The founding members of the New Orleans Digital News Alliance are:
- The Lens, the city’s first nonprofit, public-interest newsroom, which provides the information and analysis necessary for residents to advocate for more accountable and just governance. thelensnola.org
- My Spilt Milk, which takes a timely look at popular culture in New Orleans with an emphasis on the city's robust musical culture live, online and on record (or the digital equivalent). myspiltmilk.com
- NOLA Defender, an alt daily that provides hyperlocal coverage of politics, crime, and culture Southern Louisiana, with an emphasis on the people, food, events, and arts that make New Orleans a cultural beacon. noladefender.com
- Uptown Messenger, a hyperlocal news site, which covers the people and events of New Orleans' Uptown neighborhoods, reporting on government, crime, schools, business and culture. uptownmessenger.com
The New Orleans media landscape is in flux, and the New Orleans Digital News Alliance strives to ensure that the city’s digital press provides deep, current and breaking coverage of the community in a way that is true to its unique culture.
"Reporting on NOLA is a skill set unto itself,” NOLA Defender Publisher B.E. Mintz said. “The city is multidimensional and nuanced. NOLA Defender is excited to take our experience covering New Orleans and work with other organizations to promote comprehensive media options for a city that deserves nothing less."
The New Orleans Digital News Alliance members are locally owned and operated, and see reporting on the city's news and culture as a form of community engagement and service.
"As journalism continues to evolve in the digital age, we are all committed to filling our city's need for more professional reporters on the ground," said Robert Morris, publisher of Uptown Messenger. "Each of us represents a different entrepreneurial approach to the news, but we are all working to ensure that New Orleanians are better informed than ever before."
These four publications continue the long-held passion of getting to the truth of public matters, and providing dispatches that reflect the currents of life in New Orleans.
“Our newsrooms bring different expertise and points of view,” said Steve Beatty, managing editor of The Lens. “By promoting each other’s work, our readers will appreciate and benefit from these diverse angles of coverage.”
My Spilt Milk’s Alex Rawls said this is an exciting time to be part of the news media in New Orleans.
“We’re all exploring new ways to tell the city’s story, individually and collectively,” he said.
The New Orleans Digital News Alliance will promote readership of local news outlets regardless of medium, and it encourages community engagement in the journalistic process. The city needs more journalistic voices than ever, and this alliance will explore opportunities to create new media models as the field evolves.
See below for contacts. All phone numbers are area code 504, naturally.
The Lens: Steve Beatty, 655-2375, sbeatty@TheLensNola.org
My Spilt Milk: Alex Rawls, 813-1576, alex@myspiltmilk.com
NOLA Defender: B.E. Mintz, 615-3335, info@noladefender.com
Uptown Messenger: Robert Morris, 452-1861, rmorris@nolamessenger.com