The GroundTruth Project

March 19, 2025 — The GroundTruth Project announces reorganization to more deeply focus on flagship programming Through an extraordinary decade of growth for The GroundTruth Project, the nonprofit news organization’s flagship programs Report for America and Report for the World have transformed into a movement calling a new generation of journalists to service at a time of crisis in local news.

Dear Reader, If you’ve been following my work—or if we’ve crossed paths along this journey—you know that I’ve always believed that on-the-ground reporting—authentic, local storytelling—is the cornerstone of democracy. It’s how we hold power to account, amplify voices that need to be heard, and build bridges at a time of deep division. This belief is what led me to start The GroundTruth Project ten years ago and our journey over the last decade has been chronicled here in this newsletter.

The GroundTruth Project welcomes Rebecca Forman as new Chief Development Officer January 14, 2024 — The GroundTruth Project is pleased to welcome Rebecca Forman as its new chief development officer. In this executive leadership role, she will oversee all fundraising efforts, cultivate key funder and partner relationships, and help elevate the organization’s core program brands – Report for America and Report for the World – and their stories of impact.

Report for America has created more than 600 local reporting positions with more than 300 news organizations across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and Washington, D.C. since 2017. Each is focused on a critical coverage gap within their local community, with an emphasis on impact and sustainability.

The GroundTruth Project’s mission is to restore journalism from the ground up by supporting the next generation of journalists through field reporting that serves under-covered corners of the United States and the world. The GroundTruth Project is an equal employment opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, or any other protected status.

The GroundTruth Project’s mission is to restore journalism from the ground up by supporting the next generation of journalists through field reporting that serves under-covered corners of the United States and the world. The GroundTruth Project is an equal employment opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, or any other protected status.

Report for America has created more than 600 local reporting positions with more than 300 news organizations across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and Washington, D.C. since 2017. Each is focused on a critical coverage gap within their local community, with an emphasis on impact and sustainability.

As a young reporter in her second year as a Report for America corps member, Riley Board wasn’t expecting to cough up $1,800 to charter a private plane, but she had no other choice: the only scheduled flight to Tyonek, a small Alaska Native village on the west side of the Cook Inlet, had left without her and her photographer, and she had a story to cover.

SANTA ROSA – In December the Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership and the city’s police department rang the alarms: youth as young as age 10 were showing interest in the gang lifestyle and someone needed to get through to them. “(In 2023) there was a couple of kids that had been involved in some major assaults and stabbings,” said Danielle Garduño, manager of the Violence Prevention Partnership.

Knight Foundation invests $20 million in the next generation of journalists, local newsrooms December 12, 2024 — Report for America has received a $20 million investment from the Knight Foundation to expand its innovative model of journalist recruitment and newsroom partnerships and increase trustworthiness of local journalism. The multi-year commitment comes at a critical time for local news and communities.