The National Trust for Local News created the Georgia Trust for Local News in January 2024 when it announced the acquisition of 18 community newspapers to prevent news deserts and stimulate creative solutions to build sustainable journalism in Middle Georgia. The Georgia Trust has since grown to 21 community titles serving Middle, West and South Georgia, including the newest acquisitions. View a full timeline here.
The publications of the Georgia Trust include some of the state’s oldest newspapers. Many have served an essential role in their communities for more than 100 years.
The survival of these community titles requires building new revenue models, modernizing existing technology and strengthening digital capabilities — investments that can be a challenge for small publishers or family-owned papers. The Georgia Trust launched new websites and email newsletters as a first step in a strategic digital transformation for each of these local newsrooms to broaden access to trusted local information. Those investments continue, with recent launches of a vertical video series and podcast.
Several major institutional donors, including Knight Foundation, the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation and the Marguerite Casey Foundation, laid the groundwork for the success of the Georgia Trust.
In 2023, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced it was granting $5 million to the National Trust for Local News to launch a new newsroom in Macon, one of the 26 cities where the Knight brothers once owned and operated newspapers. That created The Macon Melody, which will now join forces with The Telegraph.
These pivotal initial investments have now spurred a wave of local support for the acquisition of The Macon Telegraph and The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.
Macon
The Macon Telegraph will mark its 200th anniversary in November. The newspaper has long been a staple of the community, which is known for its rich musical heritage, beautiful cherry blossoms and historic downtown. Macon is the home of Mercer University, a steadfast supporter of the local news ecosystem through its Center for Collaborative Journalism.
The Peyton Anderson Foundation is providing funding for the acquisition of The Telegraph.
Columbus
The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer’s roots date to the founding of the City of Columbus, with the 1828 launch of The Enquirer. The Ledger, founded in 1886, fully merged with The Enquirer in 1988.
Columbus has a vibrant business community and is home to Fort Benning, a premier U.S. Army training installation. Located near the Alabama border, Columbus is renowned for its whitewater rafting and impressive restaurant scene.
Funding for the Georgia Trust’s acquisition of The Ledger-Enquirer in Columbus was provided by a grant from The Local News and Information Fund at the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley. More than a dozen local individuals and community stakeholders contributed to the fund’s support of The Ledger-Enquirer acquisition.
Under the Georgia Trust, the West Georgia region will benefit from new investment in local news, fueled by the supportive local community.
News operations
The Georgia Trust has developed an editorial vision based on preliminary community input and the organization’s knowledge of the region. This plan will evolve as the Georgia Trust’s local leaders engage in conversations about each community’s needs. To begin bringing this vision to life, the Georgia Trust is offering positions to the vast majority of the journalists previously employed by The Ledger-Enquirer and The Telegraph. New roles will be created to incorporate community feedback.
Once all staffing transitions have been completed, there will be more journalists working on the ground in both Columbus and Macon than before the acquisition.
The Telegraph newsroom will be located at Mercer University’s Reg Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism. The Ledger-Enquirer newsroom will move to a new home on Broadway, in the heart of Columbus’s central business district. The space is rented from
CSU Properties, the charitable arm that manages real estate holdings for the benefit of Columbus State University.
These arrangements represent the collaboration between the Georgia Trust and top higher-education institutions in this region – a collaboration that opens opportunities for students to gain experience through partnerships with the Georgia Trust.
Both The Ledger-Enquirer and The Telegraph will continue to be published twice per week in print, on Wednesdays and Sundays. The Macon Melody’s final standalone edition will be July 31. The Melody will return as a part of The Telegraph later this summer. Melody subscribers will become subscribers to The Telegraph, with credits added to the accounts of readers who currently subscribe to both publications.
Local leadership
Under Georgia Trust for Local News ownership, The Ledger-Enquirer and The Telegraph will transition to local leadership for the first time in over two decades. Each paper will be led by an interim editor who will report to the Executive Director of the Georgia Trust for Local News, Cynthia DuBose.
DuBose’s experience in building new products that drive audience growth, her hands-on leadership style and her drive to try bold, new ideas will position the Georgia Trust and its two newest acquisitions for continued growth and success.
With a focus on hyper-local coverage and community engagement, readers can expect more opportunities to engage directly with the newsroom. Editors and reporters will listen closely to residents, invite feedback and use that input to shape coverage priorities.
Why this model works
The National Trust for Local News will be applying its proven model for growth to the Georgia market to inspire newsroom innovation, integrate enhanced technology, and drive earned revenue. That model relies on strategic philanthropic investment to accelerate newsrooms’ ability to generate earned revenue from subscriptions, advertising, events and other sources. Unique from other nonprofit news organizations, the National Trust’s model runs on roughly 80% earned revenue.
Ultimately, The Georgia Trust aims to scale a model not just for preserving local journalism, but for developing thriving news organizations in communities across the United States. We’re proud to be leading that effort here in Georgia.
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