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Since its inception four decades ago, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay\u2019s heart, soul and very being has been local\u2014and today we\u2019re joining more than 1,300 newsrooms and 200 partners across the United States to celebrate Local News Day<\/a>.<\/p>\n Founded in the spirit of the dissident press and locked in arms with alternative-weeklies that shaped the country\u2019s media landscape, the mission at Creative Loafing\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n That spirit carries into our coverage of arts, entertainment, music, the restaurant scene, and beyond, whether we\u2019re talking about Live Nation\u2019s plans to move into Ybor City<\/a>, PAC money in a mayoral race<\/a>, the future of Pride celebrations<\/a>, or even hunky Jesus<\/a>.<\/p>\n One hallmark of Local News Day is to highlight the role local journalism plays in this community and the democratic process.<\/p>\n This year, after four-employees and two new partners made Creative Loafing Bay Bay locally-owned for the first time since 2009<\/a>, the publication is leaning into the Tampa Bay Journalism Project<\/a>\u2014a nonprofit-driven effort to unlock and amplify more local, non-paywalled news and information.<\/p>\n Journalism has not disappeared, it just looks different now, and we believe it\u2019s driven by community-centric publications like the ones who\u2019ve joined TBJP. Please take a moment to learn more about them below and join their audiences, too.<\/p>\n Thank you for believing in local news. We hope to meet more of you in person before the next Local News Day.<\/p>\n Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.<\/a><\/p>\n Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0BlueSky<\/a><\/p>\n This article appears in Apr. 09 \u2013 15, 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t