Local news organizations are uniquely positioned to not only share news and information with their communities, but play other roles outside of gathering the facts — a social connector, a convener of people across differences and a facilitator for addressing community challenges.
Earlier this year, the American Press Institute gathered news leaders to identify and explore ways to embrace these roles at the Local News Summit on Rural Journalism, Community and Sustainability. We heard how news organizations are fostering community in news deserts or using spaces and events to gather people in meaningful ways — and earning revenue, too. We also heard from non-news experts on how to serve as public forums or social connectors.
Summit illustration by local multidisciplinary artist Alexander Tamahn
We asked four summit participants to share more about the ways they are connecting with the rural communities they serve:
- How a quick-turn template for newsroom events can maximize your engagement efforts — and even bring in revenue. The Richland Source pulled together a successful event about a local Iditarod competitor in just two weeks. Brittany Schock shares that having an events “playbook” makes it easier to hold small-scale or last-minute events that are worthwhile to both attendees and the newsroom’s revenue stream.
- How we invited our readers into the newsroom and lived to tell the tale. Linsdey Young writes about how subscribers to Harvey County Now in Newton, Kansas are part of a membership club that meets weekly with newsroom employees in a social setting — and how it enabled them to more than double their subscription price.
- Local news can provide a ‘third space’ — and it makes financial sense. Here’s how we did it. Max Kabat and his wife bought a 100-year old newspaper in Marfa, Texas and paired it with a cafe, retail and event space for locals and tourists alike to gather.
- How two newsrooms partnered to plan an event based on an Oscar-nominated movie. The Osage News partnered with a nearby NPR affiliate station to put on a tour based off the history behind the hit movie Killers of the Flower Moon. Shannon Shaw Duty details how the partnership inspired her small newsroom to put on more events.
To learn more about supporting future API Local News Summits of news leaders, or if you’re curious about API’s work on Revenue & Resilience more broadly, please contact us.
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4 ways outlets are convening community — and seeing loyalty and revenue follow
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Case studies, like the ones in our 2025 impact report, are an opportunity to highlight those findings and spotlight some of the organizations that have partnered with API to collaborate, innovate and advance solutions for their communities.
We asked four summit participants to share more about the ways they are empowering communities with skills and opportunities to have influence in their local news ecosystem.
As research continues to inform this slice of the news industry, we’ll continue learning, too. Who gets to be called a journalist in 2025 and beyond? What is the future of trustworthy information, especially considering the access to and trust for online content creators? How might journalism adapt to the rise, or co-opt the styles, of news influencers?
