LION Publishers’ impact report recaps busy 2024, outlines plans for a big 2025

Communities need local independent news. 

At LION Publishers, we’ve consistently championed this, but as 2024 progressed, the need became increasingly recognized. 

We witnessed it when many of our members helped their neighbors navigate a contentious and critical U.S. election season; publishers provided comprehensive election guides, hosted events with local candidates and elected officials, facilitated voter registration, and more. We also observed the tremendous power and importance of local news when natural disasters struck, particularly Hurricane Helene in the fall and, more recently, the L.A. firestorms in early 2025.

These are just some of the ways our members have served their communities over the past year. The list is endless; the effort is ongoing. That’s why we’re so proud to support them in building sustainable news businesses designed to last, so they can keep serving their communities for years to come.

Here are a few examples of how we did this in 2024: 

• Provided $20K in direct funding to 175 members through our Sustainability Audit and Funding program, along with coaching and recommendations on how to utilize the money; 98 percent of these participants told us they feel closer to sustainability.
  
• Sold out our Independent News Sustainability Summit, which brought together over 530 independent news leaders and supporters for three days of learning and connection. During the Summit, we hosted our sixth annual LION Awards, where more than 280 attendees celebrated the achievements of independent newsrooms in person.
  
• Convened peer networking groups with nearly 100 participants total, who met each month to discuss shared challenges and opportunities in online spaces.
  
• In what we hope will serve as a model for our activities in other states, LION advocated for our members as the California state legislature deliberated on measures to support local news, resulting in a seat at the table and a voice in the state’s settlement with Google. 

And we weren’t the only ones who stepped up to support local newsrooms; 2024 also marked a significant year for journalism philanthropy, especially with the ongoing development of the national Press Forward initiative. All our work wouldn’t have been possible without our dedicated industry supporters and partners, including Knight Foundation, Google, the MacArthur Foundation, the Democracy Fund, and many more.

So now we’re in 2025. This year will bring expected and unforeseen challenges, but we’re ready to meet them head-on with hope, determination, and resilience. We’ll continue working toward the six goals outlined in our strategic plan, all while making a substantial impact on our members and the industry.

Thanks for joining us along the way. Discover more of what we’ve done in 2024 and our plans for 2025 — read our 2024 impact report here.