Four online community news sites will be expanding their staff and coverage after receiving a $390,000 grant by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Given the current state of the news industry, who is cutting costs by cutting staff and coverage, "citizens are receiving less of the news they need to lead informed lives and hold their governments accountable," Knight Foundation journalism program director Gary Kebbel said in a statement.

The "young, online-only sites" that Knight has funded, investigative ventures the MinnPost, Voice of San Diego, Chi-town Daily News and the St. Louis Beacon, help "fill the void" for readers, Kebbel said.

The foundation has announced its efforts to find "new models for delivering news and information," adding to its $100 million in grants for initiatives.

Source: Editor and Publisher