This article was written by Suzanne Soares, a 2025 BenitoLink Marketing Intern. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
In 2024, BenitoLink was awarded $100K from Press Forward as a part of the “Closing Local Coverage Gaps” grant. The payments are made in two installments of $50,000 and the second payment will come this month. This grant helps provide original reporting for underserved communities in an effort to strengthen local newsrooms and close longstanding gaps in news coverage.
“The Press Forward grant gave us the confidence to move ahead on some important goals this year,” said BenitoLink Executive Director Leslie David. “After looking for nearly a year, we were able to hire a highly qualified, full-time editor, Jim Johnson,” she said.
David also said the funding has helped with other newsroom initiatives. “Reporting in person and covering local issues is time-consuming and expensive, and we need not just community donations but to develop additional ways of supporting BenitoLink,” she said.
Press Forward, a project of The Miami Foundation, is a national movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news and information.
BenitoLink is a community-supported, nonprofit news organization that covers San Benito County and is based in Hollister, California. It’s primarily an online news source created by San Benito County residents to provide consistent reporting on topics and issues that are important to community members.
The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour and Taylor Farms.
