Since its inception four decades ago, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s heart, soul and very being has been local—and today we’re joining more than 1,300 newsrooms and 200 partners across the United States to celebrate Local News Day.
Founded in the spirit of the dissident press and locked in arms with alternative-weeklies that shaped the country’s media landscape, the mission at Creative Loafing’s news desk has always been the same: To further create a more informed public and contribute to the formation of a just community by offering a consistent and free medium that is critical, fair, and focused on highlighting underserved and underreported voices and opinions.
That spirit carries into our coverage of arts, entertainment, music, the restaurant scene, and beyond, whether we’re talking about Live Nation’s plans to move into Ybor City, PAC money in a mayoral race, the future of Pride celebrations, or even hunky Jesus.
One hallmark of Local News Day is to highlight the role local journalism plays in this community and the democratic process.
This year, after four-employees and two new partners made Creative Loafing Bay Bay locally-owned for the first time since 2009, the publication is leaning into the Tampa Bay Journalism Project—a nonprofit-driven effort to unlock and amplify more local, non-paywalled news and information.
Journalism has not disappeared, it just looks different now, and we believe it’s driven by community-centric publications like the ones who’ve joined TBJP. Please take a moment to learn more about them below and join their audiences, too.
- WMNF News
- Tampa Bay Arts Passport
- The Sapphic Sun
- San Pedro Gazette
- Gulfport Gabber
- Cigar City Sounds
Thank you for believing in local news. We hope to meet more of you in person before the next Local News Day.
Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.
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This article appears in Apr. 09 – 15, 2026.
