Pasadena Media Foundation

Pasadena Media Foundation is the publisher of Local News Pasadena, a new community-focused newsletter and Web site exclusively covering the greater Pasadena-area.

The origin of Local News Pasadena goes back several years. Back to when multiple journalists covering Pasadena were laid off by new for-profit publishers. That included reporters covering local government, education, business, sports, events, local non-profits, politics and, most importantly, neighborhoods.

Around that time, Pasadena Media Foundation was created as a non-profit organization to help save local news by supporting the remaining Pasadena-area journalists. This involved providing many of them with critical tools of the trade, technical services and funding for expenses to get local stories told.

In addition, Pasadena Media Foundation provided funding for local beat reporters at community news outlets.

These efforts slowed the elimination of local news coverage, but the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic hit Pasadena’s news outlets hard. Some historically strong Pasadena periodicals became so-called “ghost newspapers,” publishing only a handful of Pasadena articles per edition and dramatically shrinking in size.

In response, Pasadena Media Foundation created the online edition of Local News Pasadena to supplement coverage of local news.

Combined with an email newsletter and numerous social media accounts, Local News Pasadena is all about provocative local stories in the making.

Justin Chapman













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Our Mission to #SaveLocalNews

To build a sustainable financial future for Pasadena-area news and information organizations, which are essential for democracy to function, and to promote high-quality local journalism within the community.

“Without revenue, you can’t pay reporters. Without reporters, you can’t develop consistently reliable news reports about what’s happening in your town. Without that reliable news report, you can’t figure out how to run local government. It isn’t rocket science.”
 - Alberto Ibargüen, President Emeritus, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

"Trusted local information and the people and systems that gather and distribute it are critical infrastructure for communities, just like the people and systems necessary to provide housing, roads, electricity, clean air and water, healthy food, reliable broadband data networks, schools, healthcare and cultural institutions."
 - Andrew Nachison, National Community Reinvestment Coalition

"Grant money from the Pasadena Media Foundation greatly benefited Pasadena Now at a moment when our financial survival was difficult and the grant will therefore bear fruit for many years.
Pasadena Now isn't backed by a big corporation or deep-pocket investors. So the grant received from the Pasadena Media Foundation was more than welcome, it was a blood transfusion! It allowed us to help pay for the talented reporters we desperately need to fulfill our mission in the community."

- James Macpherson, Publisher
Pasadena Now & Altadena Now

Our Shared Sense of Urgency

News organizations across the nation have been decimated by the collapse of traditional business models brought on by the impact of digital technology and social media. The Pasadena area is no stranger to these market forces, with multiple news outlets recently eliminating editorial staff, shifting focus away from local news coverage or shutting down entirely.

Readers and advertisers have been drawn to other information sources, especially on the Internet. As a result, many communities have turned into news deserts, with little or no local reporting. Information to minority communities is especially impacted.

Now combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, our local news agencies are further challenged to remain viable, while simultaneously finding themselves responsible for an increasingly important role in the dissemination of accurate and crucial information.