👋 Find your people

By Hayley Milloy | April 25, 2024 |

Thursday, 25 Apr 2024

Reading time:

7 mins

Our members have told us how important it is for them to have opportunities to learn from each other and build community. So one way we’re formally facilitating that this year is through our peer groups. Led by our 2024 community ambassadors, these six groups center shared experiences and will meet monthly via Zoom, making it easier for folks to participate while keeping time and travel considerations in mind.

And while networking is a critical component of this program, it’s also designed to help group members work through similar challenges and experiment with new ideas.

“I jumped at the opportunity of being a community ambassador because there are not too many places where news leaders can share their experience with diaspora audiences,” said Camille Padilla Dalmau, founder of 9 Millones who’s leading the newsrooms serving diaspora communities group. “I hope to create a collaborative learning environment where we experiment and test out strategies to connect with the communities we serve.”

The deadline to indicate interest in a peer group is tomorrow, April 26, at 11 p.m. PT. Don’t miss this opportunity to find your people and forge meaningful connections. Apply now!

– Samantha Matsumoto, LION’s community engagement manager

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Congrats to Peter Cameron 🦁

Shoutout to Peter Cameron of The Badger Project for being our 100th Summit registrant and winning free Summit swag!

As we design our Summit swag, we want to know what you’d print on a LION swag item.

If we select your tagline, you’ll receive swag on us.

Purchase your early bird Summit tickets by June 28, and book your hotel while rooms are still available.

10 resources for independent publishers

1. Create election frameworks. This American Press Institute webinar will teach news leaders how to focus their election efforts by using resource frameworks. (TODAY at 1 p.m. ET)

2. Counter disinformation tactics. Sign up for the National Press Club Journalism Institute’s upcoming webinar covering what journalists can do to help debunk disinformation. (May 1)

3. Apply for the News Product Alliance’s News Product Management Certification, a part-time virtual program for mid to senior-level news professionals looking to boost their product development and innovation skills. (Apply by May 2)

4. See what’s next. Canva has set aside 50 free tickets for LION members to attend Canva Create, an event in Los Angeles showcasing new product launches and offering sessions led by visionary creatives. Use code “CreateLION” at check-out. (May 23)

5. Get tickets to INN Days. Don’t miss this premier in-person conference for nonprofit news leaders, featuring five unique tracks and ample opportunities to network with fellow attendees. (June 11-12)

6. Apply for the M.A. in Engagement Journalism at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. This 16-month degree program prepares graduates to work at the intersection of news products, audience development, and journalism innovation. (Apply by June 14)

7. Strengthen your financial skills. Register for A Bookkeeping Collective’s four-part financial foundations workshop, which covers core topics like understanding your organization’s finances, cash flows, and financial reporting while keeping your mission in mind. (Three sessions available)

8. Build a better survey. Inbox Collective explains how these three survey questions can help you better understand your audience’s perception of your content.

9. Reel in more revenue. Todd Stauffer, the executive director of the Association for Alternative Newsmedia and a LION Audit analyst, has published a playbook (that he continues to update with new content) to help local news publishers monetize their operations, covering everything from paid subscriptions to native advertising.

10. Get started with grant writing. Sign up for The Lenfest Institute’s free, four-week email newsletter course that will guide you through the grant writing process.

What we’re reading

100 for $100K. Press Forward will open funding applications on April 30, and over 100 selected newsrooms will receive $100,000 in general operating support over two years. This first funding call will prioritize newsrooms, both for-profit and nonprofit, that produce and deliver news to underserved audiences. (Press Forward) Plus, Director Dale Anglin shares additional tips on how to access Press Forward dollars. (Poynter)

Tracking sources. UNC’s Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media is testing an AI-powered tool to help journalists locate information and resources on audience development. (UNC CISLM)

All about the audience. Why nonprofit news organizations must prioritize community listening and marketing to ensure they reach readers. (Poynter)

All about the numbers. Five common challenges people face when calculating grant proposal numbers, plus solutions to overcome them. (Blue Avocado)

California dreamin’. Amid cyclical layoffs and closures, the “dream to do good journalism in Los Angeles” is still alive and being pursued by a new generation of dedicated journalists. (Los Angeles Times)

LIONs in the news

Kudos to LION member CalMatters for acquiring The Markup, a nonprofit newsroom that specializes in covering technology and its impact on our lives.

“We’re tremendously proud of what we’ve built in nine short years, covering California for Californians,” said CalMatters CEO Neil Chase. “We also have a national and worldwide audience because of California’s global impact. Bringing The Markup’s extraordinary talent and tools to all of our beats is a unique, exciting opportunity at the perfect time.”

The Markup will boost CalMatters’ tech reporting and benefit from its deep expertise in political and community coverage. The pairing allows both outlets to uplift and expand each other’s operations while exploring new opportunities for funding, as well as product and audience development.

calmatters.org

A powerful next-stage journalism venture: CalMatters acquires The Markup

CalMatters announces the acquisition of The Markup, a nonprofit newsroom that specializes in covering technology and its impact on our lives.

calmatters.org

A powerful next-stage journalism venture: CalMatters acquires The Markup

CalMatters announces the acquisition of The Markup, a nonprofit newsroom that specializes in covering technology and its impact on our lives.

In other LION member news:

Prison Journalism Project has created a first-of-its-kind handbook and certificate program to help incarcerated writers get their work published.
Bridge Michigan’s Lauren Gibbons has won a 2024 Wade H. McCree Advancement of Justice Award for her investigation into Michigan’s crippling juvenile court fees.
Block Club Chicago welcomed a new reporter, Patrick Filbin.
Outlier Media is celebrating its eighth birthday.

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].