Special Edition

We have an opportunity to facilitate civic discourse within our communities in a way that’s mutually beneficial. But if we don’t do this work thoughtfully — if we show up with a rigid agenda and our own goals — it can cause more harm than good.

The Birmingham Dreams event offers a template for newsrooms that not only want to connect people with journalists but also provide avenues for art, connections and future action.

Jenna Welch shares how local news organizations can try a similar approach of deep listening, bringing together a diverse group of storytellers and offering practical training to platform community voices.

When people realize their story matters, something fundamental changes. And the public conversation shifts in ways that strengthen communities and journalism.

When local newsrooms give people the tools and platforms for creative storytelling, they’re also building trust and supporting the creative and cultural health of their communities. Here's how for news leaders did just that.

If your regular leadership meeting isn’t a highlight of your week, month or quarter, then you need a reset. These are the exact meetings worth looking forward to — not for the information shared but for the connection that happens.

We mistake subject matter mastery for teaching acumen — knowing how to do something is not the same as teaching a room full of people how to do it in 45 minutes. The goal of this type of meeting should be capability transfer, not exposure, to move participants from passive listening to active doing.

Last week, you heard about better one-on-ones between managers and direct reports. This week, we’re talking about how to lead better brainstorms, whether between editors and reporters, within a team or across an ecosystem of stakeholders.

One-on-one meetings are an opportunity for managers to ensure they’re doing their part to create an inclusive organization by hearing and promoting the voices of their team members. Here are some tips for how to make your one-on-ones more effective and avoid common pitfalls.

New year, same old meetings. Meetings that don’t include the right people or that include too many people. Meetings that could have been an email. But what if it didn’t have to be that way? As we kick off 2026, API wants to help you reset and rethink key meetings in your news organization.