Puente News Collaborative is a bilingual nonprofit news organization, convener, and funder committed to preserving local news as a public good by investing in newsrooms, supporting journalists, and filling critical gaps in reporting across the U.S.-Mexico border.
The collapse of local news
Number of news outlets along the U.S. - Mexico border
Number of news outlets along the U.S. - Mexico border
What Is Happening
Across the U.S., more than 3,200 local newspapers have shut down. Of the 25 counties along the U.S.-Mexico border, nearly half have only one or no newsroom at all.
Why It Matters
With the collapse of local news, communities see a concerning decrease in voter participation, civic engagement, and government accountability reporting, and corresponding increases in community polarization, government waste, and disinformation campaigns.
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Stories from the collaborative
Nearly 1,900 vanished in and around Guadalajara. Now the World Cup arrives.
LA Times | May 17, 2026
Steve Fisher
MEXICO CITY — The highway from the Guadalajara city airport to downtown is newly paved and the city’s famous roundabout has gotten a $4-million facelift. The city is abuzz with renovation projects as Guadalajara prepares to host four World Cup soccer matches in June. But there’s one thing the 3 million fans expected to flock to the city won’t see — the sites where hundreds of bodies have been found in clandestine graves dug by Mexico’s notorious New Generation Jalisco Cartel. Scores were discovered on the main route leading to Akron Stadium, where the games will be played. Read more
Trump Administration Unveils Anti-Corruption Campaign Targeting Mexican Officials with Alleged Cartel Ties
KTEP | April 27, 2026
Steve Fisher
LOS MOCHIS, Mexico – The U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, traveled to northwest Sinaloa state last week for what seemed a routine ceremony: The groundbreaking for a factory near the city of Los Mochis. But his comments are a part of a broader, and more provocative agenda, said sources familiar with the bilateral relationship. Read more
The Hard Way Home
Palabra NAHJ | April 23, 2026
Jorge Melchor
For five years, Ana Melba and her husband, Jairo Antonio Acosta, blended hope and determination into the masa they wrapped with green banana leaves and steamed into tamales they sold in suburban Elizabeth, New Jersey. Read more
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In the news
Puente News Executive Editor Alfredo Corchado receives the 2026 I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence
In the news
Puente News Executive Editor Alfredo Corchado receives the 2026 I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence
"Alfredo Corchado, executive editor of the Puente News Collaborative, has been chosen to receive the 2026 I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence in recognition of his work directing Puente’s innovative, partnership-driven approach to reporting along both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border."