The value of taking stock 

In a rapidly changing industry like news, a broad ecosystem assessment — a snapshot of  strengths, weaknesses, deficits and surpluses in a specific area — is essential. In Virginia, the University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy and Virginia Humanities have done just that.

Their new report describes in detail the commonwealth’s news landscape, the character of news outlets and their coverage areas, and presents other findings from a survey of 277 outlets across the state to provide a sense of their needs and priorities. The report was done with support from API, which is based in Arlington, Va., as well as More Perfect and the PATH Foundation.

Kevin Loker, API’s senior director of program operations and partnerships, said landscape assessments such as the one produced by UVA are useful to everyone involved in local news — legacy news organizations, new startups, or even independent journalists or creators — as well as those outside of journalism who care about how a community gets its information.

“As the report shows, there is a range of media serving our neighbors here in Virginia — and there is also need. There are gaps in coverage as well as business and digital challenges facing news leaders,” he said. “Studies like this, in any ecosystem, provide data and insights that can empower critical conversations among all interested stakeholders.”

Ecosystem assessments are becoming more common. Many states now have them; the Press Forward Local Chapters commit to advancing such research and understanding.

The UVA report’s authors note that it was a “first step” toward understanding Virginia’s complex  news ecosystem, as it looks only at conventional news sources, excluding, for example, platforms such as Substack and YouTube. But it, and others like it, can serve as a foundation for additional research that could be useful to anyone who is creating news — or wants to — in a specific geographic area.

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

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> ‘Censoring you in real time’: Suspension of Jimmy Kimmel show sparks shock and fears for free speech (The Guardian) 

The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show sparked an outcry among politicians, media figures and free speech organizations, who said it is another indication that critics of President Trump were being censored, write Jonathan Yerushalmy and Edward Helmore.

  • Related: Trump administration wields its full toolbox to bring media to heel (The New York Times)

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Culture & Inclusion

>> The Atlantic announces free digital subscriptions for all U.S. public high schools (The Atlantic)

The Atlantic is offering free digital access to every public high school in the United States. “An informed citizenry is essential to our democracy. As we continue to grow The Atlantic, and the resource-intensive reporting and writing we publish, we want to ensure it’s available to new generations of readers,” said Megha Garibaldi, the chief growth officer of The Atlantic.

+ Related: Just 90 NYC high schools offer journalism classes. A new movement is trying to change that. (Chalkbeat)

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> Join us: How influencer collaborations can help news deepen community connection

We’re partnering with the News Revenue Hub to explore key elements of effective collaborations with trusted messengers. We’ll talk about how to plan for these collaborations and steps for creating cultures of collaboration within your news organization. Register here to join us Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 2 p.m.

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Revenue & Resilience

>> Can tiny nonprofit news outlets survive the current financial flux? (INN News)

The Institute for Nonprofit News surveyed its members about their 2025 financial outlook. While only a fraction responded, the results revealed that some are ”experiencing significant financial stress,” writes Marquita Brown.

>>  What Perplexity’s Comet Plus offers news (INMA) 

The AI player Perplexity has launched Comet Plus, which “opens a $42.5 million revenue pool for news publishers,” writes Jodie Hopperton. Though the rhetoric is promising, she writes, “transparency, consistency, and adoption will be key.”

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What else you need to know

▶️ YouTube expands its livestreaming tools in push for more live video (The New York Times)

📺 MSNBC and NBC News set for editorial split next month (The Hollywood Reporter)

📽️ “It’s not just younger people making the shift”: Meet Reuters’ first social-first video reporter (Nieman Lab)

🤖 Inside Bloomberg Media’s survival guide for the AI era (Digiday)

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Weekend reads

+ How one iconic line became journalism’s greatest mantra (No Film School)

+ I was a fixer. Here’s why journalism needs to rethink the role (Nieman Reports)

+ These editor’s notes are poison. I learned from every drop (The Washington Post)

+ Opinion: The billionaire Trump supporter who will soon own the news (The New York Times)