Melissa Milios Davis

Melissa Milios Davis has spent the past few years building the local news ecosystem in Colorado as head of the Colorado Media Project, which was named one of Press Forward’s first local chapters. This September, she joins Press Forward as our Network Manager, and will lead efforts to engage our diverse array of aligned funders.

We spoke with Davis about her career, first as a journalist and later in philanthropy, and what she looks forward to in her new role.

You spent the first decade of your career as a reporter and producer in local news. What drew you to the field?

I’ve always been curious – a listener and a learner. I ask a lot of questions, and I love to understand how things work. I’m particularly interested in systems, and how things might work better, for more people. I think most journalists are like this by nature. We work on behalf of our neighbors – all of our neighbors – to shine light, to complicate narratives, to celebrate local heroes, and to explain paths forward. This is a mission-driven, human-centered profession at heart, and that’s why public service journalism at the local level has always inspired me.

As part of your work at the Denver-based Gates Family Foundation, you now lead the Colorado Media Project, designated one of the first Press Forward local chapters. What lessons from building that project will you bring to Press Forward?

So many! We have an amazing local news ecosystem in Colorado. There’s a spirit of creativity and camaraderie and optimism here that is really unique. But being this close to the ground, I have also seen the harsh realities of what small, independent local newsrooms are dealing with on a day to day basis. There’s never enough time in the day to do everything they want to do, for their communities. So one lesson I’ve learned is that more coordination among mission-aligned local newsrooms, journalism service providers, and even community members themselves can help strengthen the field and make it more resilient. We have some really strong networks of independent newsrooms in Colorado, sharing resources and doing ambitious work together that they couldn’t do alone. Individual communities as well as residents statewide are better served when that happens.

The other lesson I’ve learned is how important it is that more non-journalists see the value of this work, and find entry points to be a part of it. We have built a strong coalition of funders and civic leaders in Colorado who come to the table with many different institutional priorities, strategies, and personal perspectives. I often find myself in the roles of interpreter and matchmaker, bringing others along in ways that make sense to them. Press Forward has the potential to provide a common language, set of priorities, and values that lead to collective impact – while remaining fiercely committed to preserving the uniqueness of local solutions.

At Press Forward, you will be working with our Aligned Funders. What do you hope to achieve in that position? What will you be focused on in your first six months? 

To date, most of the money committed to Press Forward has been pledged by Aligned Funders, who are making grants directly from their own foundations to organizations and projects that are aligned with Press Forward’s priorities and values. I see a huge opportunity for more knowledge sharing and strategizing among these funders, both to support “big bets” aiming to change the face of journalism across the U.S. and also to ensure that smaller or more nascent but equally promising initiatives get the attention they deserve. My goal is to meet 1:1 with each of our Aligned Funders to better understand where they are and how they hope to participate in Press Forward. From there, I’m excited to lean into these opportunities by supporting working groups that advance their priorities. As a team, we’re also going to be focused on lifting up Press Forward grantees and strategic partners so their work is more visible to our entire network. Supporting this cycle of learning and investment is a really exciting element of this Network Manager role to me.

What excites you most about the local journalism field right now?

I think we’re in a moment where most people viscerally understand the relationship between trustworthy local news and information, community cohesion, and public engagement – or disengagement, as the case may be. We’ve seen our civic fabric frayed by not attending to the health of our public information ecosystems. We’ve been told for too long that social platforms designed to engage through outrage are “the modern public square.” The opportunity right now is to reimagine, reclaim and rebuild a healthier public square that better serves and strengthens our communities.

Local news organizations can play a pivotal role as trusted information providers and conveners – but journalists aren’t the only ones carrying this mantle. There are so many nonpartisan allies who also aim to strengthen community engagement and civic participation. That’s really a big tent vision, and I’m excited to see local journalism take a seat at that table.

You live in Colorado. Where can we find you when you’re not working?

As John Muir said – the mountains are calling, and I must go! We moved to Colorado from Texas eight years ago, specifically to be closer to the mountains – and we take full advantage of the state’s amazing beauty. My kids are 11 and 14 now, and have grown up skiing, downhill mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, and even snowshoeing. My husband Brit and I bought a pop-up camper at the beginning of the pandemic, and we take every chance we get to get lost. I hope that all of our Press Forward partners take this as an open invitation to come visit me in Colorado – and I look forward to seeing many of you soon, out in the field!