Creative Loafing Tampa Bay newspaper box — Credit: Dave Decker

While some publications are using AI bots to adapt to today’s challenging media landscape, Tampa Bay’s free, independent and locally-owned alternative weekly Creative Loafing is trying something different.

Starting next month, the CL editorial team is launching “Tips For Tips,” a new monthly local bar tour where editors and reporters guest bartend at neighborhood pubs to hear from readers about stories, coverage and what matters most to Tampa Bay residents.

Since current events are best discussed over a cold one, Creative Loafing has also launched Breaking Brews, a new journalism-focused tangerine lager made by Channelside Brewing that promises “Great Taste, More Filing!”

All proceeds from Breaking Brews and all tips to CL bartenders at Tips For Tips events will go directly to funding locally-based public records requests, which often cost a publication hundreds and even thousands of dollars per month.

“Public records requests have long been at the core of the reporting that this publication has done best,” Editor-In-Chief and CL co-owner Ray Roa said, citing a recent look at the cost of a retaliation lawsuit at the City of Tampa and the 2022 story that took down Tampa’s then-police chief.

“But filing those requests can get expensive and every little bit helps,” he said. “Plus, we love engaging with our readers who’re sick of journalism operating from within the safety of the ivory tower.”

The first Tips for Tips stop will be June 10, from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. at Corner Club, located at 1502 E Sligh Ave.

Anyone interested in supporting non-paywalled journalism beyond “Tips For Tips” can inquire about the Tampa Bay Journalism Project, a nonprofit-driven effort to bring news and information to readers, regardless of their ability to pay for it.