This post is part of a series on the recipients of Press Forward’s Open Call on Closing Local Coverage Gaps. Read the series here.

The 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas was a devastating blow to the community, and also a turning point for the Uvalde Leader-News. Publisher & Owner Craig Garnett, a veteran journalist who has been with the paper since 1982, recalled realizing that publishing a weekly print edition wasn’t enough to meet the community’s needs.

“We’ve been playing catch up since then, trying to figure out how to be an immediate and effective presence on digital platforms,” Garnett said. “That is our challenge. And translating that into a way to sustain ourselves financially as most news organizations are doing. It’s a work in progress, but we are making headway.

The paper applied to host a Report for America Fellow, Sofi Zeman, a recent University of Missouri grad who brought a wealth of digital expertise for the paper. Securing an RFA reporter, however, requires news organizations to raise matching funds to support the reporter’s salary, which led the Uvalde Leader-News to establish a nonprofit.

Now, with the support of Press Forward, the Uvalde Leader-News can accelerate its digital upgrade and jump-start fundraising.

Garnett, who recently published a book documenting the tragic events at Robb Elementary, with proceeds benefitting the Robb School Memorial fund, is appreciative of the breathing room the funding opportunity provides.

“It opens up so many channels to explore and to understand why we’re not connecting as much as we need to.”

Read the latest stories on the Leader-News’ website. 

Image: Uvalde Leader-News Publisher and Owner Craig Garnett