Four New Orleans online newsrooms, including NOLA Defender, have formed a coalition designed to promote and strengthen sustainable Web-based journalism in New Orleans. In addition to NoDef, the New Orleans Digital News Alliance is comprised of the investigative non-profit newsroom The Lens, the hyperlocal outlet Uptown Messenger and My Spilt Milk, the site of longtime local music and culture scribe Alex Rawls.

By coming together at a time of change in the local media community, the independent outlets seek to ensure the city's digital press coverage remains true to the high standards of getting to the truth of public matters, and reflecting currents of daily life in this great city. Collectively, the group believes the city needs more media voices than ever, and will explore new media models as the local landscape evolves.

All four NODNA members are locally owned and operated, and see reporting on daily developments, civic affairs and arts and culture as a form of community engagement. NODNA will promote readership of local media outlets regardless of medium, and work to facilitate community engagement in the journalistic process.

"The changes taking place in the local media landscape provide a perfect opportunity to harness pre-existing resources," said NOLA Defender Editor B.E. Mintz. "In addition to expanding the digital press' ability to tell the city's story, we're excited about the chance to engage with readers in new and more direct ways."