Looking for a future beyond print in western Iowa
The Western Iowa Journalism Foundation was formed amid the pandemic to try to address the decline of journalism in the region. The foundation’s goal is to funnel philanthropic aid toward local publications with ever-decreasing margins so that those outlets can survive––and also plan for the future. It looks to do the work of connecting donors and grants to local outlets in western Iowa, so that news publishers can focus on the work of reporting. “After a century plus of the drain out of rural America, maybe there’s a way to claw back, to maintain critical mass,” Kyle Munson, the board’s president said. “A healthy newsroom can be part of that.”