Forums and conferences explore the present and future of the news industry
This week, a panel at the Athens Democracy Forum in Greece, organized in association with The New York Times, explored why legacy media is struggling around the world, particularly with younger audiences. Farah Nayeri writes for The Times about the decimation of local news, the lack of trust in institutions and the belief that mainstream news outlets can win back audiences with a focus on well-reported local news.
And at last week’s ONA, chief portfolio officer Ross McDuffie of the nonprofit National Trust for Local News spoke about the organization’s growth and goals. Sarah Scire writes for Nieman Lab that the National Trust now owns 65 local newspapers in three states and generates $50 million in earned revenue. McDuffie says the goal is to move away from relying on institutional philanthropy and instead focus on more traditional revenue streams such as advertising, events and branded content.
Nieman also highlighted some other interesting findings from ONA, including the rise in Reddit as a traffic source, as well as conversations about moving beyond pageviews, focusing on social video and safely using AI.
News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.
Civic Discourse & Democracy
>> Freedom of the press is waning. The next president can fix that. (Poynter)
The U.S. now ranks 55th on Reporters Without Borders’s World Press Freedom Index, but RSF US’s executive director Clayton Weimers argues that the next president can improve that. He suggests 10 things that would improve press freedom, including calling out press violations in other countries, making themselves available to the press and adding a public interest defense to the Espionage Act.
>> Why you should cover how your state certifies votes in the 2024 election (Center for Cooperative Media)
Journalists from Votebeat will help local reporters explain how their state plans to certify election results. The webinar will be on Thursday, October 8 from 1 – 2pm ET.
>> Reporting series illuminates roles of Virginians who make democracy work (Current)
With support from American Press Institute’s 2024 Election Coverage and Community Listening Fund, the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism has launched a nine-part series focused on people who support democracy in their own communities.
—
Culture & Inclusion
>> Congress fights to keep AM radio in cars (Nieman Lab)
Some electric vehicle makers have stopped including AM radios in their cars, but Congress is now deliberating whether to require all cars to have AM radio. Proponents say that it is a crucial tool during emergencies and a valuable public utility.
>> New from API: What Gen Z journalists want news leaders to know (Better News)
Gen Z journalists argue that workplace culture is non-negotiable, objectivity isn’t the only journalistic value, boundaries are key, no one can afford to pay their dues, mentorship and training can be retention strategies, and that Gen Z’s tech savvy can be put to work in newsrooms.
—
Community Engagement & Trust
>> How Grist used community engagement to report on energy in Georgia (Grist)
Grist and WABE have focused on informing residents about the Georgia Public Service Commission. This included guides and explainers on the commission and its work, community listening events to exchange ideas and information and a pop-up newsletter that distilled their reporting and analysis.
>> To combat misinformation, start with connection, not correction (LAist)
LAist offers six tips to help fight misinformation, including avoiding terms like mis- and disinformation that have become politicized in favor of “rumors” or “misleading content.”
>> SURVEY: Developing standards for ethical independent creator journalism (Project C)
Project C (Liz Kelly Nelson’s newsletter chronicling creator journalism) and Trusting News are teaming up for a survey aimed at developing norms for independent creator journalism. This survey will close on Friday, Oct. 11th.
—
Revenue & Resilience
>> The New York Times redesigns its app to highlight a universe beyond just news (Nieman Lab)
With its first major app redesign in more than 15 years, The New York Times app is now offering several different homepages that direct users to various subjects, like the election, sections such as lifestyle and opinion, and verticals like Cooking and Wirecutter. The goal is not to replace the Times’s several apps, but to provide a landing page for all content.
>> Join us: Diversifying Revenue Series: Tactics to engage mid-funnel audiences
Table Stakes alumni, join us for a conversation with alumna Claudia Laws about how to move news consumers in the “middle” of the audience funnel – people who are aware of your news organization but aren’t yet engaged as loyal users, paying subscribers or donors. The webinar will be on Thursday, October 17 from 1 – 2pm ET.
—
What else you need to know
💰 The Minnesota Star Tribune has started accepting donations to its Local News Fund (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
🏆 Mississippi Today reporter Anna Wolfe is on TIME100 Next list (Time)
🩺 Healthbeat and your local epidemiologist launch New York community health “forecast” (Civic News Company)
🪧 The New Yorker union members unanimously authorize strike ahead of festival (The Hollywood Reporter)
—
Weekend reads
+ A 180-year-old Jewish paper is roiled by fabrications and a secret: Who owns it? (The New York Times)
+ In Springfield and beyond, the Haitian Times translates American racism (Columbia Journalism Review)
+ To report on the business of media, the journalist Ben Mullin says he is “endlessly curious” about the people populating his own industry. (The New York Times)
