American Journalism Project invests $1 million in Spotlight PA as model for local news

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters.

The American Journalism Project will invest $1 million in Spotlight PA over the next three years, recognizing the newsroom as one of the most promising endeavors in the country to reverse the erosion of local journalism and provide vital, nonpartisan reporting that gets results.

The investment, made after more than a year of intense vetting, will allow Spotlight PA to add critical business and operations positions in order to grow its staff and support more local, nonpartisan accountability reporting throughout Pennsylvania.

As further recognition of Spotlight PA’s immense potential, The Lenfest Institute for Journalism will match the American Journalism Project’s commitment with an additional $1 million.

The selection of Spotlight PA was based in part on its strong and growing support from people and foundations across Pennsylvania who recognize its investigative and public-service journalism as vital to the future of our democracy and all who live here.

If you’re not yet a member of Spotlight PA, join the effort now.

Since its inception in 2019, Spotlight PA has changed the equation in Harrisburg, holding the powerful to account and informing, equipping, and empowering Pennsylvanians to get involved. Its investigative journalism has driven significant and meaningful reforms while winning numerous state and national awards.

Spotlight PA operates the largest collaborative journalism network of its kind in the country, anchored by founding partners The Philadelphia Inquirer, PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Spotlight PA distributes its work at no cost to 79 community newsrooms across the state — including newspapers, hyperlocal news sites, and NPR stations — allowing its journalism to reach millions of readers.

With this transformative investment from the American Journalism Project, Spotlight PA will be able to strengthen its state government reporting and grow its statewide operation as a hub that can support new local news reporting efforts in communities around the state. We are in the process of launching our first local bureau this year. To learn more about our expansion plans and how you can support our reporting, email membership@spotlightpa.org.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE… If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.