Going it alone: Can it work for local news?

News of prominent journalists leaving established outlets to launch their own ventures has renewed attention on whether creators can make a go of it outside their legacy platforms. Former Bloomberg tech reporter Ashlee Vance is creating a publication called Core Memory, Semafor reported. Jennifer Rubin from The Washington Post is launching, with Norm Eisen, a site called The Contrarian that will stand “in opposition to the authoritarian threat,” they said in an introductory post.

This kind of a move can work if you’re a big national name. But can local journalists do it? Poynter recently featured one effort: In Michigan, Sarah Leach, who was fired from Gannett after speaking with Poynter about the company, has started the Ottawa News Network in her home county on the coast of Lake Michigan.

Such startups begin small by necessity, but Leach hopes to be self-sufficient in three years, she told Rick Edmonds. She started with a listening tour, and the goal, she says, is to put the “community in conversation with itself.”

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

Civic Discourse & Democracy

» New from API: Pluralism and polarization: The value of research for local journalism

API has made an effort to tap ideas outside of journalism to solve news challenges, especially in today’s polarized society. This week we’re featuring insights from three prominent social and political science researchers and leaders focused on how their work can help — and be helped by — local journalism.

PQ: “Those who care about overcoming division — whether social science researchers or civil society leaders — have a lot to gain from exploring how their work might help dedicated local journalists across the country.” – API’s Kevin Loker and Samantha Ragland

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Culture & Inclusion

» The media leadership crisis isn’t about credentials, it’s about mindset (Patrick Boehler blog)

Patrick Boehler has been asking journalism colleagues around the country what they think are key qualities in news leaders that inspire people to do their best work. He collected eight of them, which he lists in a recent blog post. Boehler says that one characteristic — leaders who can provide examples of “how their journalism has improved real people’s lives” — is his test.

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Community Engagement & Trust

» New from API: How an outreach partnership helped Vermont Public reach voters and answer their questions (Better News)

Here’s an idea to steal and adapt: Two civic engagement-minded community organizations teamed up to ask voters what they want to know before they head to the polls. Vermont Public and Front Porch Forum gleaned insights into what matters to their community through a multi-pronged outreach strategy.

» Respond to accusations that money influences news (Trusting News)

Trusting News has published a new kit to help journalists explain their business models to people who might think that funding influences news coverage. It also provides ideas for how to talk about the cost of journalism.

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Revenue & Resilience

» Trump’s reelection prompts record reader donations to The Guardian in new ‘Trump bump’ (CNN)

The Guardian’s US editor Betsy Reed says there is a “Trump bump” but not in traffic. Instead, she told Brian Stelter, The Guardian is seeing “huge spikes in reader revenue” that she attributes to the outlet staying true to its values and making its content “free and accessible.”

+ Related: Historic election drove news engagement bump in 2024 (Axios)

» The L.A. Times sees subscriber bump during wildfire coverage, despite removing paywall (Nieman Lab)

The Los Angeles Times has put its wildfire coverage outside its paywall, but nonetheless has experienced an increase in subscriptions, writes Sarah Scire. “Overall, traffic was up 800% from the past 30-day average and new subscriptions were up over 259% compared to that same period,” Scire writes.

» Dow Jones reinvents its onboarding flow to drive engagement (INMA)

Dow Jones has put in place a new onboarding journey that includes an invitation to sign up for its apps and introduces newsletter options, both key drivers of retention, writes Paula Felps.

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What else you need to know

📺 Rashida Jones steps down as president of MSNBC (Axios)

🛡️ News outlets take unusual steps to prepare for onslaught from Trump (The New York Times)

⚕️ A new publication fights spin in research abstracts (Association of Health Care Journalists)

👋 Garry Pierre-Pierre steps aside as publisher of The Haitian Times (The Haitian Times)

🤝 Mastodon’s CEO and creator is handing control to a new nonprofit organization (The Verge)

💰 Apply to the Solutions Journalism Network Sponsorship Revenue Accelerator (Solutions Journalism Network)