News-media roundup: Public broadcaster to buy Denton Record-Chronicle; Hearst builds digital subs, is bullish on papers; Freedom Forum funds First Amendment reporter

Wednesday, Sept. 28, is World News Day.

The National Trust for Local News says it's "announcing a new model of community journalism," a partnership between the Denton Record-Chronicle and the main public broadcaster for North Texas. The paper would be bought by KERA, which will become the paper's "community anchor," a phrase that defines the new model. The two "are fundraising to close the acquisition in 2023. This model is one of four that will be supported through the Trust’s $17.25 million Community Journalism Impact Fund I." The trust's mission is to keep community news media locally owned.

Family-owned Hearst Corp. still believes in newspapers, CEO Steve Swartz tells Axios. Its 24 dailies and 52 weeklies have 338,000 digital subscriptions, up from 65,000 in 2018.

The McCormick Foundation announced $7.5 million in journalism grants, including one to Capitol News Illinois "to meet the need for greater scrutiny in Springfield," Northwestern University reports.

With money from the Freedom Forum, the Tennessean will be hiring a First Amendment reporter with a broad geographic purview, the South. Read more here.

The American Press Institute announced 31 grants from its Election Coverage and Community Listening Fund. Grantees with large rural audiences include Alaska Public Media; The Assembly NC and the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media; Carolina Public Press; Conecta Arizona; Lee Enterprises' Montana newspapers; the Raleigh News & Observer; and VTDigger.