What happens when a newsroom that has spent generations serving its community suddenly gains the tools to reach the digital world?
For some South African publishers, the answer is already being seen in thousands of new followers, hundreds of thousands of online readers and communities taking action on issues that affect their daily lives.
Six months into its first R10.5 million funding round, the Digital News Transformation Fund (DNTF) is helping independent newsrooms build websites, strengthen digital operations, grow audiences and explore new ways to generate revenue.
Its progress report for January to June 2026 shows that 21 independent newsrooms are already using the funding to transform how they produce and distribute news.
The results include 10 first-ever websites launched, more than 300 stories published by Build-tier newsrooms and more than 65 journalists and media staff trained.
But behind those numbers is a bigger story: local journalism is finding new ways to stay relevant in an increasingly digital South Africa.
From 144 years of print to a new digital future
Few examples capture the transformation better than the Kokstad Advertiser in KwaZulu-Natal.
The 144-year-old newspaper entered the year without a digital presence.
By March, it was reaching as many as 354,000 people a month online.
The publication also built a following of more than 32,000 people across South Africa.
One of its digital stories focused on the disappearance of a seven-year-old girl. The coverage helped mobilise a community search and a formal police search-and-rescue operation.
For the newspaper, the shift was about more than simply putting its content online.
It was about ensuring trusted local journalism could continue reaching communities as traditional print audiences change.
“We’ve gone from being accessible only to local print subscribers to reaching over 32,000 followers and up to 354,000 people a month across South Africa,” said Muhammad Luqman Jamal, DNTF Project Manager at The Kokstad Advertiser.
He said the project had given the newspaper a viable digital future while helping trusted, hyperlocal journalism continue reaching the Greater Kokstad community.
Small newsrooms, big digital moves
The Kokstad Advertiser is not alone.
The Fund’s Build tier is designed for publishers establishing their first digital foundations.
Of the 11 newsrooms in this tier, 10 have now launched a website or digital platform.
Stokvel Media Hub, for example, grew its TikTok following from 344 to 5,945 in just three months.
That growth illustrates how community publishers can use platforms beyond traditional websites to meet audiences where they already spend their time.
The DNTF structures its support across three levels of digital maturity.
Build focuses on establishing digital foundations.
Grow supports publishers that already have an online presence and want to expand it.
Engage is aimed at more digitally mature publishers that are working on new revenue models.
Together, the three tiers are designed to help newsrooms move from simply being online to building stronger and more sustainable digital operations.
When local stories reach millions
For publishers that already had a digital presence, the next challenge has been extending their reach.
Highveld Chronicle in Mpumalanga increased its Facebook reach by 233%, moving from approximately 300,000 to more than one million people a month.
The newsroom also expanded its isiNdebele content onto regional radio, reaching more than one million listeners each week.
Meanwhile, Xenor Projects, which operates three community mastheads south of Johannesburg, reached a combined 1.7 million people digitally.
Its approach included something as simple as putting QR-code stickers in taxis.
The stickers allowed commuters to download editions directly to their phones, creating a bridge between everyday journeys and digital news consumption.
It is a reminder that digital transformation does not always require complicated ideas.
Sometimes, it means making journalism easier to access in the places where people already live, work and travel.
The next question: Can audience growth become income?
For some of the Fund’s more digitally mature publishers, the focus is now moving beyond audience numbers.
It is moving towards sustainability.
Digital news platform explain.co.za grew its website audience from approximately 3,800 users in January to more than 60,000 by May.
More importantly, the platform now generates more than half of its income from non-grant sources.
Those sources include reader memberships, digital marketing services and video monetisation partnerships.
That shift is significant because building a digital audience is only part of the challenge facing independent media.
The bigger question is whether that audience can help create a sustainable business.
The DNTF recognises that converting digital reach into long-term revenue takes time.
Staff capacity, connectivity, financial systems and governance remain challenges for smaller community publishers.
These areas will therefore remain priorities during the second half of the year.
Journalism that moves communities
The Fund’s early impact is not limited to clicks, followers and audience statistics.
Some of the strongest examples are happening on the ground.
In the Eastern Cape, Eagle Eye News investigated complaints relating to hiring and maladministration at Burgersdorp Correctional Services.
A community petition followed.
Within three months, Correctional Services began a renovation and infrastructure project that prioritised local youth employment.
In Lenasia South, Zini Advertising reported on severe flooding.
Its coverage reinforced official safety warnings and prompted discussion around neglected drainage infrastructure.
In KwaZulu-Natal, Inkundla Yezindaba launched its “One Community, One Voice” campaign.
The initiative gave residents of Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu a platform to raise development concerns with local decision-makers.
These examples show why community media remains important.
A local newsroom does not simply report what is happening.
It can help communities understand an issue, start conversations and, in some cases, push those issues into action.
Readers are paying attention
A voluntary survey of 87 readers offers another indication of the relationship between local journalism and its audiences.
According to the survey, 72% said local news coverage had directly prompted them to take some form of action.
Meanwhile, 71% said they mostly or completely trusted their main news source.
For a sector often operating with limited resources, those figures point to something valuable: local audiences are not simply consuming community news.
They are engaging with it.
“These are early results, not the finish line,” said Anetta Mangxaba, DNTF Co-Chair.
She said community media is about being close to the people it serves, understanding their languages and challenges, and focusing on issues that matter to those communities.
“The first cohort is showing what becomes possible when community publishers have the resources to strengthen this work digitally, reach wider audiences and create stronger platforms for their communities to be heard,” Mangxaba said.
A national footprint
At the six-month mark, the first cohort has reached all corners of the country.
The 21 funded newsrooms represent all nine provinces, while the Build tier alone has produced more than 300 stories.
More than 65 journalists and media staff have received training.
And 10 of the 11 Build outlets have launched their first-ever website.
Cohort 1 at a glance
- 21 independent newsrooms funded
- R10.5 million in grant funding committed for the year
- 9 of 9 provinces reached by grantee content
- 300+ stories published by the Build tier
- 65+ journalists and media staff trained
- 10 of 11 Build outlets launched a first-ever website
The momentum is growing
The first cohort may only be six months into its journey, but the programme is already expanding.
A second cohort of 22 publishers, backed by R15.8 million, has now been onboarded.
That brings the total number of independent newsrooms supported through the Fund’s first two rounds to 43.
Of those publishers, 39 serve rural, township, peri-urban or informal settlement communities, while 28 publish in at least one African language.
For the Association of Independent Publishers (AIP), the early signs are encouraging.
“It is still early days but there are signs of green shoots. There is energy and innovation in this sector. I’m excited. The Fund is providing the spark to get projects going,” said Kate Skinner, AIP Executive Director.
Google also highlighted the progress made by the participating newsrooms.
“The digital milestones and audience growth achieved by these 21 newsrooms in just six months are highly encouraging,” said Marianne Erasmus, Google News Partnerships Lead: Middle East & Africa.
She said the success of township, rural and hyperlocal newsrooms in launching digital platforms and diversifying revenue demonstrated the strength of the programme.
The future of local news is being built now
Digital transformation is often discussed in terms of technology.
For South Africa’s independent newsrooms, however, the first six months of the DNTF suggest it is also about something much more fundamental: connection.
A newspaper with 144 years of history can find a new audience online.
A community newsroom can reach more than a million people.
A QR code in a taxi can connect readers to an edition.
A local investigation can trigger community action.
And a digital audience can begin opening the door to new revenue.
There is still work ahead.
The Fund itself acknowledges that sustainable revenue, staff capacity, connectivity, financial systems and governance will take continued investment.
But the early numbers show that the transformation has already begun.
The next chapter will be about turning that momentum into lasting digital businesses that can continue serving the communities that mainstream media can sometimes overlook.
The Digital News Transformation Fund is a partnership between Google and the Association of Independent Publishers, administered by Tshikululu Social Investments.
A full end-of-year report is expected in the first quarter of 2027.
