Lebanon County’s digital newspaper LebTown.com announced a major expansion of its popular municipal meeting coverage program and a plan to extend its journalism into Spanish language media during a community listening event held Wednesday, Oct. 16, at the Lebanon Community Library.
The expansion effort is funded by Press Forward, the national movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news, which had earlier that day named LebTown as one of 205 recipients nationwide to be awarded a grant through its Closing Local Coverage Gaps open call. The general purpose of the Closing Local Coverage Gaps grants is to support organizations in providing original reporting in underserved communities.
“These newsrooms are proof that we are seeing a moment of transformation, where new and longstanding are stepping up to create a new story for local news,” said Dale R. Anglin, Director, Press Forward. “Each of these newsrooms plays a vital public service role in its community – providing trustworthy local news and information in places where no other sources may exist. Independent newsrooms need community support to survive. We hope that more people will subscribe and donate to them.”
With the help of Press Forward, LebTown will greatly expand its coverage for Lebanon County’s rural and Hispanic communities and make this coverage self-sustaining. In pursuit of this grant, LebTown conducted reader research and surveyed stakeholders.
The impact of LebTown’s coverage and solutions journalism is evident when members share why they joined LebTown: Readers value LebTown’s role as watchdog and convener.
“Readers are grateful for LebTown’s coverage and want us to continue growing,” said LebTown publisher Davis Shaver. “They know our values. Everything we do starts with trust – we optimize for trust in every decision we make.”
At the community listening session Wednesday, the first bilingual event of its kind for LebTown, city residents and local leaders shared visions for how the news organization could more effectively serve the 46% of Lebanon city residents who are Hispanic. There’s a need for media produced by and for this community.
“We must listen to our Hispanic/Latino friends and provide to them what makes them feel the most comfortable and accepted,” said Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello at the listening session Wednesday. “They are a growing and vital part of our community. Making them feel like they are an included part of our community is the appropriate action to take.”
With Press Forward’s funding, LebTown will launch an effort to meet this need. LebTown aims to always be responsive to community needs on an ongoing basis, so details of this plan are subject to change, but the news organization currently plans to start with an experimental Spanish-language video podcast. LebTown is now seeking a host and title sponsor for the program, which will interpret and explain LebTown reporting and provide a forum for the news organization to stay connected with what matters to the community. As part of this effort, LebTown will also commission original reporting from Spanish-speaking journalists.
“Lebanon County is home to a set of diverse and changing communities,” said Shaver. “LebTown serves these communities individually while also bringing the entire county together around shared challenges, celebrations, and identities.”
LebTown reporters are experts on the communities they cover. When LebTown starts covering a community, it does so comprehensively, building trust and expertise, by producing better and more impactful journalism.
LebTown currently covers 19 municipalities through its Civic Impact Reporting Project, the reader-supported effort launched in 2022 to expand coverage of Lebanon County municipal meetings: Annville Township, Bethel Township, Cleona Borough, Cornwall Borough, East Hanover Township, Heidelberg Township, Jonestown Borough, Lebanon City, Millcreek Township, Mount Gretna Borough, Myerstown Borough, North Annville Township, North Cornwall Township, North Lebanon Township, Palmyra Borough, South Annville Township, South Londonderry Township, West Cornwall Township, and West Lebanon Township.
Press Forward’s support strengthens LebTown’s commitment to this coverage. As member support grows, LebTown will unlock coverage for the six remaining municipalities: Jackson Township, Richland Borough, North Londonderry Township, South Lebanon Township, Swatara Township, and Union Township. Press Forward’s backing could also see LebTown launch experiments with a citizen documenter program to fill coverage gaps.
Additionally, LebTown will pilot a program to distribute public notices from Lebanon County municipalities online, increasing access for taxpayers at no cost, as well as email newsletters specific to each municipality.
If just a handful of readers join LebTown’s membership program each month from every municipality it covers, or make a donation to the Civic Impact Reporting Project, this vital coverage will become self-sustaining.
Membership to LebTown is available at LebTown.com/Support. In addition to supporting LebTown’s critical coverage of Lebanon County, members get exclusive benefits and perks like invitations to members-only events, additional members-only emails, and fewer ads on the website.
“We’re lucky to be in a position where with just a little help we can make a huge impact – where we can show our community what they mean to us, why their stories are important, and invest in good reporting for a great community,” said Shaver.
About LebTown
LebTown is an independent media organization that provides timely, accurate, and comprehensive journalism intended to help people navigate their daily lives and promote the general well-being of Lebanon County.
LebTown’s team of freelance journalists publishes 3-5 original stories each weekday. Coverage areas include agriculture, business, education, government, transportation, and politics. LebTown prioritizes solutions journalism, which advances public understanding of issues facing Lebanon County.
Our Core Value: Optimize for Trust
LebTown is here to ensure that communities in Lebanon County have journalists covering them who are committed to their wellbeing, and who restore trust in the news gathering process. Our vision is an informed, connected, and empowered Lebanon County. Become a member and support our work at LebTown.com.
About Press Forward
Press Forward is a national movement to strengthen our democracy by revitalizing local news and information.
The steady and significant decline in the availability of reliable, fact-based local news across the country is connected to growing threats to democracy, increasing polarization, and the spread of disinformation. At the same time, over a decade of investment in journalism experimentation and transformation have produced new models and solutions that are ready to scale, and a new generation of leaders prepared to reinvent and revitalize the field. Press Forward partners are moving from individual grantmaking strategies to a shared vision and coordinated action.
This national coalition is investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms, close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage, advance public policy that expands access to local news, and to scale the infrastructure the sector needs to thrive. Join the movement at pressforward.news.
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