SAULT STE. MARIE – Online news company Village Media Inc. says it will be setting up 15 local newsrooms in the United States after receiving a $5 million investment from the Knight Foundation.
The news agency says the newsrooms will be spread across three U.S. states, starting in Wisconsin and will tentatively expand to Pennsylvania and Illinois, but specific markets and launch timings will be announced at a later date.
It says the newsrooms will be launched in clusters across neighbouring communities, which will help build local newsroom capacity while sharing operational and editorial expertise across each regional network.
Jeff Elgie, CEO of Village Media, says the partnership with Knight Foundation will test Village’s model for rebuilding local news and civic engagement in the U.S.
Village Media began two decades ago in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., with a mission to save local news and currently serves 27 communities, with four million unique visitors.
Knight Foundation is a social investor group which has periodically supported journalism, civic information and community engagement in the U.S.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2026.
