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Introduction
After 142 years of family ownership, The Spokesman-Review is set to become one of the nation’s first community-owned newspapers.
Community is our great unifier. It transcends politics, thriving on what we have in common rather than focusing on our divisions. Building on that foundation, the nonprofit Comma Community Journalism Lab’s mission is to to tell the stories that matter most to local readers, while educating and mentoring the next generation of journalists.
Comma is a disruptor by design. We are reinventing every aspect of our organization, from the way our newsrooms work, to the role of advertising and memberships, to our teaching partnerships with five colleges and two regional school districts in the Inland Northwest. Comma begins in Spokane – Washington’s second largest city – with a storied history of supporting local journalism. But as a model for saving and strengthening community journalism throughout America, this is just the start. Here is our story, our mission and how you can join us.
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Our Impact
Comma focuses on media literacy and trust. It uses local journalism as a unifying element for the community — showing we all have more in common than we have different.
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Community-Funded Reporters
The Spokesman-Review has had community and philanthropic-funded journalists in our newsroom since 2019, and the independence of our journalists is sacred. That vital funding has supported coverage of health care and staffing the newspaper's Washington, D.C. bureau. Community support allows us to grow. When 300 people join the First Amendment Club, at an average donation of $3,500 a year, it will created $1 million in new journalism jobs in Eastern Washington. -
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Live Events
We take the news off the newspaper pages and take the conversation into the community with our Northwest Passages live journalism events. From nationally known authors to top newsmakers, Spokane residents can interact with and ask questions directly to those who contribute to history in the making. -
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Political Debates
Hosting forums that educate voters remains at the core of our mission. We take it a step further: sometimes, a local high school debate team will be the ones asking questions. -
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The Black Lens
In 2025 the Black Lens community newspaper became the first of Comma's allied newspapers, helping to amplify voices in the Black community. Comma will serve as support and mentoring for young journalists as well as helping this publication grow for the next generation. It's a promise our founder Rob Curley made to Black Lens founder Sandy Williams. We're going to make sure her vision lives on. -
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Difference Makers
Each year, The Spokesman-Review and its readers honor residents who have made a difference throughout the year. These are everyday leaders who have helped those in need or brought attention and solutions to challenges facing the Inland Northwest. -
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Women of the Year
The Spokesman-Review honors women from across Eastern Washington and North Idaho as the Inland Northwest Women of the Year. We tell their their stories of achievement and commitment to making our hometowns better tomorrow.
Our Vision
Our mission is our business model. Comma blends reader revenue, philanthropy, advertising and community partnerships to sustain high-impact journalism and rebuild public trust in the press. This serves as a scalable blueprint for independent local media nationwide.
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Local Universities
Comma is collaborating with regional colleges, universities and high schools to foster education, innovation and community engagement while providing students with real-world applied learning opportunities. -
Community Newspapers
We are working to revitalize access to local news, amply underrepresented voices and help strengthen communities througout Eastern Washington and North Idaho. -
National Model
Global nonprofit advisers and collaborators at the Bridgespan Group have pressure-tested Comma's plan and identified 30 other communities nationwide that could use this innovative business.
What People Are Saying
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I stood up and turned around and looked backward ... this is a thread that pulls people together.
Leonard Woolsey -
The Spokesman-Review is my absolute favorite newspaper in the entire world.
Craig Johnson -
A bold experiment will determine the fate of The Spokesman-Review, a pillar of local journalism in northeastern Washington that’s being donated to a nonprofit startup.
Brier Dudley -
In joining a growing wave of nonprofit conversions, the family-owned paper aims to preserve community journalism — and keep it out of corporate hands.
Poynter -
The Cowles family chose what in my mind is community service rather than profit maximization. It would have been snapped up in a heartbeat by a chain or hedge fund. That would have been problematic for local news in Eastern Washington.
Benjamin Shors -
Cowles Co. to donate multi-generational owned paper. Comma is based on Gonzaga University’s campus and is home to The Black Lens newspaper, a monthly issue that focuses on the region’s Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
Spokane Journal of Business -
Plans are to have Comma implement partnerships with universities, school districts and other nonprofit news organizations in operating the Spokesman-Review.
Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business -
The agreement includes a stipulation that current employees of The Spokesman-Review keep at least the same pay and benefits.
Missoula Current