✅ Register now for the Southeast News Sustainability Meetup
One of the things I love most about the independent journalism field is its inherent optimism. Don’t get me wrong: building and growing a news business in such tumultuous informational, societal, technological and economic times is no easy task. But it’s precisely the audacity of that aim that fills me with hope.
Because LION Members are looking to the future, not the past. They are listening to their communities and meeting them where they are. They are pioneering new revenue models and sources of support. And they are reimagining their work cultures in a way that supports and sustains their team members.
That latter point is one worth repeating, which is why we’ve published a bonus News Guest episode featuring Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Angilee Shah and The Markup’s Sisi Wei, who gave a keynote talk at last year’s Independent News Sustainability Summit on having the courage to create a different kind of newsroom culture.
Want a little more of that insight and optimism? We’re thrilled to announce that registration has officially opened for our Southeast News Sustainability Meetup, where we’ll bring together publishers from across the Southeast United States in Durham, North Carolina to build community as they build what’s next. It’s also where we’ll host the 2023 LION Local Journalism Awards Ceremony. We hope you’ll join us!
– Lisa Heyamoto, programming director of membership education, and the LION team
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Apply to be a coach in an upcoming LION program
Calling all revenue coaches! We’re launching a program in September to help independent news organizations bridge the gap between big-picture planning and daily execution. During the eight-week program, participants will identify what’s standing in the way of meeting their revenue goals and articulate and test creative solutions for overcoming those blockers.
We’re looking for independent contractors who have expertise in one or more of the following areas:
1. Understanding finances to strategically plan
2. Hiring, supporting, managing and retaining team members in a revenue role
3. Growing or leveling up an existing revenue stream
Apply here by June 30!
6 resources for independent publishers
1. Launch an independent local news business with help from this summer workshop led by our very own News Guest producer Jenna Spinelle. (June 21, June 28 and July 5)
2. Apply for the LION Local Journalism Awards. LION members are eligible to submit entries in up to ten categories, and each winner will receive at least $1,000. (Deadline: June 22)
3. Apply for the Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award for protecting press freedom. (Deadline: June 22)
4. Find a grant for your newsroom. The Newsfuel directory includes upcoming grant opportunities for photojournalism, science reporting, AI accountability, and more.
5. Grow your newsletter list starting with these 52 ideas and tactics.
6. Learn how to strategically edit by writing for SEO, social and newsletters through this Poynter training.
What we’re reading
Phoenix logic. How a new kind of civic media could emerge if we gave up saving journalism as we know it. (Hearken)
Community commentary. How local, helpful and accessible opinion pieces can drive sustainability. (American Press Institute)
Hold the locusts. Why AI may not be an existential threat to advertising. (The Rebooting)
LIONs in the news
There is some news you just can’t get anywhere else, and for Ohioans who identify as LGBTQ+, that source is The Buckeye Flame. By staying laser-focused on its audience and developing a smart newsletter and sponsorship strategy, the Flame has grown its audience by 91% since early 2022.
In other LION member news…
- Amethyst Davis, founder of Harvey World Herald, was named a 2023 Leader for a New Chicago by the Field Foundation and MacArthur Foundation.
- AfroLA announced its first event, a community forum on environmental justice.
- RANGE is hiring a Civics Editor to launch its Documenters program.
- Osage News is seeking RFPs for a news development consultant.
How to reach us
When you reply to this email, we all receive it and you’ll hear back from one of us. You can also email us directly at [email protected].