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Local Media Association and Comcast Launch Economic Opportunity Lab to Spotlight Local Stories of Mobility and Change

September 12, 2025
Local Media Association and Comcast logos

The Local Media Association (LMA) and Comcast NBCUniversal announced the launch of the 2025–2026 Economic Opportunity Lab, a groundbreaking initiative supporting local journalism covering stories of economic mobility and opportunity in cities across the United States.

The Lab will support a cohort of 48 local newsrooms and 10 NBC and Telemundo owned television stations in producing original, in-depth multimedia stories that examine how geography, policy, and socioeconomic factors shape individuals’ access to opportunity. Reporting will be grounded in new and emerging data from Opportunity Insights, a Harvard-based research organization focused on economic inequality and mobility. Journalists will use tools like the Opportunity Atlas to analyze and illustrate how neighborhood conditions, public school systems, housing access, and city policies influence economic outcomes.

“Opportunity Insights is thrilled to participate in the Economic Opportunity Lab alongside the Local Media Association and Comcast,” said David Forte, Director of Research Translation and Strategic Initiatives at Opportunity Insights. “We see this as a powerful chance to support local journalists—those who live in and deeply understand their communities—as they explore the research behind economic mobility. From the influence of neighborhoods and social networks to the role of local colleges, these factors shape the trajectories of upward mobility. We’re eager to see how journalists bring these themes to life through rich, community-rooted storytelling that informs and motivates communities to pursue strategies for improving economic mobility.”

Participating newsrooms in Chicago, DC/Baltimore, Miami and the Bay Area will each receive funding to support their reporting and will collaborate with an existing project that includes 30 local newsrooms in Philadelphia, known as the Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative, which focuses on local issues affecting residents’ daily lives. The goal of the Lab is to report stories that highlight barriers to and solutions for economic mobility, drive public awareness and engagement, and elevate the voices of those working to close opportunity gaps in measurable ways. Selected media outlets will also partner with local NBC and Telemundo owned television stations to expand the reach of their reporting across audiences.

“At Comcast NBCUniversal, we believe that access to economic opportunity begins with understanding the challenges communities face,” said Dalila Wilson-Scott, EVP and Chief Impact & Inclusion Officer, Comcast Corporation & President, Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation. “By supporting the Economic Opportunity Lab, we’re investing in local journalism that brings data to life through powerful storytelling. These stories will not only inform but inspire action, shining a light on the people and policies driving change in neighborhoods across the country.”

The Lab is part of Project UP, Comcast’s $1 billion initiative to connect people to the internet, create digital opportunity and advance economic mobility through programs and community partnerships that open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers, and creators across Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky.

The Local Media Association will manage the Lab and fellowship, providing editorial support and facilitating content creation between the publishers 10 local NBC and Telemundo owned television stations. LMA will also develop an industry playbook to help newsrooms localize Opportunity Insights’ research and apply a data-driven storytelling approach to issues of economic opportunity.

“At LMA, we’re excited to launch the Economic Opportunity Lab in partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal,” said Julia Campbell, Chief Business Transformation Officer, Local Media Association. “This project brings together local journalism and data to tell powerful stories about how opportunity is shaped in communities across the country. By focusing on place-based reporting, these newsrooms will help surface local challenges and highlight the people and policies working to improve economic opportunity.”

The participating publications and stations are:

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