Just a few years after its launch, The Concord Bridge is demonstrating what a focused, community-supported newsroom can achieve—earning multiple honors in the New England Better Newspaper Competition at NENPA’s recent convention.
Built to restore consistent, high-quality local coverage in Concord, Massachusetts, the nonprofit publication has quickly established both reach and relevance—delivering a free weekly newspaper to every household and business while operating with the pace of a daily digital newsroom.
Equally important, it has built a growing base of community support, with residents stepping up as donors to help sustain the work and ensure access to trusted local journalism for everyone.
That work is already having a measurable impact.
In one instance, a story that began as a feature on volunteers reading to children at a local shelter led a reporter to ask deeper questions. The reporting evolved into an investigation that uncovered unsafe living conditions—ultimately prompting action and halting new placements at the facility.
For other newsrooms, The Concord Bridge offers a clear takeaway: when local journalism is deeply rooted in its community—and focused on the reporting that matters most—it can both earn trust and drive meaningful change.
📊 Snapshot
Publication Name: The Concord Bridge
Location: Concord, MA
Website: concordbridge.org
Founded: 2022
Leadership: Maile Hulihan, CEO, Celeste Katz Marston, Editor-in-Chief
Model: Nonprofit
Type: Free weekly print + daily digital publication
Frequency: Weekly (web updated daily)
Distribution: Free to ~8,700 households and businesses
Staff Size: Under 10, cross-trained team
Mission: A nonpartisan, nonprofit newspaper of record serving the Concord community
“We’re a weekly newspaper that acts like a daily.” – Celeste Katz Marston
🧭 Editorial Approach
The Concord Bridge is intentionally hyperlocal—focusing on the issues that directly impact residents.
Key focus areas:
- Local government and accountability reporting
- Schools and education
- High school sports and community life
- Major town events and civic issues
Notably not covered:
- National politics (except when there is a direct local impact)
“We talk a lot about revealing Concord to itself because we’re not shying away from things that are different from how people would like it to be.” – Maile Hulihan
🎯 What’s Working
- Live coverage of town meetings and major events
- Strong visual storytelling and design
- Highly engaged letters to the editor section
- Community contributors, including student correspondents
💰 Revenue Model
- ~60% donor-supported
- Advertising, obituaries, and legal notices
- Custom publishing and sponsorships
- Exploring events, merchandising, and membership
🎨 Visual & Audience Strategy
- Heavy use of photography and thoughtful layout
- Photo essays and strong front-page visuals
- Social media engagement driven by imagery
🤝 Community Engagement
- Active social media interaction
- Community events and presentations
- Direct outreach (including phone calls with readers)
🧨 Impact Journalism
- Shelter investigation → halted unsafe placements
- Election coverage → increased turnout
- Consistent coverage of difficult, high-impact issues
⚙️ Operations & Workflow
- Small, collaborative, cross-trained team
- Structured editorial workflow and regular news meetings in office
- Tools: Slack, Google Drive, social platforms
🚧 Challenges
- Scaling with a small team
- Building sustainable revenue
- Managing high expectations
💡 Advice & Opportunities
- Try this: Invest in visuals, design, and live blogging capabilities; it drives engagement.
- Avoid this: Trying to cover everything.
- Big opportunity: Events and further developing a member model for community-supported local news.
⭐ Best Quote
“The New York Times of Concord.” – Maile Hulihan