đź“Ł LIONs sound off on the future of local news
It’s that special time of year again.
We’re talking, of course, about Nieman Lab prediction season, when all our hopes and dreams for the industry seem a little closer to becoming reality.
To close out 2022, here are a couple Nieman Lab predictions of our own, plus other optimistic visions for the future of independent local news from LION members, coaches, audit analysts, and partners:
1. Independent news businesses lead the way on healthy work cultures. “Our industry is going to need more leaders who understand how to operationalize healthy newsroom cultures — whether that’s with brand-new roles or sourcing fractional support to create a strong foundation for leaders to build upon.” –Anika Anand, LION deputy director
- And this trend makes news businesses better places to work. “Creating a more supportive, communicative, and organized workplace will help retain and attract talent, which can ultimately save time and money.” –Rachel Glickhouse, News Revenue Hub
2. The independent news industry gets a roadmap to sustainability. “It’s tempting to think that the growth path for an independent news organization is consistent and linear. But after analyzing nearly 150 organizations over the last two years through LION Publishers’ Sustainability Audit process, we’ve seen this kind of “if/then” thinking doesn’t apply to the relative Wild West that is the independent news landscape.” –Lisa Heyamoto, LION programming director of membership education
3. More philanthropic funding goes to independent publishers. “It’s time for journalism philanthropy to ditch corporate media sellouts and double-down on supporting and expanding the non-commercial journalism sector.” –Simon Galperin, Bloomfield Info Project
4. The future of local news is built from the ground up. “Many of us who work in local news have lost patience with looking backwards and are working instead to envision and help build healthy and resilient local civic information infrastructure.” –Sarah Alvarez, Outlier Media
5. The pioneers of digital news give a leg up to the next generation. “Maybe Boomers like me can leverage our experience to clean up some of the mess our generation created.” –John Davidow, Media Bridge Partners
6. Entrepreneurship sparks a revival of local news. “Instead of large-scale journalism providers based in far-off places with little connection to communities outside of the people they employ, the pivot toward independent news outlets has increased.” –Don Day, BoiseDev
7. Rural and suburban publishers fill a huge gap, if philanthropy invests in them. “Small communities don’t want pity. Pity is where narcissism goes to vacation. They want — and require — capital.” –Amethyst J. Davis, Harvey World Herald
8. Journalism discovers new ways it can provide value to people. “In 2023, we will become deeply curious about our audience members. We’ll research not just how and why people read and listen to our journalism, but how they spend their days, what they’re trying to accomplish, and what kind of information they are seeking, either knowingly or unknowingly.” –Ariel Zirulnick, KPCC/LAist
9. News leaders get serious about mental health and work-life balance. “In a time when it feels like so much of our world is upside down, the work ahead needs to include supporting the whole person in the workplace and ensuring we have the energy, joy, and spirit to show up fully.” –An Xiao Mina, independent coach and consultant
10. Product managers help make news businesses more sustainable. “Organizations will realize that they need formal product managers — and even full-fledged news product teams — to connect the work they’re doing in the newsroom with the audience, technology, and revenue strategy.” –Felicitas Carrique and Becca Aaronson, News Product Alliance
11. Civic-minded publishers team up to scale their impact. “There’s a growing awareness that our readers are better served when we pool resources and tackle topics of public interest.” –Larry Ryckman, The Colorado Sun
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here!
13 ways to build a more sustainable business
It’s almost time for new year’s resolutions, so here are a few ideas to help you build a more sustainable news business in 2023:
Earn more revenue
- Reach new readers. The SmartNews partner program can help LION members reach a bigger audience and earn new revenue. Learn more» (Sponsored)
- Grow your reader revenue and reader engagement. Register for a two-month News Consumer Insights Shift program offered by the Google News Initiative, and use “LION” as your program code. (Sponsored)
- Earn more revenue from philanthropy. Register for the virtual 2023 Lenfest News Philanthropy Summit. (January 31-February 1).
- Level up on ads and sponsorships with advice from our expert panel at the Independent News Sustainability Summit.
Increase your impact
- Learn a new skill or tool to start the year at one of these low-cost virtual workshops offered by the Newmark J-School. (January 4-24)
- Get help identifying your newsroom’s blind spots at a one-hour webinar with Joy Mayer from Trusting News and Eve Pearlman from Spaceship Media. (January 12)
- Take a course on disability reporting. Military Veterans in Journalism is offering free training sessions on disability reporting to improve coverage about disabled veterans and the broader disabled community. Email [email protected] to book a training for your newsroom.
Improve your business operationsÂ
- Make a plan for tax season. Learn how to choose the best tax payment plan for your small business and avoid penalties from the IRS. (January 5)
- Become a better manager with help from LION’s self-guided course on management best practices featuring executive coach Natalie Archibald. (LION members only)
Check out these grants, awards and fellowships
- Deepen your health journalism with help from the California Health Equity Fellowship. (Deadline: January 13; open to California-based journalists only)
- Tackle a problem in journalism as a JSK fellow. The John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship is a ten-month program at Stanford that offers individualized coaching, peer support, and a $95,000 stipend. (Deadline: January 25 for U.S. applicants)
- Take a research sabbatical at Harvard by applying for a Nieman Fellowship. (Deadline: January 31)
- Get funding to launch a nonprofit newsroom. The American Journalism Project’s Local News Incubator will offer four founders 18 months of support and $400,000 in seed funding. (Deadline: February 15)
What we’re reading
Newsletter growth. How publishers can use paid marketing to drive more newsletter signups. (Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter)
Spin factories. How political consulting money in the South is shaping local news coverage in favor of powerful interests. (NPR)
Identity psychology. Why it’s unhealthy to let your profession become a central part of your identity. (The Atlantic)
Good news. Why news leaders should feel hopeful about the future of journalism. (News @ Knight)
Pro tips. What publishers can learn from Better News’s ten most popular case studies of 2022. (Better News)
LIONs in the news
Looking for a great new job in the new year? LION members are hiring, and there’s still time to apply for these open positions:Â
- Philadelphia Bureau Chief, Chalkbeat
- Editor-In-Chief & Creative Director, Scalawag
- Business Manager, Hell Gate
- Reporter, Planet Detroit
- Deputy Managing Editor, VTDigger
- Multiple positions, THE CITY
- Multiple positions, Bridge Michigan
In other LION member news…
- Madison Minutes co-founder Sam Hoisington has left his role at Indiegraf to focus on his news business.
- Open Vallejo is featured alongside The New York Times and The Washington Post in this Nieman report about using open-source reporting techniques to strengthen your investigative reporting.
- The Objective co-founder Gabe Schneider is helping launch an independent newsroom in Los Angeles.
- W42ST co-founder Phil O’Brien is being denied a visa renewal for absolutely no good reason, and his readers and neighbors are sticking up for him.
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].
Interested in sponsoring this newsletter? Visit our sponsorships page or email [email protected].