#MergerMondays: Journalism & News
Across the country, journalism organizations are rethinking how they structure themselves as financial pressures and shrinking newsroom resources make investigative reporting harder to sustain. This moment is drawing particular attention because both local and national outlets are facing the same challenge: how to protect rigorous, research-driven journalism when traditional revenue models no longer cover the cost of long-form, accountability reporting. Recent mergers, including partnerships that blend nonprofit missions with for-profit infrastructure, highlight a trend toward consolidation designed to preserve depth, accuracy, and statewide or national reach. These changes signal that the field is shifting from competition to collaboration in order to keep public-service journalism viable.
In New Mexico, one of the most notable examples is the merger of Searchlight New Mexico, an investigative journalism nonprofit founded in 2017, with The New Mexican Public Service Journalism Fund, a nonprofit fund fiscally sponsored by the New Mexico Foundation. What makes this merger especially remarkable is the involvement of The Santa Fe New Mexican, a for-profit newspaper that launched the journalism fund in 2024 and will now provide infrastructure support for the merged effort. This type of cross-model partnership — nonprofits combining missions while a for-profit newsroom strengthens their operational foundation — is rare and signals a meaningful, mission-first approach.
Leaders from all involved organizations emphasized that the consolidation will reduce overhead, improve long-term sustainability, and expand free, high-impact reporting for readers across the state. Bill Church, Executive Editor of The New Mexican, will also become Executive Director of Searchlight New Mexico once the merger is finalized, likely in September. Supporters can expect SearchlightNM.org to remain a central hub for the investigative work that has shaped statewide conversations for seven years.
Nationally, a similar effort is underway as MuckRock Foundation and Sunlight Research Center merge to rebuild investigative capacity for newsrooms across the country. Sunlight’s team, four full-time and three part-time staff, will join MuckRock, expanding its ability to provide background research, public records support, data analysis, and AI-enabled investigative tools. Leadership roles will shift as well, with Brandi Swicegood becoming Chief Editorial and Programs Officer and Anna Massoglia taking on the role of Editor.
Together, these mergers illustrate a meaningful shift. Shared resources and aligned missions can strengthen the quality and reach of journalism in ways that benefit entire communities.
Check out more about these groundbreaking mergers here:
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-taos-news/20250904/282149297440282
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/santa-fe-new-mexican/20250827/281676851021938
https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/rebuilding-the-research-desk-in-local-newsrooms/
