AURORA | In an effort to move The Sentinel  toward a unique model of local ownership, a consortium of journalism preservationists have created a temporary holding company to take control of the Aurora-focused media company.

“Local journalism needs to be rooted in the community, made by and for people who live there. As someone who was raised in a place that lost its hometown newspaper, I’m committed to providing a bridge for others to stand up for protecting access to a free press,” said ​​Joaquin Alvarado, founder of the consultancy Studiotobe, who is helping shepherd The Sentinel’s transition.

Data from the University of North Carolina published in 2019 found that 1,400 towns and cities across the nation have lost a newspaper over the past 15 years, many of those communities are either rural, low-income or have an aging population. Among that statistic is Alvarado’s hometown paper in Oakland, California. It shuttered in 2016 with no input from the community or journalists at the organization.

“The Sentinel is a critical resource for Aurora, and we’re going to preserve local control and ownership for future generations,” said Alvarado, who has now been involved in several projects aimed at keeping local news as close to the community as possible.

Alvarado founded the Colorado Journalism Investment Group for the purpose of holding the company so that Sentinel Colorado and the community can plan the next steps for the outlet.