All LION members are eligible to take an Audit at any time via the LION Member Portal, including those who have previously taken one. (We recommend you take it every year!)

If you’re not a LION member, please contact Andrew Rockway at andrewrockway@lionpublishers.com to explore your options.

LION members can access the Audit via the LION Member Portal. If you have trouble accessing the portal, please email membership@lionpublishers.com.

The Audit is free for all LION members. If you’re not a LION member, you can apply to become one here.

If you’re a funder or journalism support organization interested in the Audit as a resource for the news businesses you work with, please email Andrew Rockway at andrewrockway@lionpublishers.com.

The questionnaire consists of Yes/No, single-select, and quantitative questions focused on your news business's operations, finances, revenue, audience, products, and journalism. We recommend that the questionnaire be completed by the organization's senior leader(s), in conjunction with other staff as needed, to answer each question accurately.

You’ll need the following information to complete the Audit questionnaire:

• Information about your organization's staff (number of full-time, part-time, contractors, and volunteers)
• Information about the technology you use to run your organization
• Key processes relating to staffing, management, and daily operations
• Your organization’s financial processes and policies, including how you approach accounting and revenue generation
• Key financial metrics, if available, including: annual revenue, annual expenses, cash on hand, and revenue from different revenue streams
• Key audience metrics and audience processes, if available, including: average monthly users, total members/subscribers, and total newsletter subscribers

After completing the questionnaire, you will receive an Audit report via download and email, containing insights and recommendations tailored to your news business.

If you have questions about, or difficulties with, the questionnaire or other aspects of the Audit, feel free to contact sustainabilityaudits@lionpublishers.com.

As often as you’d like! LION members can take an Audit at any time. We recommend taking a new Audit once a year to track your progress and receive recommendations tailored to the current state of your news business.

After completing the questionnaire, your Audit report and a copy of your questionnaire responses will be available for immediate download. You will also receive both documents via email to the address you provided within 10 minutes of completing it. If you have questions about your results or difficulty accessing your report, email sustainabilityaudits@lionpublishers.com.

No, the Audit does not include direct funding at this time.

LION staff will have access to each organization's individual data. LION may share aggregated, anonymized data publicly and with strategic partners. We will never share individual data without your permission. For more information on LION’s data and privacy policies, read our Terms of Service page.