👉 Nieman Lab’s take on our five-year strategic plan
We kicked off this month with the debut of our five-year strategic growth plan, detailing our vision for a healthy independent news ecosystem and how we plan to continue supporting our members on the path to sustainability. And this week, the folks at Nieman Lab published their top takeaways from our announcement. From shifts in funding strategies to prioritizing increased support for historically marginalized news entrepreneurs, we’re making some big bets in 2024 and beyond.
Read Nieman Lab’s analysis, and view the strategic plan on our website.
– The LION team
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here!
9 resources for independent publishers
1. Host a journalism student in your newsroom this summer. Attend the Reynolds Journalism Institute’s upcoming Innovation Community Call to learn about the RJI Student Innovation Fellowship program, which pairs students with news organizations to work on innovative projects of mutual interest. (TODAY)
2. Apply for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network, a two-year program for investigative journalists interested in tackling ambitious accountability projects. Five participants will work from and report to their home newsrooms while receiving compensation and extensive support from ProPublica. (Apply by Nov. 1)
3. Take the next step in your news career. Apply for the News Product Alliance’s News Product Management Certification (NPMC), a rigorous, part-time, and virtual program for mid to senior-level news professionals looking to bolster product development and innovation skills. (Apply by Nov. 3)
4. Submit a proposal for the Catalyst Grant Program, which is requesting proposals for projects that address inequities in the criminal legal system to receive support from the Microsoft Justice Reform Initiative (JRI) and the Urban Institute. (Apply by Nov. 17)
5. Gear up for Giving Tuesday. Classy’s resource webpage includes helpful tips on creating a successful campaign. (Giving Tuesday is Nov. 28)
6. Learn how to financially plan for the long haul with this six-part video series from the Nonprofit Finance Fund.
7. Apply for the Reynolds Journalism Institute’s Women in Journalism Workshop, an annual program that focuses on challenges, accomplishments, and issues specific to women in the journalism industry. (Apr. 12-14, 2024)
8. Shine a light on burnout. Complete the Reynolds Journalism Institute’s anonymous survey to help researchers discover what changes newsrooms and journalism schools might make to help prevent professional burnout.Â
9. Request complimentary access to NewsGuard’s browser extension. This tool provides reliability ratings for more than 35,000 news sources, and journalists can use it to evaluate source credibility, corroborate research findings, and more — email [email protected] to request a voucher.
What we’re reading
Planning a pause? How to take a break from publishing your newsletter, along with five success stories from folks who have done it. (Inbox Collective)Â
Linking academia to industry. How SembraMedia’s Starting Point II assesses entrepreneurial journalism education in Latin America and Spain while underscoring the need to train journalists to tackle industry-wide threats. (SembraMedia)
(Un)happy campers. Why unhappiness at work is on the rise and three ways to create a happier workplace culture. (Harvard Business Review)
Disinformation knowledge is power. What El TĂmpano learned after launching a disinformation defense initiative that engaged more than 100 Latino immigrants. (El TĂmpano)
On your marks, get set… How to best prepare for Press Forward funding. (News @ Knight)
LIONs in the news
When Flatwater Free Press’ Yanqi Xu published an article exposing Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s family ties to toxic environmental pollution, the politician was quick to dismiss and deflect. “Number one, I didn’t read it. And I won’t,” he said. “Number two, all you got to do is look at the author. The author is from communist China. What more do you need to know?”Â
FFP’s executive director, Matt Wynn, penned a pointed response, simultaneously poking holes in Pillen’s appalling comment while shining a light on Xu and her nationally acclaimed, exceptional work. NBC News has since picked up the story, and the Asian American Journalists Association released a statement supporting Xu.
Read Wynn’s powerful post below.
In other LION member news:
- The Jersey Bee is hiring a part-time associate civic info producer for a six-month contract, and the application deadline is Oct. 27.
- Resolve Philly is hiring an editorial director of community news, and the application deadline is Oct. 30.
- Decaturish’s editor and publisher, Dan Whisenhunt, “the go-to DeKalb County guy,” is featured in an Atlanta News First segment about the growth of DeKalb County.
- The Food Section has assembled a selection of partnership packages, based on feedback from fellow LION members, for publications interested in collaborating on food coverage.
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].