How newsrooms can thrive on Bluesky  

Since Election Day, social media users are leaving X in droves and turning to Bluesky. CNET reported that the platform was gaining 1 million users a day, and TechCrunch reports that the platform has hit 20 million users. 

News publishers are making the move as well. Bron Maher in Press Gazette writes that news outlets including The Economist and ITV News have joined in the past week, while formerly dormant accounts from Politico and Semafor have started posting again. Since Bluesky doesn’t include algorithmic recommendations for accounts to follow, most accounts are found through user-created “starter packs,” Some news organizations are creating their own packs to allow users to easily follow all of their journalists. 

Adam Clark Estes and Aja Romano write for Vox that Bluesky “offers that fun and serendipitous feeling of the original Twitter” as well as more control over what you see. 

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

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> When police order protesters to disperse, are reporters included? (Columbia Journalism Review) 

Last month, the US Department of Justice released a report about police-press interaction that suggested that journalists have a First Amendment right to remain at a scene even after members of the public have been dispersed. 

>> Your next beat: Civic culture (Citizen University) 

This webinar focuses on “new civic narratives” and journalists looking to tell stories “that help our country heal our divisions and find our way forward.” The webinar will be held on Monday, December 9 from 10:00 – 11:15 am PT.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> Two-thirds of news influencers are men — and most have never worked for a news organization (Nieman Lab) 

A Pew Research Center survey found that 37% of Americans between 18 to 29 regularly get news from “news influencers” — popular, individual-run accounts that cover current affairs. The vast majority have never worked for a traditional news organization. 

>> New from API: Local newsrooms should have more fun. Your readers and your staff will thank you. (Better News)

Coverage focused on restaurants, local celebrities and local concerts have been victims of cuts in cash-strapped newsrooms. But our communities are vibrant places exactly because of those topics and readers crave opportunities to discover new experiences or reasons to feel local pride.

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> How to pitch funders on collaborative journalism projects (Reynolds Journalism Institute) 

Philanthropy is an important element of funding collaborating projects, but newsrooms need to focus on developing a compelling pitch that articulates the value and impact of the work. Penny Riordan suggests listening to your community, pulling a list of potential funders, finding the best proposal based on the research from the first two parts and then building a pitch deck. 

>> Wisconsin Watch pushes to fill fact deserts as local news disappear (Poynter) 

Wisconsin Watch’s fact-checking initiative allowed them to dispute claims by Rep. Derrick Van Orden about immigration and sanctuary cities — claims that would have otherwise gone unchecked. 

>> New from API: Are you a newsroom that has collaborated with influencers? We want to hear about it.

API is developing a guide for local newsrooms that want to collaborate with influencers to grow the reach and impact of their journalism. As part of that guide, we want to feature lessons learned from newsrooms that have already experimented with influencer collaborations — share yours here.

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Revenue & Resilience

>> Local news is in crisis. This paper has a $150 million plan (NPR)

Andrew Morse, the president and publisher of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has built a new newsroom in midtown Atlanta as a sign of commitment to the paper’s future. His editorial priorities for the paper going forward are politics, sports, food, culture and Black life. 

>> How Daily Maverick’s membership model delivers higher LTV (Pugpig) 

South Africa’s Daily Maverick has thrived with a membership model that earns 40% of the publication’s revenue. They also ask each new member “what their superpower is” and then call on members as sources for stories. 

>> Join us tomorrow: Diversifying Revenue Series: Connecting fundraising asks to news coverage

Tomorrow at 1 p.m. Eastern, Table Stakes alumni can join a conversation with Gillian White, chief revenue officer for Capital B, about developing fundraising appeals that speak to a news organization’s mission and audience. Register here.

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What else you need to know

✂️ Associated Press to cut 8% of staff in layoffs, buyouts (The Wrap) 

🧑‍⚖️ Judge pauses the Onion’s takeover of Infowars over auction concerns (The Washington Post) 

🫱🏽‍🫲🏿 Reuters taps Sally Buzbee to be News Editor for US and Canada (Reuters)