Toledo Free Press Announces Relaunch as a Nonprofit

Daily Dose  |  10/21/2024 10:30 am

The Toledo Free Press (TFP) is excited to announce its official relaunch during a press conference at the Blarney Irish Pub’s Murray Room on Oct. 22 at 1 p.m.

Board members Sean Nestor, Tom Pounds and editor-in-chief Lori King will speak to the media. Pounds and Nestor will also offer an historical perspective on its founding and rebirth.

In attendance will be staff and freelance editors and reporters, board members and other supporters of the Free Press, a digital-only media outlet. Coverage includes the local election, business development and secondary/higher education.

“It was labor of love for a decade and I’m so happy to bring it back,” said Pounds. “I’m pleased we can report on politics, economic development and education in this community with hopes of helping the city grow. The Toledo Free Press is making a triumphant return.”

Originally founded by Pounds in 2005, the TFP was a well-established, award-winning weekly newspaper until it went dark in 2015. In 2020, Nestor spearheaded a community effort to bring its archives online because he considered it a newspaper of record for the City of Toledo. That effort inspired supporters to revive the news outlet as a nonprofit, no-paywall, local organization with an emphasizes on journalistic integrity. The Free Press is also committed to a paid internship program, with an emphasis on training and mentoring the next generation of journalists.

After a nine-year hiatus, the newsroom began publishing daily content on Aug. 10. The Toledo Free Press is recommitted to delivering news that Northwest Ohio residents can rely on, with a primary goal of providing in-depth and investigative stories.

One of a growing number of new media organizations that operate as nonprofits, the Toledo Free Press is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News. It has received funding from the Toledo Community Foundation, as well small and large donors. Community support, grant funding and community partnerships will be critical to the continued growth of the 501c3 startup news company. It also receives some advertising revenue.

About the Toledo Free Press

The Toledo Free Press is a project of Toledo Integrated Media Education.

For those with a stake in Northwest Ohio — people looking to thrive where they live, and those who want to keep their finger on the pulse of what makes the Glass City and its surrounding communities a place worth living, working and visiting — the Toledo Free Press is your essential source of information. We believe a free press that offers civic information is good for Toledo, and it’s good for our democracy. That is why our mission is to help the community become more engaged, better informed and more civically aware.