Keri Mitchell launched Dallas Free Press in early 2020 with the belief that all neighborhoods deserve reporting and storytelling that values their community and holds leaders accountable. She cut her teeth at daily newspapers in the exurbs of Houston, then spent 15 years dedicated to community and civic journalism at Dallas’ Advocate magazines. Dallas Free Press was named 2021’s "New Publisher of the Year" by Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers for "being truly rooted in community and public service … starting from a place of community listening, meeting real information needs and centering equity."