooms, thus dramatically lowering costs in order to provide resources like libel insurance, legal assistance, accounting, operations support and access to a community of peers through LION Publishers. We can launch new sites quickly, and surround our founders with all the support, services, training and technology they need to be successful. Plus, we hope to go one step further and invest directly in founders from communities that have been historically shut out of media and media ownership. There are huge disparities in who has access to capital, both private and philanthropic, to launch a news site. We aim to level that playing field.

The Tiny News Collective is a collaborative project.

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