A new regional effort aimed at strengthening local journalism and improving access to community information is taking shape across Middle Tennessee.
Press Forward Middle Tennessee, housed at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, is bringing together local funders, community partners, residents and news leaders to support a more connected and sustainable local news ecosystem. The initiative is part of the national ‘Press Forward’ movement, a philanthropic campaign working to re-imagine and support local news nationwide.
Locally, the effort will focus on identifying information gaps and understanding how communities prefer to receive and share news.
“People make better decisions, look out for their neighbors, and show up for their communities when they have good local information,” said Kelly Walberg, vice president of marketing and communications at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and founder of the local Press Forward chapter. “Press Forward Middle Tennessee is about strengthening that foundation of trusted local information so that everyone in our community can stay informed and connected.”
Walberg said her work with community partnerships, including Nashville Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and other cross-sector meetings, highlighted how critical timely and reliable information is during moments of need. Those experiences helped reveal the importance of a more coordinated effort to strengthen how news and information reach communities across the region.
Local news remains essential to daily life, helping residents stay informed about schools, public safety, housing, health care and economic opportunity. However, like much of the country, Middle Tennessee has seen shifts in how news is produced and consumed. Many local newsrooms face ongoing challenges while audiences navigate a fragmented mix of platforms that can lack consistency and local relevance.
Press Forward Middle Tennessee aims to address those challenges by prioritizing community input and supporting trusted sources of local information.
“We want this work to begin with listening,” Walberg said. “People already know when the news isn’t reaching them and why trust is weak. This is about understanding those gaps and helping build stronger, more trusted local news and information for the future.”
In the coming weeks, the initiative will launch a region-wide survey across its 40-county service area to gather feedback from residents. The survey will explore how people access news, what sources they rely on and where they see gaps in coverage. Findings will help guide future investments and partnerships.
A steering committee made up of journalists, editors, publishers, civic communicators and community leaders has also been formed to help shape the initiative’s direction. Organizers say the group reflects the collaborative approach needed to strengthen local news in ways that serve communities effectively.
Press Forward Middle Tennessee will work with media organizations, community partners and residents to identify opportunities for collaboration, innovation and long-term sustainability in local journalism.
The initiative represents a broader effort to ensure communities across Middle Tennessee have access to reliable, relevant information—a cornerstone for civic engagement and community resilience.
