Press Forward South Florida

Press Florida South Florida is working to strengthen the region we love by ensuring everyone has the news and information they need to make decisions about their quality of life and our community.

We need local news, but the sector is in crisis.

South Florida and other communities across the country are experiencing great risk as newsrooms shrink and lack the capacity to illuminate important local issues. When local news outlets contract, communities see lower rates of voting and civic engagement and more polarization and corruption, to the detriment of us all.

2,900 newspapers have shuttered since 2005 43,000 journalist jobs have been lost since 2005 3,000,000 residents in 204 counties do not have a single news source Source: The State of Local News 2023, Northwestern University

The Effect on South Florida

The health of local news deeply impacts South Florida at every level. The region faces increasingly complex challenges, from climate change to low economic mobility, lack of affordable housing, and traffic congestion. Our residents need access to accurate and trustworthy news and information to come together and find solutions.

As a region with a diverse immigrant population, South Florida must ensure that newsrooms reflect and serve the varied experiences of our residents. When people feel connected to each other, and to reliable, trustworthy information, they are compelled to take action on the issues they face together.

A Shared Vision for Impact

Nationally, Press Forward is a $500 million movement that aims to change that in a bold way, by creating a shared vision for reinvigorating local news. Press Forward Locals, like the South Florida chapter, are an opportunity to bring new donors and foundations together to expand resources for local news, and create place-based initiatives specific to our region’s information needs.

The vitality of local news is an urgent issue, and five of the region’s funders —the Broward, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, Miami, and Ocean Reef community foundations— have come together to create a shared vision.