NPR is joining with New Orleans Member station WWNO-FM and its licensee, the University of New Orleans, to support the launch of a new local journalism partnership. The nonprofit multimedia newsroom will be operated by the University in partnership with WWNO. This new newsroom will produce in-depth local reporting on issues of vital interest to the community, to be featured online through NewOrleansReporter.org, a news website and mobile platform, and on radio via WWNO.
NewOrleansReporter.org and WWNO will provide thought-provoking, original reporting on key beats including public accountability and government, business, education, criminal justice, the environment, and arts and culture. In addition to original reporting, NewOrleansReporter.org will feature and link to other local, national and world news; all content will be delivered in easily accessible formats including web, tablet, smart phone, social media and radio.
Built on a public radio funding model, the new service will be made possible through the support of the community, including voluntary donations from radio listeners and website users; corporate sponsors; and foundation funders and major donors. Current WWNO General Manager Paul Maassen will manage WWNO radio and NewOrleansReporter.org to coordinate digital and broadcast content. WWNO and NewOrleansReporter.org will share a common newsroom on UNO’s campus, with reporters producing content for both online and radio formats.
NewOrleansReporter.org will be “open source,” meaning all of its content will be available, free of charge, to other local and national news outlets. With a strong focus on journalistic integrity, NewOrleansReporter.org will have a clear policy to not sacrifice editorial judgment for the political, financial or promotional goals of any individual, organization or business.
“This is an exciting opportunity to converge digital, mobile and broadcast together in a multiplatform newsroom for New Orleans,” said Paul Maassen, WWNO GM. “We are grateful for the support the community has shown for this initiative.”
Initial community engagement and fundraising support will come from Greater New Orleans Inc., the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation.
NewOrleansReporter.org will seek to coordinate with other local news sources and organizations to maximize existing resources and encourage the spread of high-quality reporting; initial content partners include NolaVie and The Lens.
NewOrleansReporter.org will seek to be live by the end of the year.
