Trib Total Media announces $1.25 million investment to launch Newsworks Lab

Collaborative journalism is the only way to ensure the long-term health of local news. By working alongside our partners in higher education and across local newsrooms, we can leverage our collective strengths to hold power to account and serve the public interest more effectively than any one organization could do alone.”

Andrew Conte, Ph.D., editor and director of Newsworks Lab

PITTSBURGH, Penn. — Trib Total Media today announces the launch of Newsworks Lab, a pioneering investigative newsroom established as a public benefit company. Backed by a $1.25 million operational seed investment from Trib Total Media, the Lab is dedicated to producing high-impact, accountability journalism as a free, open-source resource for every media outlet and resident in Western Pennsylvania.

The Lab will be led by Andrew Conte, Ph.D., who returns to the Trib as editor and director of Newsworks Lab. A veteran investigative journalist and a leading voice in the evolution of local media, Conte will oversee the Lab’s mission to revitalize the regional news ecosystem through radical collaboration and innovative storytelling.

The power of a Public Benefit Company

Unlike a traditional for-profit corporation, Newsworks Lab is organized as a Public Benefit Company. This legal structure is a critical component of the Lab’s mission for several reasons:

• Mission over mandate: While traditional companies are legally required to prioritize shareholder profits above all else, a PBC is legally empowered to prioritize its stated public benefit — in this case, providing investigative journalism that serves the civic health of Western Pennsylvania.
• Long-term sustainability: The PBC status protects the newsroom’s mission from short-term financial pressures, ensuring that deep-dive, “slow-burn” investigations can be seen through to completion.
• Transparency and trust: By operating with a “double bottom line” (social impact + financial responsibility), Newsworks Lab provides a transparent framework that builds trust with the community and the news organizations it serves.

“Newsworks Lab is an investment in the civic health of our region,” said Jennifer Bertetto, president and CEO of Trib Total Media. “By seeding this project with $1.25 million and structuring it as a Public Benefit Company, we are ensuring that investigative journalism remains a permanent public service. Our mission is built on the belief that our news ecosystem is stronger together; by sharing these resources, we are strengthening the entire regional media infrastructure.”

Leadership: Andrew Conte and the future of local news

Andrew Conte brings a unique blend of investigative rigor and academic innovation to Newsworks Lab. As the founding director of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University, Conte has spent years researching and implementing new models for local news sustainability.

His deep roots in the region include a distinguished career as an investigative reporter for the Tribune-Review, where he earned numerous awards for his work uncovering government waste and corporate wrongdoing. Conte is the author of Death of the Daily News, a seminal look at the impact of media disruption and the vital importance of local reporting. His appointment signals Newsworks Lab’s commitment to combining “old school” investigative techniques with “new school” distribution and collaboration.

Innovation through regional collaboration

Newsworks Lab is designed to act as a bridge across the Western Pennsylvania news ecosystem. Through strategic partnerships with regional colleges, universities and local news organizations, the Lab will foster a collaborative environment where resources, data and expertise are shared freely.

A primary focus of the Lab will be the advancement of emerging storytelling methods, data reporting and sophisticated visualization. By utilizing these modern tools, the Lab aims to make complex investigations engaging and accessible across all digital platforms.

The open-source mandate

In a departure from traditional competitive models, all journalism produced by Newsworks Lab will be released under a Creative Commons/Open-Source license. This allows any news organization to republish the Lab’s investigations at no cost.

“Collaborative journalism is the only way to ensure the long-term health of local news,” Conte said. “By working alongside our partners in higher education and across local newsrooms, we can leverage our collective strengths to hold power to account and serve the public interest more effectively than any one organization could do alone.”

About Newsworks Lab:

Newsworks Lab is a Public Benefit Company dedicated to investigative reporting in Western Pennsylvania. Funded by Trib Total Media and guided by the belief that the news ecosystem is stronger together, its mission is to provide rigorous, open-source journalism that strengthens democracy through innovative storytelling, data-driven reporting and regional collaboration. For more information, visit www.NewsworksLAB.com or email info@newsworkslab.com.

About Trib Total Media:

Trib Total Media is the largest source of news and information in Western Pennsylvania, providing an array of multi-media products including TribLive.com, the Tribune-Review, and a suite of digital and print community publications. Through its digital agency 535media and PrintSource, the company remains at the forefront of media innovation.