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How small local news publishers can survive Facebook's changes

Local independent online news publishers might not be affected by Facebook's major News Feed algorithm change as they fear, and there are a number of steps they can take to maintain and extend audience reach on and off Facebook in its wake.

That's the argument former LION board member Ned Berke makes in a pretty comprehensive guide to what publishers should do as Facebook downgrades the reach of content posted by publishers and other brands.

"Here’s the good news: The planned changes will have less of an impact on the strategies of small publishers, and significant payoff awaits those embracing the fundamentals of engagement," Berke wrote. "So if you’re a small publisher, here’s my advice: Don’t panic. You’ll adapt to the new algorithm."

Meanwhile, local news publishers, including many LION members, are communicating directly with their readers about Facebook's changes, offering tips on how they can stay up on local news headlines on Facebook and off the platform, including through email newsletters.

Sue Cross of the Institute for Nonprofit News wrote about what the change means for nonprofit news.

Others also reacted with some optimism, saying that it's "up to publishers" to make the best of it, and that it could even be a boon for some.

Stories that are focused on listening to and engaging with the audience will likely benefit from the change, argues Hearken, a company that helps newsrooms listen and enagage with their audiences.

The advertising community is also reacting, and saying it could be a good thing. Some say Facebook’s feed purge could expose publishers to fraud.

What will it mean for media and Facebook in the long run? Marketers say it's the ‘nail in the coffin’ for organic posts. Some say it's a good thing -- that Facebook had too much power over news and we needed a divorce. That maybe Facebook never wanted to be in news to begin with. That maybe it should just abandon the News Feed altogether.

Come on, who are we kidding? This sucks.

Related: Is Facebook telling us the whole story about why it’s changing News Feed? Facebook shares fell because Wall Street doesn’t know what to make of Mark Zuckerberg’s News Feed changes. Facebook and Google’s dirty secret: They’re really junk mail empires. Apple News shows promise delivering traffic but won’t make up for Facebook shortfalls.


Deadline for LION advertising sales mentor program is next week!

LION is launching a major, year-long local advertising mentorship program called "RAMP" - Revenue from Advertising Mentorship Program. Applications are due Jan. 26.

Any LION member (and here's how you can join) who needs to establish local advertising as a revenue stream, or needs to significantly grow advertising revenue and has struggled to understand best practices, is eligible.

Mentors will work with 10 participants over the course of the year. Participants will also receive a $7,500 stipend to help free up their time to put the work into building a program. And RAMP will also cover some travel, materials and software costs.

The program was made possible through a grant from the Democracy Fund.


LION webinar Monday: Covering Your Local Hospital

Rose Hoban and Mark Toscak of North Carolina Health News will talk about the many stories to be found in delving into the finances, policies, practices and performance of your local hospital in a LION webinar at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22. It's free for LION members, and only $15 for non-members.

They will discuss how to find key records and experts and suggest practical story ideas.


News About Local Independent Online News

CALIFORNIA: This California journalism nonprofit is finding hope for the news industry in voices behind bars.

COMMUNITY: 'More views, angles and perspective': Why community journalism may be the future of news.

LIBRARIES: Its paper closed, one community bounced back — with a librarian in charge.

NONPROFITS: For news nonprofits, the tax overhaul is bringing new uncertainty about future donations.

TEXAS TRIBUNE: How the Texas Tribune is enlisting the newsroom to grow membership revenue.


Tools and Tips: Advertising and Revenue

ADVERTISING: The Death of Advertising. And what will rise from its ashes.

AD TECH: Where Is the Line Between Creepy and Creative in Advertising?

FOUNDATIONS: The opportunities and limits of foundation-funded journalism.

FUNDRAISING: Guardian shows how newspapers could attract philanthropy.

MEMBERSHIP: When membership might not be your publication’s best path forward.

MOBILE: 2018 mobile marketing predictions from 18 industry veterans.

NEWSLETTERS: Why Are We Sending Editorial Newsletters With Marketing Tools?

PODCASTING: Who needs video? Slate is pivoting to audio, and making real money doing it.

REVIEWS: Should Local Businesses Ask for Reviews?

SEO: Local SEOs: Don’t Play These Google Games.

SPONSORED CONTENT: How some publicists recruit writers to secretly mention or link to their clients in stories on HuffPost, Forbes, and other sites. Global survey shows native advertising trends in news media.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: You Say Paywalls Are Back? For The FT, They Never Went Away. Denver Post Puts Up Paywall for 1st Time Since Aurora Theater Shooting Trial. Axios CEO Jim VandeHei says its high-priced subs will come by year’s end. Surprise: Ad test shows It wouldn’t cost much to offer an option with no ads at all.


Tools and Tips: Journalism and Technology

AUDIO: Politics publisher The Canary is converting text articles to audio to find new audiences.

BREAKING NEWS: False missile alarm tests journalism's response.

DATA: Cold, hard numbers will drive the stories on this Internet-crawling company’s new media arm.

DESIGN: Small Tweaks That Can Make a Huge Impact on Your Website’s Accessibility.

ENGAGEMENT: 30 newsrooms join Trusting News work. At The Boston Globe, the editorial pages are looking for new ways to engage readers. Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing brings community together to aid flood victims. How Vox uses Facebook Groups to build community.

FACT-CHECKING: How to Check a Source’s Statistics.

FOIA: Journalists, secretary of state propose Vermont public records ombudsman.

FREELANCE: 13 things I’ve learned in 13 years of freelancing.

GAMIFICATION: How Al Jazeera used gamification to conduct audience research.

MANAGEMENT: Knowing your newsroom's mission can help you say no.

Publishers, There’s Still Time to Reinvent the Newsroom.

MEDIA LITERACY: "Whose job is it to help a community understand news? Teachers? Librarians? Technologists? Journalists? ... it’s everyone’s job, and doing it well will help us all."

METRICS: The New, Smaller Reality for News Metrics.

STORIFY: Storify is shutting down. What should you do with your old stories?

TRUST: Public trust in the media is at an all-time low. Results from a major new Knight-Gallup report can help us understand why. Half of Americans can’t name a news source they consider objective. Americans say greater access to news sources is actually making it harder to stay informed.

VIRTUAL REALITY: How virtual reality could change the journalism industry.


Industry News

AWL: Facing Advertising Headwinds, The Awl and The Hairpin Are Closing Down.

AXIOS: One year in, is Axios “worthy?”

BROADBAND: Reaching rural America with broadband internet service.

CANADA: “We stepped in and started doing it”: How one woman built an award-winning news outlet from her dining room table.

CONSERVATIVES: Who Gets The Most Traffic Among Conservative Websites?

DC: Hard times at a community newspaper group in D.C.: Late paychecks, lapsed insurance, and unpaid bills: What is going on at the 50-year-old community paper?

DIGITAL FIRST: OC Register and other Digital First Media newspapers face 'significant' layoffs. Mac Tully to resign as publisher of The Denver Post on Jan. 31.

DIVERSITY: The real cost of "elite" journalism: Pay rates are ever-declining and newsrooms remain as white and male as ever. That's not only bad for readers — it's bad for business. The Marshall Project details diversity of staff.

FAKE NEWS: Maybe the science and psychology of “post-truth” can’t explain this moment at all. How a fake news site takes advantage of a breaking news story. How SPJ Florida used real fake news and bits of paper to teach people about journalism. Americans say greater access to news sources is actually making it harder to stay informed. When Journalists Unwittingly Help Spread Misinformation. Europe tries to fight hate, harassment, and fake news without killing free speech. As More and More Misinformation Spreads Online, Can Trust Ever Be Restored?

FINLAND: How News Now Finland is plugging the gap in English language news about the country.

GATEHOUSE: Saving the news, or suffocating it? Boston Herald bidder Gatehouse known for cost-cutting. Newsroom layoffs begin at The Florida Times-Union.

GAWKER: The man who sued Gawker into oblivion bids for ownership of its archives.

GOOGLE: Blame bugs, not partisanship, for Google wrongly appending a fact check to The Daily Caller.

INSTAGRAM: Instagram is testing a new text-only option in Stories.

KOCH: Koch Foundation grants to ASNE, Poynter ignite criticism.

LOS ANGELES: Inside L.A.’s journalistic collapse.

McCLATCHY: McClatchy adds regional editors to speed up innovation.

PITTSBURGH: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial on racism draws fire from foundations and dozens of former staffers.

PODCASTING: A history of audio storytelling: 10 seminal moments and timeless formats.

PRESS FREEDOM: Trump Again Blasts Libel Laws, Calling Them 'A Sham.' Can Trump change them? Common questions answered. It's the (Democracy-Poisoning) Golden Age of Free Speech.

SINCLAIR: How Sinclair's purchase of Tribune's TV stations could change a Philadelphia mainstay.

SMART SPEAKERS: 39 million Americans now own a smart speaker, report claims.

SNAPCHAT: Snapchat’s big redesign bashed in 83% of user reviews. As Facebook retreats from publishers, Snapchat is rolling out a publisher charm offensive.

TECH: The big con: How tech companies made a killing by fudging their numbers. http://mashable.com/2018/01/18/silicon-valley-companies-misleading-metrics/#Khd7K8.ZMsqg

TRONC: Can a new management team soothe the roiled Los Angeles Times newsroom? Los Angeles Times publisher under investigation by parent company over alleged misconduct. Coast to coast Mr. Fix-It: Jim Kirk to oversee New York Daily News newsroom.

TV: Here’s How We Can Reinvent Local TV News.

UK: A closed regional daily in the UK is set to return as a digital brand – but its new owner has declined to say whether the newspaper will be revived in print.

WEST VIRGINIA: West Virginia's largest newspaper may be put up for sale amid dispute with newspaper chain over 2015 merger of Gazette and Daily Mail.

YOUTUBE: Google Plans to Vet YouTube Premium Video Content and Smaller Publishers' Videos Will No Longer Be Monetized.
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