Why Journalism Needs the Nonprofit Beat—Now More Than Ever
A call to revive coverage of the sector quietly shaping American life
Like many of you, I’ve spent years working at the intersection of journalism, public service, and nonprofit leadership. So I was genuinely excited to read this recent announcement in Editor & Publisher:
📰 Four news outlets and a student paper will receive a yearlong fellowship from the Chronicle of Philanthropy to bolster their coverage of nonprofits and foundations.
👉 Read the article
Conceptually, it feels like something we desperately need.
As of 2023, the U.S. is home to 1.85 million nonprofit organizations, according to the Philanthropy Roundtable. This includes public charities, foundations, and other tax-exempt groups. Collectively, these organizations account for nearly 10% of private-sector jobs and contribute 5.2% to GDP, according to Nonprofit Quarterly.
And yet, most of their work flies under the media radar.
In trying to understand why, I came across a prescient 2012 blog post by journalist Sarah Pulliam Bailey titled: “Did the philanthropy beat disappear?” At the time, The New York Times had just eliminated its full-time philanthropy reporter—one of the last in daily journalism.
Bailey wrote:
“Sure, newspapers have to prioritize their time and attention, but it seems strange to have entire desks devoted to politics and business and not one person covering philanthropy. It demonstrates media outlets' priorities—what they deem 'important.'”
A year later, Susan Danish, writing in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, posed a similar question: Why is it that a sector with more than 1.5 million organizations receives so little mainstream media coverage?
Her theory? It’s not just that nonprofits don’t advertise. It’s that the sector is so vast and diverse that it defies easy categorization—and easy coverage. But she also warned:
“The mainstream media is really missing the boat in not attempting to understand the sector’s non-economic impact on our country, our citizens, and our civic capital.”
That was 2013. Today, with governments strapped and social services strained, that observation feels even more urgent.
And here’s the irony: while nonprofits receive minimal editorial coverage, many of them are funding journalism itself. Organizations like the Knight Foundation, the American Journalism Project, and Press Forward are pumping millions into the industry. But aside from the occasional grant announcement, coverage of these entities—what they do, who they serve, what influence they carry—is practically nonexistent.
On the local level, this gap matters even more. Nonprofits are often early indicators of community challenges. They’re incubators of solutions. As Danish put it:
“Nonprofits are incubators of programs and solutions that can really make a difference in how well and effectively we as a people address societal issues…”
Which brings me back to that Editor & Publisher story.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s new Philanthropy & Nonprofit Accountability Fellowship is a step in the right direction. The fellowship supports four local newsrooms and one student publication with training and financial support to build out nonprofit coverage.
But it’s worth noting that the total investment is $120,000—or $30,000 per newsroom. For an organization that reported $16 million in revenue last year, I’d argue that’s just a starting point. The Chronicle shouldn’t have to do it alone, of course—but they’ve opened the door. Others should follow.
Finally, let’s not forget the audience. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 11 million Americans volunteered on any given day in 2022. That’s 11 million people who are actively engaged in civic life—and potentially hungry for journalism that reflects their efforts and values.
Let’s cover them. Let’s serve them. Let’s bring the nonprofit beat back.
Further Reading:
Four outlets selected for nonprofit journalism fellowship – Editor & Publisher
Philanthropy Roundtable: Growth of the Nonprofit Sector
What do you think?
Do you know a newsroom doing great work covering the nonprofit sector? Or a nonprofit doing work that deserves more media attention? I’d love to hear about it.
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