Courtesy / Brian Fitzgerald
Lisa DeSisto
2 hours ago
Maine Community Foundation launches initiative to grow local news production
The Maine Community Foundation is launching the Press Forward initiative in Maine — an effort to reinvigorate local news coverage.
The Maine effort will be led by Lisa DeSisto, former CEO of Maine Today Media and the Maine Trust for Local News, the nonprofit that owns the Portland Press Herald and other newspapers.
The Maine Press Forward chapter is among 36 independent chapters nationwide of a nonpartisan philanthropic organization, Press Forward, which is based in Miami.
The first step will be to build an advisory panel to prioritize how to best reimagine and expand access to local reporting.
“Our own research and the report we funded last year tell us two things. One, most people in Maine are interested in reading and learning about their communities but, two, may encounter barriers for understanding how they can engage and participate locally," said Deborah Ellwood, CEO of Maine Community Foundation.
File photo / Courtesy Maine Community Foundation
Deborah Ellwood
“Press Forward Maine will bring people and resources together to close that gap because quality reporting means people can learn about any issue, understand how to get involved, have their voice heard and find solutions together. We are very pleased Lisa DeSisto is joining to help lead this effort as senior advisor and excited to get to work with our donors and partners.”
DeSisto led Maine’s largest media organization for 13 years and also spent 17 years as an executive with the Boston Globe.
“I know all too well that these are changing times in the news business. This is important work. We are committed to contributing to a vibrant media ecosystem by partnering with large and small news organizations," DeSisto said.
Need for local news
In 2023, Maine Community Foundation conducted a needs assessment project, collaborating over nine months with more than 1,500 community leaders, donors, nonprofits and stakeholders from all Maine counties, who provided insights on the state’s challenges and opportunities.
Respondents repeatedly cited the need for more information about how to get involved locally and how to address some of the state’s biggest challenges, including resilience to severe weather events, the need for affordable housing and economic opportunities across the state.
The MCF-funded “Strengthening Maine’s Civic Life” report by the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs at Colby College and Public Engagement Partners highlights the state’s strengths and vulnerabilities and uncovered a high level of support for quality local news.
According to the report, Maine people rank 10th in the nation on keeping up with the news, with 74% engaging in reading, watching or listening to news about political, societal or local issues, compared with the national average of 68%. Residents also expressed facing barriers to civic participation, including lack of information about engagement opportunities.
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