Incentivizing audience value

For years, news organizations have been doubling down on the “social good” argument in membership drives and subscription campaigns. They bank on a sense of civic responsibility to open people’s wallets. But it’s not working.

John S. Knight Journalism Fellow Eric Ulken, a former product lead at The Baltimore Banner, says it’s time to separate the journalism we like as professionals from the products people actually want to buy.

The distinction matters.

Pew Research notes that while 85% of Americans say local news is very or somewhat important to the well-being of their community, very few actually pay for it. The difference is personal utility.

Writing on his JSK Fellowship, Ulken argues that the number one factor in subscribers’ motivations is self-interest. He points to The Baltimore Banner’s 72,000 subscribers as evidence that a news organization can be “obsessively useful, not merely virtuous.”

The time to turn is now.

“Most nonprofits ask people to keep them alive. The smarter move is to invite them into an identity that helps build a future,” API’s Yoni Greenbaum recently wrote.

Value is an exchange, not a donation. If we want to grow our paid audiences, we need to look beyond meeting our fundraising goals and give people products that solve their problems.

News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> When federal might meets local resistance (Medill Local News Initiative)

The way local news mobilized to cover immigration raids across the country “is solutions journalism at its most essential,” writes Deborah D. Douglas, director of the Medill Midwest Solutions Journalism Hub. Her new Rapid Response Kit outlines how to report with facts, not fear, when federal agencies are no longer universally recognized as credible sources.

>> We spoke about safety at a dozen journalism conferences in 2025. Here’s what we learned. (PEN America)

This year, PEN America’s digital safety team trained more than 500 journalists at conferences across the country. They also listened to journalists’ needs and how they are coping with an increasingly hostile political landscape. One lesson the team learned: having safety experts available at industry conferences allows independent journalists, freelancers and hyperlocal newsrooms access to essential training they may not otherwise encounter.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> What teen leaders want — and don’t want — from older allies (CoGenerate)

CoGenerate surveyed 26 teens on what it might look like to move beyond one-way mentorship models and toward partnerships where teens and older allies work side by side for change. Among their findings: involve teens in projects early on to go beyond including young people for optics and give them more decision-making power.

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> Sharing yourself with our readers isn’t a ‘now or never’ proposition (Pittsburgh’s Public Source)

Seeking out and publishing first-person essays requires patience, workshopping and perseverance, but it’s always rewarding, writes Jamie Wiggan, deputy editor of Pittsburgh’s Public Source. He details how the essayists they’ve platformed this year — most of whom aren’t writers by trade — “have enriched and inspired our readers, building bridges across our city.”

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Revenue & Resilience

>> Google announces AI deals with publishers (Press Gazette)

Google is partnering with news organizations around the world, including The Washington Post, to expand AI-powered components of Google News. The pilot program will produce AI-written article overviews, audio briefings and a tool that allows users to choose preferred news sources. The search engine also intends to increase the number of links in its AI mode results. Unlike other AI deals with newsrooms, these agreements are about payment, not licensing.

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What else you need to know

📝 Instagram is generating headlines for Instagram posts that appear on Google Search results (404 Media)

📤 USA Today’s top editor departs, the second in less than two years (The New York Times)

⚕️ New York Times, after Trump post, says it won’t be deterred from writing about his health (Associated Press)

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Weekend reads

+ The 2025 gift guide for journalists (Nieman Lab)

+ Why does A.I. write like…that? (The New York Times)

+ The connective tissue between us: Jennifer Brandel on building a more interconnected future (How We Future)

+ ICFJ Knight Fellowships: How hundreds of fellows helped transform global journalism (ICFJ)

+ Oprah changed what media could be — and how millions live their lives (Poynter)