💙 LION members rise to the challenge after Helene hits the Southeast
Today’s introduction is dedicated to the dozens of LION members, and the communities they serve, affected by Hurricane Helene’s devastating path of destruction, which has stretched from Florida’s Gulf Coast all the way to Tennessee.
Many of these newsrooms have been tracking and communicating the hurricane’s impact and sharing critical safety information as conditions went from bad to catastrophic. And they’re doing so while they themselves are also in the eye of the storm and experiencing its effects.
For example, Asheville Watchdog presciently looked at the elevated risk of flooding due to development in the days before the storm struck; Oviedo Community News published a local disaster resource guide; Enlace Latino NC devoted an entire editorial section to storm coverage; The Assembly is putting storm coverage outside its paywall and providing it free for any local or regional outlet to republish; The Charlotte Ledger launched Mountain Updates, a pop-up newsletter featuring important developments on flood recovery; and Carolina Public Press is raising awareness about misinformation around the disaster.
And yet, many are without power and unable to publish, and it’s at times like these that the importance of access to local news (quite literally) hits home.
Our thoughts are with all of you as you cover and deal with this historic crisis in your communities. If there’s something LION can do to better support your newsroom during this time, please contact us at [email protected].
– Hayley Milloy, LION’s marketing manager
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Election prep
The 2024 elections are right around the corner, and we know many of you are working tirelessly to cover local and statewide races.
If you haven’t already visited the Knight Election Hub, there’s still time to take advantage of many (free!) resources that can help lighten the load.
Here are five that we think you could tap into quickly:
- Conduct deep background research on up to three political candidates with Sunlight Search’s research desk.
- Get your election questions answered in real-time by joining Votebeat’s Expert Desk Slack channel (starts on Oct. 14).
- Develop an election guide using ElectUp’s platform, which automatically gathers, organizes, and presents candidate comparisons.
- Get live results across all types of elections, from the presidential race to town boards and other local offices, with Decision Desk HQ.
- Dig into individual county data to see the technology officials are using to count ballots via The Verifier from Verified Voter.
In addition:
- This API/AP newsletter shares tips for producing local explainers, plus the AP’s plans to further support election efforts.
- The Lenfest Institute and News Revenue Hub have created a guide to help publishers prepare for the post-election period.
- Trusting News’ next election-focused webinar, “Avoiding polarization when reporting on hot-button issues,” is TODAY at 1 p.m. ET.
12 (more) resources for independent publishers
1. Learn more about LION’s new sustainability pilot during our information session. Six participating newsrooms will receive customized tools, resources, and guidance throughout the eight-month program. (Oct. 4)
2. Master newsroom automation. Discover how to boost productivity, save time, and streamline workflows during the Center for Cooperative Media’s three-part Zapier workshop. (Begins on Oct. 7)
3. Level up your newsroom’s product thinking at the virtual News Product Alliance Summit. Thanks to our friends at NPA, we’ve got five free tickets to give to LION members. If interested, contact Hayley at [email protected]. (Oct. 11)
4. Think differently about your career. Sign up for a webinar with Hearken’s Bridget Thoreson, who will share how the Career River framework helps journalism professionals navigate a more fulfilling professional journey. (Oct. 17)
5. Explore today’s nuclear landscape. Outrider Foundation is hosting a free, two-day Nuclear Reporting Summit in Washington, D.C., for journalists covering issues at the intersections of national security, climate change, AI, technology, and the environment; openings are limited. (Dec. 5-6)
6. Apply for Poynter’s 2025 Leadership Academy for Women in Media, a weeklong program designed to help leaders with three to seven years of management experience move to the next level in their careers. (Apply by Dec. 6)
7. Turn your email newsletter into a moneymaker. Our favorite newsletter guru, Inbox Collective’s Dan Oshinsky, has released a free collection of videos containing his top email best practices for nonprofits.
8. Combat immigration mis- and disinformation. Poynter has created a list of reporting resources, story ideas, and examples to help journalists tell more accurate, nuanced immigration stories.
9. Delegate decision-making. Harvard Business Review recommends these three solutions to help both managers and employees see delegation as a win-win situation.
10. Streamline content creation. LION members can now access discounted AI-powered tools from Nota to reformat and optimize content across text, audio, and video formats.
11. Find better balance. This Harvard Business Review article shares six strategies for overcoming toxic workaholic tendencies.
12. Access free content. The Google News Initiative is providing local newsrooms with free access to Storyful’s verified video newswire, which includes nearly 150K cleared and public videos and accompanying articles that you can publish to your owned channels.
What we’re reading
Playing telephone. Most Americans hear about local news via word of mouth from friends, family, and neighbors — and believe it’s “at least somewhat accurate.” (Pew Research Center)
Seeking and finding. While Google search traffic has remained steady, some publishers are finding success with Google Discover, a product that generates personalized content recommendations for viewers. (Nieman Lab)
Innovation vs. safety. This past weekend, California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed what would have been the nation’s first AI safety bill; he had earlier cited a concern it would “have a chilling effect on the industry.” (The Associated Press)
LIONs in the news
As more and more high schools, especially those in lower-income areas, shut down their journalism programs, nonprofits and local newsrooms are teaming up to train aspiring young journalists.
This NYT article spotlights the Journalism for All initiative in New York and calls out similar projects across the country, including LION member CalMatters’ Youth Journalism Initiative, which has been actively supporting students and educators since 2022.
What a smart way to help build the talent pipeline. Learn more about CalMatters’ program and others like it.
In other LION member news:
⭐ Bridge Michigan is hiring a regional editor.
⭐ CommonWealth Beacon has hired Laura Colarusso as its next editor.
⭐ Block Club Chicago’s Maple Walker Lloyd has been recognized as INN’s Emerging Leader of the Year.
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].
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