A nonprofit collaborative project is looking to breathe new life into Tulsa’s local journalism scene.
The Tulsa Local News Initiative, a collective of several metro-area media organizations, has raised $14 million to enhance the quality of local news in Green Country.
The project surveyed hundreds of Tulsans about their feelings on local news reporting.
“What we heard loud and clear from Tulsans was that they’ve noticed the decline that, not only Tulsa, but communities all across the country have experienced in terms of the availability of high-quality local news and information,” said Michael Ouimette with the nonprofit American Journalism Project that’s supporting the new collective.
The Tulsa Local News Initiative will now publish The Oklahoma Eagle, an over century-old newspaper serving Tulsa’s Black communities.
The millions in funding will allow the historic paper to expand its staff from one to four people.
“It means that we can go broader and deeper into the various issues that affect the Black and underserved communities in Tulsa,” said Gary Lee, former managing editor for The Eagle.
Jim Goodwin, the owner of The Eagle, agreed to allow his family newspaper to become a nonprofit. The paper will become part of a new media organization focusing on Tulsa, with Lee serving as executive editor.
