Michele's List
Building blocks in the emerging local news ecosystem

The Austin Monitor is a nonprofit site published by the Capital of Texas Media Foundation, which was formed in 2013 and received nonprofit status in 2015. The site covers civic affairs, including government and development, in Austin and central Texas. Revenue: Donations, sponsorships.

The Birmingham Watch covers public affairs topics, including politics and education, in Birmingham, Alabama. The site operates as a nonprofit. Revenue: Sponsorship and foundation support

City Limits is a nonprofit news organization in New York City that "strengthens community engagement on civic, economic, and social justice issues." In addition to producing content, the organization organizes events centered on civic issues. Founded as a print organization in 1976, it launched a new website in 2010 and went online only in 2012. In 2011, City Limits received foundation funding to launch the Brooklyn Bureau and in 2012 City Limits acquired the Bronx News Network. In 2014, both sites had been folded into the main City Limits site and the Bronx segment was renamed Bronx Bureau. Revenue: Grants, ad sponsorships, donations, syndications.

Gotham Gazette is a Web site about the issues facing New York City. Coverage, digests and commentary on New York City current affairs and policy, arts, education, environment, and housing; community discussion forums; sub-sites on city government, immigration issues, community gazettes, state government.

Motor City Muckraker is an independent news site that covers Detroit, Mich., and produces both news and investigative stories. It was founded in 2012 by journalist Steve Neavling, a former reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Revenue: Advertising.

New Haven Independent is a professionally-staffed local news site in Connecticut, edited by Paul Bass and sponsored by the not-for-profit Online Journalism Project. Topics: Neighborhoods, government, politics, criminal justice, schools, business. Revenue: Foundation grants, advertising, donations. Bonus points: With grant funding,  spun off a sister site, the Valley Independent Sentinel, also professionally staffed, which serves five towns in Connecticuts Naugautuck Valley.

The San Francisco Public Press is a local nonprofit, noncommercial news organization that publishes a website and quarterly newspaper. Public Press journalists explain complex local policy issues in an accessible way, investigating problems and reporting on ideas for tangible solutions in areas such as  education inequality, health care, affordable housing, climate change, homelessness, public safety, and labor standards. Revenue: Donations, grants, membership.

The Lens produces enterprise and investigative news about New Orleans and the Gulf Coast States. Topics: Money, politics, environment, schools, crime and punishment. Revenue: Grants, member donations.

The Philadelphia Citizen covers new traditional topics in Philadelphia, PA. The nonprofit site also publishes a weekly e-newsletter. Revenue: Sponsorships, member donations, sponsorhips.

The Tyee is a Vancouver, B.C. news site that uses professional journalists and seeks to publish stories that mainstream news sources ignore. The editor is David Beers. Topics: Government and public affairs, environment, justice system. Revenue: Investment, reader contributions.

The Twin Cities Daily Planet, a project of the Twin Cities Media Alliance, combines original reporting by citizen journalists with the best of the ineighborhood, community and ethnic press. Our primary focus is on under-reported stories and under-served communities, and on issues including education, health care, transportation and ethnic and immigrant communities. The Daily Planet has individual neighborhood pages for all 98 Minneapolis and St. Paul neighborhoods, featuring profiles of each neighborhood, information about neighborhood resources, calendar listings for local events, and a map and directory of neighborhood businesses and attractions.