10 Takeaways from LION’s 2025 Peer Learning Groups

In 2025, 10 LION members served as Community Ambassadors, leading peer learning groups for fellow LIONs. More than 150 members signed up to participate, and these groups met each month virtually, culminating in a final in-person session at our 2025 Independent News Sustainability Summit in St. Louis, Missouri. 

One theme that emerged from this year’s groups was a sense of strength and solidarity that develops when news entrepreneurs are in conversation with others who share similar interests and goals. We asked the Community Ambassadors to share an insight that stuck with them from their peer groups this year.

Newsrooms serving Spanish-speaking audiences, led by Valeria Fernández of Altavoz Lab, Inc.

“Uniquely, the current environment of persecution towards immigrants impacts our Spanish-language group deeply because they’re serving those audiences, and they’re part of the community themselves.

There’s a concern about safety, the possibility of having support for the work they do given the political climate, as well as mental health itself. It was very special to have a space in Spanish; it felt safe. I felt like I found a community that I didn’t really have before, and the perspectives of my peers enriched me, specifically in the work that I do to support them as well with Altavoz.”

BIPOC news leaders, led by Eden Fineday of IndigiNews

“This program was incredibly horizon-broadening for me. I learned that my instincts were right about the BIPOC experience across international borders –– we have similar experiences on both sides of that line. All of us, no matter where we lived, felt the same need for support.”

Creator economy insights for the newsroom, led by Travers Johnson of Queerency

“As a journalist/publisher/content creator, we are often trained to have a one-way conversation with our audiences. You write, create, post, and publish work, and then the audience consumes it. But with online communities, it’s less about broadcasting to an audience and more about engaging the community.”

Email-first publishers, led by Reid Williams of NowKalamazoo

“The most important learning specific to our topic is that being an “email-first” publisher doesn’t necessarily lessen or eliminate the business challenges and other hard parts of being a publisher. In fact, it might make things harder (because the industry is so geared to web and print publishing). For me, personally, I came away with a new appreciation for peer groups, something I hadn’t participated in much myself (but now will).”

Fundraising for newsrooms, led by Kimberly Griffin of Mississippi Free Press

“I spent over a decade selling advertising. It’s a challenging business where relying solely on ad revenue can make it hard for media companies to survive. Today, I help lead a nonprofit newsroom where advertising is no longer a primary revenue stream. Through collaboration with our peer group, I’ve discovered creative strategies to diversify our income, which has renewed my sense of what’s possible when it comes to earned revenue.

One area of peer discussion that inspired me was how products and projects outside of print and web content can generate revenue. Casual, community events are one way even small teams can create a third space and build community connections. While ticket sales may generate some revenue, I’m considering how sponsorship for these types of gatherings can lead to additional revenue or how these events can drive membership programs.”

Immigrant news leaders, led by Mia Warren of Feet in 2 Worlds

“What does it mean to produce journalism during a time when both immigrants and journalists are under attack by the administration? How can we ensure that, as journalism outlets, we’re informing immigrant communities with accurate information but also taking care of ourselves? This is something we discussed a lot as a peer group.

I learned so much from my peer group members about what their communities need and how they’re innovating to meet those needs. As an example, Kishor Panthi and Suresh Shahi of Khasokhas and NepYork gave an excellent presentation on producing vertical videos for the Nepali community in NYC.”

LGBTQ+ news leaders, led by Leo Cusimano of Dallas Voice/Out North Texas

“Our publishers are reporting severe losses in advertising as brands retreat from DEI commitments. I’ve learned the power of peer connection and the value of creating intentional spaces where LGBTQ newsroom leaders can share openly. It has reinforced for me that while our challenges often feel unique, we share common struggles. By coming together, we gain not only strategies but also solidarity.”

Managing your newsroom tech stack, led by Chas Hundley of Gales Creek Journal

“We learned in our group that there is a hunger in the independent publishing community to learn from our peers on how they’re using common technology platforms like Airtable, artificial intelligence tools, and publishing platforms like Ghost. 

There are many tutorials on how to use the tools that make newsrooms tick, but far fewer independent publishers rolling out the details on exactly how they use these tools for us. Now, many in our cohort are thinking about how we can work with LION and other indie publishers on building an ongoing resource for tutorials, guides, and resources on using tech tools for publishers, by publishers.”

Newsrooms serving rural communities, led by Steven Hanson of Eye On Dunn County

“I learned that [rural publishers] are all more or less in the same boat and that, other than a few issues, we face a lot of the same challenges as other LION members. I got a lot of great ideas from other members about raising community awareness and the power of events.

Successful events included general community gatherings to listen to people and share ideas, as well as meetings with potential and current donors. Musical performances and movie showings were other forms of successful events held by some members. Another option is participating in a popular local event and maintaining a presence; there was consensus that branding and increasing awareness of our publications is an important part of events. Events are a powerful way to be more visible, distinguish yourself from other publications, and, if done properly, can also make money.”

Scaling from solopreneurship, led by Penda Howell of New Jersey Urban News

“One of the biggest lessons that came out of our Scaling from Solopreneurship group was that growth requires as much internal infrastructure as it does external opportunity. Many founders in our cohort — including myself — realized that building sustainable revenue systems, onboarding processes, and HR frameworks is not just administrative work; it’s the foundation that allows us to grow beyond ourselves.

In the early stages, you wear every hat — sales, editorial, HR, finance — but true scaling happens when you start trusting others with those responsibilities and create systems that empower your team to execute. The key takeaway for news entrepreneurs is this: you can’t grow revenue if you don’t grow structure. Putting operational systems in place — whether for revenue tracking, client management, or team onboarding — frees you to focus on innovation and strategy, not survival.”

Are you interested in connecting further with LION’s Community Ambassadors and members of these peer learning groups, as well as other members of the LION community? Request an invite to join LION’s News Entrepreneur Community on Slack to continue the conversation.