Black Belt News Network celebrates third anniversary covering rural Alabama

The Black Belt News Network is celebrating its third anniversary of bringing high-quality, award-winning news to the rural and culturally rich Black Belt region of Alabama.

Since going live on March 1, 2023, BBNN has grown its audience to 1 million pageviews at BlackBeltNewsNetwork.com in 2025 and social media reach to 10 million on Facebook alone. What began as a bold vision to strengthen local journalism has quickly evolved into a trusted regional news source serving thousands of readers each week.

BBNN is headquartered in downtown Selma, just two blocks from the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge, and covers Dallas, Perry, Marengo, Wilcox, Lowndes and Montgomery counties. From city council meetings and school board decisions to feature stories highlighting local entrepreneurs, artists and everyday citizens, the Network has committed to telling the full story of the Black Belt.

Starting out as the Selma Sun print newspaper that was founded in 2015, Publisher Cindy Fisher made the decision in 2023 to expand coverage to additional Black Belt counties that were not getting regular news and information, especially online, but she felt deserved consistent, professional reporting.

“While communities in the Black Belt have their own identities, they share so many underlying issues that we can tackle together, such as poverty, education and infrastructure,” Fisher said.

Over the past three years, BBNN has provided in-depth reporting on rural hospital closures, economic development efforts, public safety concerns and educational challenges – issues that directly affect families across the region. The Network has also prioritized solutions-focused journalism, highlighting innovative programs and community leaders working to improve quality of life in the Black Belt.

The Network plans to expand into more Black Belt counties that are becoming news deserts as legacy newspapers close.

“Black Belt residents deserve strong, modern news coverage just like any other community,” Fisher said.

The Selma Sun print newspaper merged into the Black Belt News Network in summer 2025 to focus 100% on producing online content and the region’s only weekly live newscast. The move allowed the organization to invest more deeply in video storytelling, social media engagement and real-time digital updates, meeting readers where they are: online.

Black Belt News Network offers news for free with no paywall. To keep content accessible to everyone, BBNN gained a fiscal sponsor to accept tax-deductible donations and focus on support from the community. In 2024-2025, the agency brought in $160,000 in grants, including from the national Press Forward initiative, helping to stabilize and grow operations.

BBNN’s journalism team has more than 100 years of combined experience, but they’re not the only “reporters” on staff. Through the Black Belt Media Lab, residents have been hired as community correspondents to attend meetings and cover sports events, ensuring the Black Belt News Network is truly community rooted.

The lab expanded in January 2026 with the Teen Press Initiative, a pilot program to teach teens the fundamentals of journalism and produce the next generation of reporters. The first class started at Keith High School in Orrville as a partnership with Dallas County Schools.

Taught by veteran teacher Kiesela Foster with assistance from Fisher, the class is learning the basics of reporting, multimedia storytelling and ethical journalism. They will also produce the school’s first-ever newspaper this spring. Fisher, who meets with the students weekly, plans to expand the initiative to a new rural high school in the Black Belt each semester.

Kingfisher Media has won more than 30 statewide awards for news coverage and innovative videos that share local stories with the community in new ways. Those honors reflect not only journalistic excellence but also a commitment to elevating voices that have historically gone unheard.

As BBNN enters its fourth year, the focus remains on sustainability, growth and deepening community trust. Plans include expanding into more counties, doing more investigative reporting and building additional partnerships with schools and civic organizations.

Fisher said she has enjoyed the journey of bringing quality journalism to Selma-Dallas County and the rural communities in Alabama’s Black Belt over the last 10 years, and she looks forward to many more.

“There’s nothing more meaningful than making sure people have the information they need to make decisions for their families and their communities,” Fisher said. “And we’re making an impact. Readers tell us they feel more informed and more connected because of our reporting – that’s when you know the work matters.”