Some smaller news outlets in Georgia, other swing states can't afford election coverage. AP is helping them

President Joe Biden, right, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, stand during break in a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

Many of the swing states in this fall’s election contain small, independent news organizations that can’t afford comprehensive election coverage. The Associated Press said Thursday that it will help them in coming weeks and months.

Newsrooms that are members of the Institute for Nonprofit News or Local Independent Online News Publishers and are based in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada will be able to get AP campaign coverage this summer and fall along with detailed counts of what happens on election night, AP said. The move comes through a $1.5 million grant from the Knight Foundation, a nonprofit that funds journalism endeavors.

The Institute for Nonprofit News estimated that some 50 of its members would be eligible for the material. The publishers group said that all but a few of its 140 members in those states would qualify.