Entrepreneurial journalism is on the rise. Could it save local news?

It's journalists and writers who matter, after all, not the publications they write for.

Since 2012, I've been providing curated news, independent reporting, and commentary on The DTM Facebook page and website for free. Some generous folks donated some money when The DTM first launched [thank you!], and a handful of people have become patrons [and thank you!], but for the most part this has been a time consuming labor of love.

But now The DTM will be moving to a free/paid website and newsletter subscription model here at Substack. I'll still be posting occasional links to local news and excerpts from DTM website features on Facebook and my personal Twitter account [@DSMcNair], but most reporting and commentary will now be posted here.

Why make this move?

I've spent an inordinate, and unhealthy amount of time concerning myself with the number of website views and followers on social media for The DTM as a measure of viability over the years, and how to leverage that. It's been exhausting, and more and more it's feeling like a waste of time. Making this move now is an effor…