Press Forward’s new toolkits — one for funders and one for local newsrooms — offer practical, research-backed guidance on how to make the case for local news in ways that resonate with today’s audiences.

Built from national survey data, focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and extensive message testing by the strategic communications firm Beekeeper Group, these resources reveal what language builds connection, which phrases raise skepticism, and how to frame the local news as essential to community life.