The Tributary is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom that serves Florida as a vital stream of investigative journalism, holding those in power accountable and diving beneath the surface of stories that shape our community.

We focus on filling the gaps in our media ecosystem, reporting on overlooked topics like redistricting, poverty and the criminal justice system. In a world where the urgency of news can often wash over the complexities, The Tributary bolsters local democracy.

OUR IMPACT

We believe in the power of journalism to effect change, and our stories stand testament to this conviction:

• Resignation of a Sheriff: Our relentless investigative work revealed that the Jacksonville sheriff had illegally moved out of the county, resulting in his subsequent resignation.
• Challenging Racial Gerrymandering: Our detailed examination of the Jacksonville City Council redistricting process showed how the council had segregated voters by race, prompting a federal court to declare the map unconstitutional.
• Improving Jail Conditions: By shedding light on the dire medical conditions within the jail, we spurred state and local investigations, culminating in the cancellation of a $98-million healthcare provider contract.

OUR COLLABORATIONS

The Tributary believes in the power of collaboration.

We’ve joined forces with some of Florida’s most prestigious newspapers—including the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun-Sentinel—to amplify our reach and deliver impactful stories to a broader audience. Our reporters have worked with The New York Times and other national publications to provide local reporting to a global audience. Additionally, our continuous collaboration with First Coast News and other local TV stations ensures that our investigations reach audiences across platforms.

ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY

Community engagement is at the heart of our mission by hosting events and finding new ways to deliver reporting to our neighbors. During the local redistricting process, we synthesized our reporting into brochures. As a result, hundreds of people attended Jacksonville City Council public hearings, waving our brochures and voicing their concerns about racial gerrymandering.

OUR TEAM

At the forefront of The Tributary’s mission is a dedicated team of experienced journalists:

WHY THIS WORK MATTERS

At the confluence of disruption and adaptation sits the nonprofit news outlet.

Nationally, the for-profit news landscape continues to disappear – and even here in Jacksonville, traditional media outlets have shrunk, expected to report breaking news and investigative coverage at a breakneck speed, yet unable to tap into the necessary resources or time to pursue in-depth stories around injustices and inequality.

Jacksonville continues to grow even as society’s watchdogs endure smaller budgets and even smaller teams – and every day, more and more stories trickle past their attentive gaze. These stories, much like the rivers and tributaries that slice through Northeast Florida, have the potential to shape our community. We must decide if they’ll remain hidden in darkness – or rise to the surface through the support of an independent and thriving local news industry.

Before it’s too late, we must rethink what news will look like and how it will be delivered in our community.

For the Tributary, the future of local journalism is about accountability and accessibility – a nonprofit news hub that feeds investigative stories to area partners, filling a gap in coverage of entrenched problems and solutions, to strengthen the entire Northeast Florida news ecosystem.

Together, we will dive beneath the surface on stories that matter.