Solving for the future

Today the American Press Institute is publishing our 2025 impact report, a look back at what we accomplished in the past year, with an eye toward how we can continue to help local news thrive and grow in the coming 12 months.

Like you, the news organizations we serve, we had a busy year. But when we take a breath and step back, we see a common theme running through all of our work: Connection. We helped you better connect with audiences. We discussed ways you can help people in your communities connect with one another in fractured times. And we facilitated the connection of news leaders across the country so you can share the lessons from experiments and innovations. Here’s what that looked like:

  • We brought people together at Local News Summits, where 100% of participants left saying they met someone new and that these new introductions frequently turn into meaningful connections.
  • We helped newsrooms better understand their audiences and their content performance through our metrics tools, Metrics for News and Source Matters.
  • We distributed 32 grants totaling $128,000 to local news organizations to advance innovation and community engagement.
  • Two important reports — our digital transformation guide and our guide to influencer collaborations — helped newsrooms not only understand but embrace rapid shifts in the media landscape.

“As we enter our 80th year and our next chapter, API is doubling down on its role as a community-oriented solutions lab. We are here to help media leaders test ideas, share what works and build lasting organizational practices that strengthen local news,” wrote Robyn Tomlin, API executive director.

The whole team at API wants to express gratitude to the news organizations that have trusted us to help them thrive and grow, and we invite you to join us in shaping the future of journalism. Please reach out if you’d like to connect with us.

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

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> Join us in supporting student journalists: Student Press Freedom Day is tomorrow (Student Press Law Center) 

API is proud to partner with the Student Press Law Center in standing up for student journalism on Student Press Freedom Day to recognize the special role that student journalists play in their communities. “As communities seek clarity and trusted information to navigate their lives, student journalism plays a critical role in uncovering the facts and holding the powerful accountable,” the group says. “Yet, the vital work of student journalists and the educators who support them is under serious threat.”

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Culture & Inclusion

>> Listen: As the Trump administration erases Black history, these writers are keeping it alive (Reveal)

The Trump administration has attempted to erase Black history by removing references to important events from museums like the Smithsonian as well as parks and schools. Al Letson interviews journalists Nikole Hannah-Jones, Jelani Cobb and Trymaine Lee about their fight to ensure that Americans hear a more inclusive story. “A lot of folks are saying, you know, that this administration is rolling back the ’60s, but … this administration’s actually going back further than that,” said Hannah-Jones.

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> Citizen journalists, citizen sleuths helping to unravel the tangle of Epstein documents (Associated Press) 

People like Ellie Leonard, a New Jersey mother of four, are sifting through the Epstein files to look for “nuggets of information others may not be talking about,” writes David Bauder. These “citizen journalists” can fill gaps that big media companies cannot get to because of the sheer volume of material available to review.

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Revenue & Resilience

>> Subscription-first newsrooms are reorganising around audiences (INMA) 

INMA’s Greg Piechota writes that he is seeing an expansion in news organizations using “bridge teams” — those that bridge the gap between the editorial and commercial sides of publishing. “They go by different names — audience teams, content performance desks, conversion desks, premium or ‘plus’ journalism teams, subscription editors — but their function is similar,” he writes.

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What else you need to know

📽️ Axios steps up video push with season 2 of ‘The Axios Show’ (The Wrap)

🐨 Politico is launching in Australia (Semafor)

🌨️ Storm leads to a first for The Boston Globe: A day without a paper (The New York Times)

🔬Science journalism on the ropes worldwide as U.S. aid cuts bite (Scientific American)