DURHAM, North Carolina—To celebrate its fourth birthday, The Assembly, North Carolina’s independent statewide news outlet and media network, announced ambitious plans to grow its local reporting capacity and provide daily local news to ten markets across the state by 2027. To facilitate expansion efforts, the outlet has launched The Assembly Growth Challenge Fund with critical support from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and matched by local donor support.
“As The Assembly developed a statewide reputation for accountability reporting, our networked model to statewide and local news was accelerated thanks to multiple independent outlets that approached The Assembly about integration or acquisition,” said CEO and Founder, Kyle Villemain. “Expanding that news network to ensure thriving local and state-level news operations is how we’re going to meet reader needs and hold power to account in a diverse and growing state.”
The Assembly network currently provides free, local news in five markets across the state through a network of local news brands including The Thread (Greensboro), The Dive (Wilmington), INDY Week (Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh), CityView (Fayetteville), and The Border Belt Independent (Bladen, Scotland, Columbus, and Robeson counties) alongside The Assembly’s premium in-depth state-level news focused on politics, education, law, health, and culture. Each team works together under a single editorial and business operation to build an essential, trusted news source for North Carolinians.
“As North Carolina’s legacy news outlets continue to shrink across the state, particularly in mid-sized metros and rural areas, covering the state requires a networked approach as no single city dominates the state,” said Villemain. “We delivered essential news to millions of North Carolinians last year across all of our properties. Alongside trusted news partners like the state’s public radio stations and digital sites like Charlotte Ledger, Enlace Latino, and NOTUS, as well as organizational partners including the newly-launched NC Local, Blue Engine Collaborative, and the Knight Foundation, we believe we can continue to grow local access to community information while reaching those with the power and influence to shape policy in our state.”
At Knight Foundation’s recent gathering of more than 1,000 news and funding leaders, The Assembly was called the local news field’s “best kept secret.” With this week’s announcement, The Assembly network is ready to expand the spotlight on increased access to trusted news and information by and for communities across North Carolina.
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To discuss this opportunity, please contact:
Kyle Villemain, CEO, The Assembly
Emily Dresslar, COO, The Assembly
emily.dresslar@theassemblync.com
The Assembly Growth Challenge Fund is a project of the Miami Foundation, a partner to the Knight Foundation. Their support as 501c3 fiscal sponsor will allow new support to flow into reporting and expansion efforts that are critical to serving communities across North Carolina. For more information, please visit this page.