Black-owned Los Angeles Standard Newspaper

https://lastandardnewspaper.com/ 

The Los Angeles Standard Newspaper is a free print and online publication that is distributed in African American communities of South Los Angeles and Inglewood.  This is a Black-owned newspaper that focuses on positive community stories. This newspaper also addresses issues that negatively impact Black communities. We look for solutions for those problems and produce articles to connect people to resources that can improve their communities.



I, Jason Douglas Lewis, launched this newspaper in 2016. I did not have any financing, so I’ve kept this newspaper alive with my own funds plus advertising revenue. When I started this newspaper, I was doing a good 90% of the work myself. Four years later (37 editors printed), I’m still doing 90% of the work. I write the bulk of the stories, take the bulk of the photographs, layout the newspaper, drive around to distribute the newspaper, and I handle all of the advertising. I also manage the website and social media pages. This newspaper is at the point that it needs to break out of the start-up phase. To do that, I need to hire people. I need to be able to pay a sales staff which would produce more revenue. With increased revenue, I can pay writers and photographers so that Im not producing so much of the content myself. The majority of the money that I’m looking to raise will go to local hires. A business coach told me that small businesses with less than three employees (which is about 96% of Black-owned businesses) produce less than $60,000 a year. Small businesses with nine employees produce over $900,000 a year. With that type of revenue, the Los Angeles Standard Newspaper can thrive, grow, and better impact the communities that it serves.



A portion of the revenue will also go to redesigning the Standard’s website. I created it and manage it myself, and I had a very small budget when I launched it. It cost less than a couple hundred dollars to make back in 2016, but you get what you pay for. It’s time that the LA Standard has a legitimate website, and that costs a well more than $200.

Any donation is welcomed. $25, $50, $100, $500, $1,000, or how ever much you are willing to donate to this newspaper. It will be greatly appreciated.