Community
One of the best things about LION is the supportive community we’ve cultivated over the years. We helped members connect with other publishers throughout 2025 via peer learning groups led by 10 Community Ambassadors.
Members proposed group topics they wanted to lead, resulting in a diverse mix of identity- and journalism-skills-based groups, including ‘Email-first publishers’ and ‘Newsrooms serving Spanish-speaking audiences,’ the latter conducted entirely in Spanish. Groups met each month virtually, culminating in a final in-person session at the 2025 Summit. Post-Summit, participants have been staying in touch through our News Entrepreneur Community Slack, which boasts more than 1,500 contributors and several new channels.
The Summit also brought together 100 people for nine attendee-led Table Talks. During the shareout portion of the session, many attendees expressed interest in cross-topic learning and a desire to join other groups, which ranged from ‘Engaging immigrant communities through community-driven journalism’ to ‘Adapting to new markets and keeping your sanity.’
St. Louis wasn’t the only in-person connection point; we also hosted two regional meetups, one in Philly in April and another in Seattle in October. Dozens of members and allies joined us for those events, and several Community Ambassadors also hosted in-person meetups at other conferences, with more than 60 people attending in total.
Our Impact
“I had the pleasure and privilege of spending time with some BIPOC colleagues from across the continent earlier this year. The purpose of this LION peer group was to support each other — to talk, get to know a little about one another, and share some of the struggles we face as BIPOC folks in journalism. I loved connecting with people on a deeper level like this, and I would lead a group like this again in a heartbeat.”
— Eden Fineday, IndigiNews
“The connections with others struggling with so many difficult challenges (usually all alone) are invaluable. To hear so many ideas on how others have dealt with the same things is worth its weight in gold.”
— Tim Hundt, VernonReporter.com
“I have learned so much from this group of journalists. They are all serving their communities with grace, thoughtfulness, and tenacity. It's been an honor to get to know them, and I look forward to continuing our work together.”
— Mia Warren, Feet in 2 Worlds
“Kimberly [leader of the ‘Fundraising for newsrooms’ group] has helped me understand the fundraising world better than any other program I have attended. Specifically, she has given me some tools for wealth screening and how to get in contact with potential donors.”
— Peter Constas, Yellow Scene
