It’s going to take a multifaceted approach to save informed communities with INN’s Karen Rundlet

Local News Matters

Karen Rundlet, CEO and executive director of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), discusses the increasing importance of philanthropy in sustaining local journalism. She shares insights from her time at Knight Foundation, where she helped launch initiatives like NewsMatch and Press Forward, and explores how nonprofit newsrooms can diversify revenue streams to build sustainable operations. Rundlet emphasizes that supporting an informed public, not just journalism, is critical in today’s landscape.

She also highlights the role of local news in fostering community connection, touching on how INN members are covering vital issues like municipal government, education and culture. Rundlet discusses the importance of engaging local funders and ensuring that newsrooms help solve community problems by being transparent, impactful and connected.

Rundlet reflects on the future of local news, from addressing news avoidance to ensuring transparency in funding. She explores how organizations can focus on accountability, co-design content with their communities and maintain mental health and sustainability for both leaders and journalists.

Episode chapters:

(00:02:21) - Reflections on Knight Foundation, NewsMatch and fundraising in local news

(00:11:30) - Engaging local funders and the role of local news in community building

(00:16:51) - It’s not “save journalism.” Save an informed public.

(00:25:31) - The role of support organizations in strengthening news ecosystems

(00:30:14) - Operating support, transparency and other issues in funding

(00:36:17) - Addressing news avoidance and making news useful

(00:38:57) - Rapid-fire questions

(00:50:33) - Media and local recommendations

Listen to the episode here:

Links:

• Karen Rundlet: Linkedln,Twitter/X

• Institute for Nonprofit News

• Mentioned

• Knight Foundation

• NewsMatch

• Press Forward

• Miami Herald

• WNBC

• WLRN

• ProPublica

• PBS NewsHour

• Hechinger Report

• Ben Thompson

• Earn Your Press Pass

• New Mexico In Depth

• Local recommendations

• Pérez Art Museum Miami

• B & M Market

• Cuban coffee

• Media recommendations

• If I Survive You by Jonathan Ostroffery

• Ten Percent Happier podcast by Dan Harris

• The Daily

• Political Miami

• Local News Matters: web, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

• Pirate Audio

• Colorado Press Association: web, Twitter, Facebook

• Tim Regan-Porter: bio, Twitter

For show notes, transcripts, newsletter sign-up and past guests on the Local News Matters podcast, please visit localnewsmatterspodcast.com or lnmpod.com.

Past guests on the Local News Matters podcast include: Jim Brady (Knight Foundation), Candice Fortman (Exit interview, Outlier Media), Jean Friedman-Rudovsky (Resolve Philly), Jay Rosen (NYU), Sue Cross (Exit interview, INN), Mary Margaret White (Mississippi Today), Amy Kovac-Ashley (Tiny News Collective), Michael Shapiro (TAPinto), Kenny Katzgrau (redbankgreen and Broadstreet), John Garrett (Community Impact), Shannon Kinney (Dream Local Digital), Larry Ryckman (The Colorado Sun), Frank Mungeam (Local Media Association), Kelly Ann Scott (Alabama Media Group), Sara Lomax and S. Mitra Kalita (URL Media), Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro (National Trust for Local News), Mike Rispoli and Richard Young (via When the People Decide), Sarabeth Berman (American Journalism Project), Rabbi Hillel Goldberg and Shana Goldberg (Intermountain Jewish News), Lyndsay C. Green (via The Journalism Salute), Rashad Mahmood and Mark Glaser (New Mexico Local News Fund), Christian Vanek and Barbara Hardt (The Mountain-Ear), Dan Grech (BizHack), Zack Richner (Easy Tax Credits), Tracie Powell (Pivot Fund), Dan Oshinsky (Inbox Collective), Linda Shapley (via What Works), Yehong Zhu and Jake Seaton (Zette, Column), Charity Huff (January Spring), Joaquin Alvarado and Dave Perry (Aurora Sentinel), Steve Waldman (Rebuild Local News), Maritza Félix (Conecta Arizona), Michael Bolden (American Press Institute), Jeff Roberts and Corey Hutchins (CFOIC, Colorado College), Eve Pearlman and Erica Anderson (Spaceship Media), Jennifer Brandel (Hearken, Democracy SOS), Corey Hutchins with Bay Edwards, Todd Chamberlain and Raleigh Burleigh (Sopris Sun).