Why My Local Press

What we do differently — and why it matters.

Papers are closing. Newsrooms are shrinking. Communities are losing the reporters, editors, and storytellers who kept them informed — and the local organizations that gave them a platform.

The platforms that replaced them weren't built for journalism. They were built for engagement — and the algorithm rewards outrage, not accuracy. Local news didn't die because nobody wanted it. It died because nobody built a business model that worked for the people actually doing the reporting.

90% Goes to the Journalist

When an advertiser supports a journalist, an organization, or a community on My Local Press, 90% of that money goes directly to the people doing the work. We take 10% to cover infrastructure — video hosting, processing, storage.

90%

My Local Press

~55%

YouTube

50–80%

Most platforms

As the platform grows and revenue from classifieds, subscriptions, and other features comes online, we intend to stay flexible and keep your share as high as possible. Full payment details →

Respect, Not Engagement

Most platforms reward whatever gets clicks. We reward something else. On My Local Press, your visibility and your share of location-based ad revenue are driven by respect — not controversy.

Respect is earned by reporting the truth, engaging with your community, and welcoming perspectives you might not agree with. The most powerful signal isn't a like — it's "I disagree, but I respect this." Read how Respect shapes the feed →

Five Signals

Vouched — verified by a real person, accountable to the community
Respect — earned through quality reporting and civil engagement
Local — covering the place you actually live
Expertise — demonstrated knowledge in what you cover
Professional — adhering to journalistic standards and ethics

A Fair Ad Marketplace

We don't sell top placement. Every ad gets shown — your budget determines how often, not whether. The system uses spend-proportional rotation: a $1,000/month campaign gets roughly twice the visibility of a $500/month campaign, but the $500 campaign still gets seen. No one can buy out all the impressions.

Advertisers choose two things independently: who gets paid (a journalist, a publication, or all journalists in an area) and who sees the ad (local, state, country, or global). This means your ad dollars directly fund the journalism your community depends on — not a platform's overhead.

Advertiser Quick Start →

Everything You Need, Nothing to Build

A journalist on My Local Press has a complete publishing operation from day one. Stories, podcasts, video, ads, classifieds, events, coupons, community resources — all the tools to run a local news business, ready to go, with nothing to pay.

Publishing

Stories, podcasts, video, broadcasts — whatever the story needs

Revenue

Built-in advertising platform with 90/10 split. Subscriptions coming soon

Community Tools

Events, classifieds, coupons, resources, initiatives, alerts, spotlights

Multi-Platform

Web, iOS, Android — with CarPlay and TV coming

More Than News

Local news is the starting point, not the ceiling. The platform is built for everything a community needs to stay informed and organized.

Alerts

Community members can create or contribute to local alerts — road closures, weather events, public safety, anything the neighborhood needs to know right now.

Spotlights

The community flags what it wants investigated. If local reporters can't cover it yet, we'll work to get reporters on the ground. This is journalism driven by what the community actually needs to know — not what gets the most clicks.

Initiatives

Organize around community goals — political, infrastructure, social. Not just reporting on what's happening, but giving people a way to do something about it.

Where This Is Going

The cost of providing professional news coverage for a community is approaching zero. A podcast from a phone, a video broadcast from a minimal setup, a live stream from city hall — the technology is there. What's been missing is a platform and a business model that makes it sustainable.

We're building for a future where any community — no matter how small — can have its own news operation. Your content plays in the car, on your TV, on your phone. Advertisers can support their community with a few clicks. Readers can subscribe directly to the journalists they trust.

The platform adapts and evolves with whatever the future of news looks like. We don't know exactly what that is yet. Nobody does. But we're building the infrastructure so that when it arrives, you're ready.