Hopkins Institute Launched to Support Community and Ethnic Media

Sacramento — At a time when local journalism is disappearing and trusted community voices are under threat, a new center is launching dedicated to strengthening California’s community and ethnic media through research, investment, advocacy, and innovation.

The Hopkins Institute, named for civil rights leaders and Pasadena Journal publishers Joe and Ruthie Hopkins, will provide the resources, partnerships, and leadership necessary to ensure that diverse communities continue to have access to trusted local news and civic information.

“Community and ethnic media provide trusted information in multiple languages and cultural contexts. Community and ethnic media are the First Amendment in action,” said Regina Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media.

“They break local news; they interpret events for the communities they serve; they act as our town squares, as our historians and as our source of community connection. It is essential to democracy that they survive.”

Philanthropic investment in local news is growing, but community publishers often struggle to access those resources. Wilson said the focus of the Hopkins Institute will be sustainability by helping media to take advantage of those funding opportunities, while also pursuing other revenue streams.

“We cannot rely on a 20th century business model when we are in the third decade of the 21st century,” Wilson said. “Diversity and innovation are keys to sustainability.”

Regina Wilson, Executive Director, California Black Media

The Hopkins Institute will host a public launch event later this year.