Nonprofit Baltimore Beat news publication returns to print and online
A team of journalists and nonprofit practitioners led by editor Lisa Snowden announced Friday the return of Beat of Baltimorea black-run and controlled non-profit online newspaper and outlet.
In the tradition of the black press and the alternative weekly, Beat of BaltimoreCommunity-focused reporting prioritizes thoughtful engagement with local readers, especially those with limited internet access and those in underrepresented communities.
To ensure that news reaches those who have least access to it, the To beat will begin publishing and distributing a free biweekly newspaper starting this summer, with plans to expand distribution and publication frequency over time. For Snowden, former editor of The Baltimore SunBaltimore city paper and The Real News Network, free print news is a necessity in Baltimore, a majority-black city with a significant digital divide and many people living below the poverty line.
Beat of Baltimore will build on the support of like-minded Baltimore readers and large-scale donors who understand that stories should reflect the diversity and experiences of all Baltimoreans and hold those in power accountable through hard work investigative, literary storytelling and service journalism.
Joining Snowden is Beat of BaltimoreJ. Deputy Editor Brian Charles, who has reported on gun violence in Baltimore at The Trace for the past two years and previously worked at Chalkbeat, Governor and The Hill.
the To beatTeri Henderson, arts and culture editor, is formerly editor for BmoreArt and gallery coordinator for Connect + Collect, and is the author of the 2021 book, “Black Collagists.”
the To beatBrandon Soderberg’s COO is the former Baltimore editor city paperco-author of the 2020 book “I Got a Monster” and an advocate for conscious, person-centered journalism.
Beat of Baltimore was created in 2017 after the closure of the alt-weekly institution city paper. the To beat started as a for-profit weekly, shut down in 2018, and transitioned to a nonprofit online outlet focused on service journalism and high-impact investigative work in 2019.
In 2020, the To beat suspended journalistic activities to strategize to launch a nonprofit newspaper with support from the Baltimore-based Lillian Holofcener Charitable Foundation.
In response to the death of George Floyd and the inequalities exacerbated by COVID-19, the Lillian Holofcener Charitable Foundation has provided the To beat with the majority of the foundation’s holdings, creating a longer track to sustainability for the publication.
May 15 at 1 p.m. at the Baltimore Bookstore, Greedy Reads Community Literature Festival, The Lost Weekend, Snowden and Soderberg will discuss the return of the To beat on the Future of Journalism panel.
