👉 How LION members are reaching their audiences in 2024
Publishers have seen changes to the makeup of their traffic accelerate as social media and search priorities shift, and legislation (or proposed legislation) prompts tech companies to pull back from news. The decline in referral traffic will likely lead to more direct engagement by publishers with their audiences.
How has this panned out (so far) for LION members? We examined data from the LION Sustainability Audits program to discover how news entrepreneurs are diversifying their products and audience strategies.
Check out our findings, and let us know if you’re experiencing these traffic changes and how you’re adapting. We’ll share additional insights in a future newsletter.
– Andrew Rockway, LION’s associate director of sustainability audits
P.S. Applications for our 2024 Audits are open until August 30; apply here if you’re interested.
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Summit sponsor Q&A: Lede AI
“We set out to see if it could help other newsrooms.”
That’s how Lede AI went from an in-house experiment piloted by LION member Richland Source to a transformative tool that allows newsrooms to quickly and easily generate content readers love.
And its latest capability, WordNerd, is designed to put assistive AI in the hands of any newsroom that wants it.
We’re excited to hear more from co-founder and CEO Jay Allred at the 2024 Independent News Sustainability Summit. Until then, read this Q&A to learn more.
2024 Summit and LION Awards
Good news: It’s not too late to secure tickets to the 2024 Summit and LION Awards Ceremony & Dinner!
If you missed our early bird registration deadline, you can still apply for a $600 travel stipend to help offset the cost of attending. Apply by this Sunday, July 21, at midnight ET.
More good news: We’re thrilled to announce that the Joyce Foundation, Newspack, the McCormick Foundation, News Revenue Hub, Ballotpedia, and the MacArthur Foundation have signed on as 2024 Summit sponsors. Want to join them in sponsoring the premiere event for independent news publishers? Learn more.
Pardon our dust: Pausing LION membership apps
We’re temporarily pausing new member applications and renewals from July 19 to August 6, 2024, to move to a new (and improved!) membership management system. We will not accept new applications for membership during this time. If you have questions about your current LION membership or about applying for membership during the pause, please contact our director of membership, Sarah Gustavus Lim, at [email protected].
9 resources for independent publishers
1. Small newsrooms: Share your thoughts. Tiny News Collective and Rebuild Local News invite small newsrooms (staff ≤ 5) that have sold advertising to complete this survey; responses will inform a public-facing report containing trends and guidance to help tiny news publishers thrive. (July 19)
2. Apply for the 2024 GNI Reader Loyalty and Retention Lab, a free six-month coaching program that will guide 25 news publishers through the 2024 election cycle and other major news events. (Apply by July 21)
3. Prepare to cover the Democratic National Convention. Don’t miss this free virtual legal training conducted by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the National Press Photographers Association. (July 25)
4. Align profit with purpose. Join Indiegraf and Agencia Media’s Amanda Zamora for a Q&A webinar designed to help independent content creators and publishers align their mission with revenue generation. (July 25)
5. Share your product knowledge. Submit a session proposal for the News Product Alliance’s virtual Summit 2024, which seeks to address journalism’s toughest challenges through audience, technology, and business expertise. (Proposals due by July 25)
6. Rethink your government reporting. The Solutions Journalism Network’s Building Democracy Fellowship will provide $10,000 and nine months of support to help selected newsrooms integrate solutions journalism into their government reporting. (Q&A on July 29; apply by July 31)
7. Sign up for the Medill Midwest Solutions Journalism Hub Summer Summit, a free, one-day event in Chicago featuring keynotes, hands-on workshops, lightning talks, and breakout sessions. (July 30)
8. Boost your capacity. Report for America, which places early-career journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities, has opened applications for host newsrooms. (Apply by Sept. 13)
9. Address and avoid burnout. LION members: This News Entrepreneur Academy course outlines what burnout looks like, why it happens, how to address it, and, even better, how to avoid it.
What we’re reading
How to TikTok. Establish newsroom-specific guidelines that encourage experimentation on the white-hot social media platform while maintaining brand consistency (feat. LION member AfroLA). (Reynolds Journalism Institute)
New leadership, cuts at LAist. The Los Angeles public-media heavyweight hired new president and CEO Alejandra Santamaria, a Univision sales leader, as financial woes led to 28 staff members being laid off or bought out. (LAist)
An ecosystem approach. Discover how Trusting News and the Oklahoma Media Center’s program blends research and action to help local newsrooms connect with audiences throughout the state. (Trusting News)
LIONs in the news
Since its inception, Epicenter NYC has been all about providing resources and navigating change. What started as a newsletter at the height of COVID-19 has developed into a full-fledged community newsroom dedicated to helping people access critical information.
And now, Epicenter NYC has embarked on its next major project in service of its mission: the launch of the Epicenter Foundation, which will strengthen efforts to support New Yorkers and communities of color.
In other LION member news:
⭐ Sahan Journal has found its next executive director, Vanan Murugesan, who will supersede founding CEO Mukhtar M. Ibrahim.
⭐ The Berkeley Scanner has won four first-place California Journalism Awards for news coverage and business sustainability.
⭐ Planet Detroit has welcomed Report for America journalist Isabelle Tavares as its new environment and health reporter.
⭐ Civic Media Company, the parent of Chalkbeat and Votebeat, staffs up its new vertical, Healthbeat, to provide local public health coverage.
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].