COLTON COURIER Weekly
June 06, 2024
Vol 152, NO. 24
IECF Combatting Inland Empire News Deserts with Launch of Journalism Innovation Hub+Fund Collaborative By Manny Sandoval
I
IECN.com
Advocates Demand Fix to Harmful California Fuel Program Pg. 2
n a groundbreaking move poised to revolutionize the media and journalism landscape of the Inland Empire, leaders from local community news organizations gathered at ESRi to announce the launch of the Journalism Innovation Hub+ Fund. This initiative, established in 2022 through the Inland Empire Community Foundation, aims to support local and regional journalism, fostering a sustainable and reliable news ecosystem in the face of rampant disinformation and the decline of local news outlets. The kickoff event featured prominent figures from various news organizations, including Inland Empire Community News, KVCR Public Media, Black Voice News, and Frontline Observer, among others. The highlight of the event was a keynote address by Paulette Brown-Hinds, PhD, Chair of the Journalism Innovation Hub+ Fund and Publisher of Black Voice News. “Both media and philanthropy play a crucial role in advancing
New Waterslides Now Open at Glen Helen Regional Park
a multi-racial democracy and serving the public good. I’ve been particularly excited by philanthropy’s response to the crisis in local news media,” Brown-Hinds said. “As a fund, we are focused on the future, committed to building a stronger news ecosystem by thinking creatively about improving the civic health of our region through community engagement and solutions reporting on vital conditions for thriving communities.” The Journalism Innovation Hub+ Fund is designed to support innovations in community news, expand reporting on essential conditions, and invest in sustainable models for local news and civic information. The initiative aims to combine philanthropic efforts to enhance impact, connect donors and funders committed to amplifying community voices, and foster more active, informed communities. The fund’s establishment comes at a critical time. Since the explosion of the pandemic in early 2020, at least 85 local newsrooms in the U.S. have closed. Others have barely Journalism, cont. next pg.
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL
(Left to right) IECF Journalism Innovation Hub+Fund Chair Paulette Brown-Hinds and Iconic American Journalist Dean Baquet sharing insight into the crisis on the state of local journalism.
Rialto's Juneteenth Celebration Features Exclusive 'Sweetwater' Screening with Lead Actor on June 21
Pg. 3
HOW TO REACH US FREE ‘Out in the I.E.’ Inland Empire Community Pop-Up Exhibit in Newspapers Riverside, Celebrating Office: (909) 381-9898 Pride Month June 3-13 Editorial: iecn1@mac.com
PHOTO NSG IMPACT
A family at last year’s Juneteenth event enjoying the vendors.
By Manny Sandoval
T
Advertising: sales@iecn.com Legals : iecnlegals@hotmail.com
Pg. 8
Inland Empire Community Newspapers Office: (909) 381-9898 Editorial: iecn1@mac.com Advertising: iecn1@mac.com Legals : iecnlegals@gmail.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF OSBORNE
Everett Osborne as Nathaniel Clifton in the film Sweetwater, set to screen at Never Stop Grinding Impact’s Juneteenth Celebration at sundown on June 21, 2024.
his Juneteenth, the City of Rialto and IEHP, in collaboration with Never Stop Grinding Impact (NSG), is set to host an extraordinary celebration of culture, highlighting the untold stories of African American history through the exclusive screening of "Sweetwater." The event is being Friday, June 21, 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM at Margaret Todd Park, located at 201 N. Willow Ave. The centerpiece of the cele-
bration is the award-winning film "Sweetwater," a compelling biographical movie about Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton, the first African American to sign an NBA contract. Directed by Martin Guigui and starring Everett Osborne, Cary Elwes, and Jeremy Piven, the film captures the pivotal moment in 1950 when Clifton broke barriers and forever changed the landscape of professional basketball. Juneteenth, cont. next pg.