October 15, 2018 Jay Allred: 'You can totally do this, man' A fire was lit under Richland Source president Jay Allred. It’s the sort of fire that ignites when a mission is identified. In this case, he was on a mission to fund two new Solutions Journalism projects vetted by his newsroom. By Chris Krewson
October 12, 2018 Workshop: Attorneys Provide Overview of Copyright and Digital Media Two attorneys well-versed in media law provided a 90-minute tutorial Thursday afternoon about how to cut through some of the weeds that have grown up around copyright and digital media. Jeffrey Hermes, Media Law Resource Center, and Samuel Fifer, Dentons US LLP, leavened legal complexities with humor. By Chris Krewson
May 11, 2018 LION awards investigative reporting micro-grants to 18 publishers The Local Independent Online News Publishers organization this week awarded $25,000 to 18 of its member newsrooms to report investigative and enterprise stories important to their communities, and to sharpen their skills for more such stories. By Chris Krewson
January 9, 2018 LION launches RAMP local advertising mentorships LION Publishers is accepting applications from members for a new mentorship program that will help local independent online news publishers establish local advertising as a sustainable revenue source. By Chris Krewson
October 29, 2017 Overcoming sales objections means research, listening, and providing solutions Every media sales rep is going to hear his or her share of variants of “no” on the appointed rounds. By Chris Krewson
October 28, 2017 Covering the opioid crisis: Move away from ‘disaster porn,’ focus on solutions There are few news topics that seamlessly apply as both a national and local issue. The opioid addiction crisis is one of them. By Chris Krewson
October 28, 2017 Not an oxymoron: Journalists as sales superstars Ebony Reed of the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism gave a rapid-fire presentation Friday at the LION Summit about “why, rather than being intimidated, journalists should feel uniquely suited to sell advertising.” She emphasized that she wasn’t advocating that journalists become sales only, but that they embrace their experience, knowledge and drive to not only get the story, but also get the sale. By Chris Krewson
October 2, 2016 Photos from the LION Publishers 2016 Summit in Chicago Local independent online news publishers from across the country gathered at Columbia College in Chicago Sept. 29-Oct. 1. By Chris Krewson
October 4, 2015 Michele McLellan reflects on past six years of local news Michele McLellan organized the Block by Block conference during 2010-12, the precursor to the LION Publishers Summit. LION chairman Dylan Smith, publisher of the TucsonSentinel.com, introduced McLellan Friday as the fairy godmother of local news. The dominant narratives at that time were… By Chris Krewson
October 3, 2015 Pew Research Center’s Holcomb updates publishers on state of local news As independent online publications become more prevalent on the digital landscape, it’s important for publishers to understand where readers access their local news and the part that social media plays in that process. Jesse Holcomb, associate director of Journalism Research with the Pew Research Center, broke down the numbers for LION Publishers at the 2015 summit at Columbia College in Chicago Friday. By Chris Krewson
October 3, 2015 Publishers share lessons learned in crowdfunding LION publishers shared important lessons Friday on the use of crowdfunding for journalism projects with both Beacon and Kickstarter. In 2015, The Lo-Down successfully raised $28,000 to cover small businesses on New York City’s Lower East Side while Charlottesville Tomorrow faced a setback when a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for website enhancements failed to capture the community’s attention. By Chris Krewson
October 3, 2015 How independent local news sites can lead the way in investigative reporting Tips and tricks from experienced journalists on how to do great investigative reporting and grounded public-service and government reporting in a small newsroom By Chris Krewson
