Let’s talk about the ‘free’ in Dallas Free Press
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Making quality, trustworthy journalism free and available to everyone in Dallas is non-negotiable for us.
But as you know, quality journalism — the kind that truly listens to the communities it serves and skillfully reports on civic issues and potential solutions — is costly.
The “haves” and “have nots” in Dallas correspond to news coverage, too. In our city, we have “news deserts,” defined as “a community with limited access to the sort of credible and comprehensive news and information that feeds democracy at the grassroots level.”
The map below shows how local publications are delivered to mailboxes and front doors of each Dallas zip code, based on recent audit information. The dark blue zip codes have the most news saturation (between 10,000 and 16,000 subscriptions delivered); the gray zip codes have the least (less than 500).
And because the business model of local news is based mostly on advertising, subscriptions or a combination of both, news saturation in a community inevitably correlates to news coverage of that community.
Dallas Free Press’ community journalism efforts focus on two neighborhoods with gray zip codes: South Dallas (75210, 75215) and West Dallas (75212). Our goal is to illuminate how civic issues affect neighbors personally, and to work hand-in-hand with them to explore solutions and press for equity.
We make this content available to neighbors and deliver it directly to their phones at no cost to them. But the time it takes and the expertise it requires to produce this kind of journalism is expensive.
We’re so grateful for all of the support we’ve been given in our inaugural year. In 2021, our goal is to raise enough money to hire two full-time reporters who will dedicate their time and focus their reporting on South Dallas and West Dallas. We are seeking journalists who reflect the culture and diversity of the neighborhoods we serve.
If you have the means to give, please consider giving to nonprofit, nonpartisan journalism.
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Keri Mitchell has spent 20+ years as a community journalist, including 15 years dedicated to community and civic journalism at Dallas’ Advocate magazines. She launched Dallas Free Press in early 2020 with the belief that all neighborhoods deserve reporting and storytelling that values their community and holds leaders accountable.
Mitchell says she is energized by “knowing our work is making an impact — listening to people, telling their stories with strong narratives paired with compelling data that leads to change. I also love spending time in our neighborhoods and with our neighbors, learning from them and working to determine how journalism can be part of the solution to their challenges.”
Mitchell is proud to be the winner of multiple awards during her journalism career including: Finalist in Magazine Feature Reporting (2018) and Finalist in Magazine Investigative Reporting (2017) from Hugh Aynesworth Excellence in Journalism, Best Feature Story (2011) from Texas Community Newspaper Association and Best Magazine Feature (2011) from Dallas Bar Association Philbin Awards.
Areas of Expertise:
local government, education, civic issues, investigative and enterprise reporting
Location Expertise:
Dallas, Texas
Official Title:
Founder + executive director
Email Address:
keri@dallasfreepress.com
