CPA MEMBER CAMPAIGN
Local News Matters.
REVEALS. INFORMS. CONNECTS.
It’s time to tell our own story.
We’re good at telling other people’s stories. We’re not always as good at telling our own.
Local News Matters is the start of a coordinated effort to show Coloradans what local journalism does for them and what their communities stand to lose without it.
Campaign materials and downloads are available to CPA members.
Local News Matters campaign
A “Got Milk?” campaign for local news in Colorado
Local journalism makes communities stronger, but its value isn’t always obvious until it’s missing. Local News Matters gives Colorado newsrooms a shared way to show people what local reporting does, why it matters and how they can support it.
CPA has created ready-to-use messages and artwork that newsrooms can run in their own publications, websites, newsletters and social channels. One campaign across Colorado amplifies the message while keeping each newsroom’s relationship with its community at the center.
The more newsrooms that participate, the stronger the collective impact.
Launch together
A coordinated launch, with room to make it your own
The campaign is organized around three themes — REVEALS, INFORMS and CONNECTS — with a suggested three-week rollout. All materials are available now. Follow the sequence, lead with the messages most relevant to your community or use them in whatever order works best, then keep rotating them through the year.
Suggested week 1
REVEALS
Local reporting uncovers what communities need to know.
Suggested week 2
INFORMS
Local journalism helps people make decisions about their lives.
Suggested week 3
CONNECTS
Local news strengthens relationships and community identity.
CPA will promote the campaign through its own channels and explore additional ways to extend its reach. But the greatest opportunity is the collective reach of participating newsrooms and the audiences they already serve.
We also encourage members to involve community partners who can help spread the message.
This is the beginning of an ongoing effort. We expect to introduce new creative over time so newsrooms have fresh ways to reinforce the campaign’s message.
Getting started
Put Local News Matters to work in your newsroom
01
Get the materials
Print, digital and social assets for all three themes, with sample messages and suggested placements. Run them as supplied or adapt them; the Campaign guide covers permitted changes.
02
Share them your way
Use print, digital, newsletters and social channels to reach your community.
03
Invite readers to act
Encourage people to find, read, share, subscribe to and support local news.
No designer or marketing budget required. Run the supplied materials as they are or adapt them for your newsroom.
Where should you send readers?
Link digital ads and social posts to your chosen page, use a QR code and URL in print, and give podcast or other audio listeners a short, memorable URL.
Two good options: the statewide Local News Matters page, which explains why local journalism matters and how to support Colorado newsrooms, or your own subscription, membership, donation or newsletter page.
Our suggestion: use the statewide page to reinforce the broader message, and your own page when you want readers to take a specific action. A dedicated support page that gathers every way to help your newsroom — subscriptions, donations, advertising, sponsorships, sharing your reporting — works especially well.
Campaign themes
Three ways local news matters
Local journalism serves communities in different ways. We’ve built the campaign around three complementary ideas, each connecting a recognizable situation to the journalism that helps people understand it, act on it or remember it.
REVEALS
Who asked why?
Accountability doesn’t happen automatically. Someone has to attend the meetings, examine the records and ask uncomfortable questions. REVEALS makes that often-invisible work visible, reminding readers that someone is paying attention on their behalf.
INFORMS
Someone’s reporting.
There’s no shortage of opinions, rumors and competing claims. What takes work is finding out what’s true. INFORMS draws a distinction between people talking about something and journalists doing the reporting that helps communities make informed decisions.
CONNECTS
The story lives on.
Journalism captures the moments, people and traditions that make a place feel like home. CONNECTS reminds readers that local news helps preserve a community’s shared experiences and identity.
General social graphics
More ways to share Local News Matters
Alongside the theme-specific advertisements and social graphics, we’ve created a set of general campaign assets that newsrooms can use anytime.
These evergreen designs introduce the campaign, reinforce its identity and encourage people to find, read and support local journalism. Use them on their own or alongside the REVEALS, INFORMS and CONNECTS materials.
Five evergreen graphics: campaign identity, support, discovery, banner and Story.
Shared ZIP, 20.9 MB. Includes these five general graphics and the three REVEALS social formats.
View the three REVEALS social formats
Formats, platform guidance and suggested captions
Ready to put the campaign to work?
Then invite your community to find local news, read it, share it, subscribe and support it.