UNM part of groundbreaking expansion of local journalism in New Mexico
March 7, 2024
Local journalism in New Mexico is pressing forward, thanks to Press Forward.
A coalition of some of the nation’s largest nonprofit foundations has just announced that New Mexico is joining 10 other new Press Forward Chapters, as part of a $500 million effort to rebuild and revitalize local news around the U.S.
Press Forward New Mexico will be co-lead by the Santa Fe-based Thornburg Foundation and UNM’s longtime partner, the New Mexico Local News Fund. 
The move comes just as the state approved a second round of groundbreaking support for UNM’s Local News Fellowship and Internship program.
Since 2019, UNM and the New Mexico Local News Fund have worked together to place graduates from UNM, NMSU and ENMU into newsrooms around the state, helping build a pipeline of diverse journalists – from intern to full-timers.
In 2023, New Mexico attracted national attention for an innovative investment of $125,000 in the fellowship and internship program. That’s led to even more funding, as this week Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham approved a two-year, $200,000 appropriation to the Department of Workforce Solutions to continue the effort.
“Bringing Press Forward to New Mexico will be transformative to our local news ecosystem,” Local News Fund Executive Director Rashad Mahmood said. “The chance to collaborate with top foundations and funders in our state to support local news is a game-changer for our underserved communities who often struggle to get the news and information they need.”
The Thornburg Foundation has long supported UNM’s journalism efforts, including the People, Power and Democracy Project, which partnered UNM student journalists with KUNM, KNME and New Mexico in Depth for collaborative state government reporting.
Full story at UNM Newsroom
