Locally owned sites persist as billionaire abandons DNAInfo
The billionaire owner of DNAInfo in New York and Chicago and the Gothamist network of local news sites in major cities across the U.S. abruptly shut them down (and took down all archives) on Thursday, a week after newsroom staff voted to unionize.
LION posted an open message to the journalists affected:
The DNAinfo journalists who suddenly found themselves without jobs should take a few days to enjoy some much-deserved time with their families, and then get in touch with one of the 180-plus members of Local Independent Online News Publishers. If you've got the drive to be an entrepreneur, we've got a network of independent publishers who are ready and willing to help you establish a news outlet that is focused on your community.
Start your own indie news site, and join us!
Like the withering of AOL's Patch before it, Ricketts' various sites ran out of gas not because local news isn't a solid business, but because they're not truly local.
There were great journalists working for those sites, doing fine reporting (including some excellent accountability journalism). But there's a vast difference between a billionaire owner who eventually gets bored and an authentically local publisher who's invested in his or her business in a fundamental way.
Ricketts said that his sites weren't making enough money: "...while we made important progress toward building DNAinfo into a successful business, in the end, that progress hasn't been sufficient to support the tremendous effort and expense needed...."
The local news industry is strong, healthy and growing — the real local segment of the industry. LION members and our many colleagues running local news websites are demonstrating that every day. In fact, more than 200 indie publishers and experts were just at our annual conference in Chicago over the weekend — the largest ever local indie news gathering.
RELATED: Gothamist and DNAinfo are dead, but local media can survive: What it'll take in an increasingly hostile economic climate, by LION member Liena Zagare of Bklyner.com.
Lots of lessons from biggest gathering of local online news sites
The largest-ever gathering of local independent online news organizations took place last weekend in Chicago. For those who missed the 2017 LION Summit, and attendees who had to choose between multiple valuable sessions they wanted to attend, there are a number of ways you can catch up to the information, advice and ideas that were presented.
More than nine hours of video of the conference's livestreamed sessions is up on LION's YouTube channel (taped breakout sessions will be posted in the near future).
Some great notes, and discussion, can be found by tracking the #LION17 hashtag on Twitter.
Nieman Lab had a roundup of conference highlights.
Poynter's Kristen Hare wrote about the $250,000 Democracy Fund grant that LION announced last Friday, about the conference's "great ideas" session and
Attendees had some very thoughtful reflections about the conference, including Peter Blanchard of Cortland Voice in New York, Wendy Parker of East Cobb News in Georgia and Mike McNeill of Magnolia Reporter in Arkansas.
And a number of LION members volunteered to write accounts of sessions, workshops and panel discussions. Here's a bunch, and check lionpublishers.com in the coming days for more.
Foundation reps outline vision for supporting local news publishers.
Membership programs seen as key new source of revenue for local online news sites.
Ample opportunity to monetize local sports coverage.
A 'small-batch' digital local news magazine rises in East Texas.
'Always be requesting' and other advice about obtaining and using data.
Overcoming sales objections means research, listening.
The why and how of collaborating with other newsrooms.
Covering the opioid crisis and moving away from 'disaster porn.'
The Push mobile app developed for small local news organizations.
RELATED: Here's the full text of Heather Bryant's #LION17 talk on "Journalism's Class Problem."
LION plans webinars on small news org paywalls, Facebook Live
Upcoming LION webinars are free for members and just $15 for non-members.
* A PAYWALL MODEL FOR LOCAL ONLINE NEWS: Jay Senter, publisher of the Shawnee Mission Post in Kansas, and Mark Henderson, publisher of the Worcester Sun in Massachusetts, will discuss their experiences with and best practices for paid subscription/paywall business models from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14.
* FACEBOOK LIVE IN LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE: Charlotte-Anne Lucas of NOWCastSA will offer advice and discuss best practices on the technical requirements of livestreaming video on Facebook, building an audience for livestreams, and choosing the right topics and events to cover with live video from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12.
News About Local Independent Online News Sites
CAL MATTERS: Journalism’s New Patrons: California nonprofit Cal Matters targets individual donors.
CUTS: With less local news coverage, who'll keep an eye on government officials? (Written by a government official.)
DENVERITE: Three newsroom employees were laid off this week at Denverite, the local independent online news site that merged earlier this year with Spirited Media, parent company of Billy Penn in Philadelphia and The Incline in Pittsburgh.
MOBILE: Hyperlocal Pioneer Howard Owens Sees New Mobile App as Key to Scaling Beyond The Batavian.
NEW JERSEY: Block by block, New Jersey news organizations are hosting potlucks and telling voters' stories.
NEW YORK: Meet the blogger who helped indict Paul Manafort.
Tools and Tips: Advertising and Revenue
AD TECH: The Great Ad Tech Cleanup. Know your cookies: A guide to internet ad trackers.
E-COMMERCE: BuzzFeed wants to sell your gadget, and keep a cut of the sales.
FUNDRAISING: Six Things to Do to Tap the Growing #GivingTuesday Donor Base.
MEMBERSHIP: Want to launch membership? First, ask these four questions. Stung by Medium’s pivot, The Establishment powers up for a membership-driven future. Dutch start-up The Playwall is giving readers the option to pay for online content by answering questions.
MICROPAYMENTS: In the hunt for reader revenue, publishers give micropayments another look.
SEARCH: Google To Use Location Data To Serve Local Search Results.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Publications with readership too small for significant ad revenue get new tools to manage subscriptions.
VIDEO: Video publishers on what happens after Facebook stops subsidizing video content. This tool puts professional video editing in your pocket. Facebook is testing features that turn its livestreaming tool into a powerhouse.
Tools and Tips: Journalism and Technology
ANALYTICS: Global Newsrooms Are Falling Behind in Analytics. Turns out the flyby reader is more valuable than often thought.
COLLABORATION: What types of projects suit collaboration? Here are 9 examples to get you started.
DATA: DocumentCloud goes from start-up to newsroom standard. “Instagram for data”: Grafiti wants to make it easier to create and share data visualizations on smartphones.
ENGAGEMENT: We need journalistic sherpas helping citizens navigate through a miasma of shock talk, trolls and partisan diatribe. Rebuilding trust by trusting the audience.
FREELANCE: The most annoying thing an editor can do while working with a freelancer.
GOOGLE DOCS: Glitch caused some Google Docs to be flagged as abusive.
LONG-FORM: Longer content isn’t wearing audiences out — and they may even be hungry for more, two studies find.
WORK-LIFE BALANCE: 'More like never stop' and other ways digital has changed how we work.
Industry News
ALT WEEKLIES: Baltimore City Paper is closing after 40 years. Baltimore’s New Alt-Weekly Aims to Disrupt “Overwhelming White-Guy-Ness” of the Genre.
AMAZON: Amazon now has a $1 billion ad business.
FACEBOOK: What Facebook taught us when it destroyed our organic reach. Facebook admits to nearly as many fake or clone accounts as the U.S. population. Facebook, Under Fire in Russia Inquiry, Posts 79% Rise in Profit. Why Facebook and Twitter Can’t Be Trusted to Police Themselves.
FAKE NEWS: Facebook, Twitter and Google testify on Russian influence over election. Russian content on Facebook, Google and Twitter reached far more users than companies first disclosed. Facebook says 126 million people in the U.S. may have seen posts produced by Russian-government-backed agents. Readers blame spread of misinformation on tech platforms. Twitter Offered Russian TV Network 15% Of Its Total Share Of US Elections Advertising. The social media ads Russia wanted Americans to see. Silicon Valley helped Russia sway the US election. So now what? One year on, we’re still not recognizing the complexity of information disorder online. The Credibility Coalition is working to establish the common elements of trustworthy articles. The Fact-Checking Army Waging War on Fake News.
GANNETT: Gannett redesigns local newspaper logos across the country to reflect connection with USA Today.
GOOGLE: Mobile, YouTube And Programmatic Become Alphabet's Workhorses. The Russia ad story isn’t just about Facebook. It’s about Google, too. Tech platforms would like to have their cake and eat it too.
MEDIUM: How Medium is attracting premium publishers to its partner program (hint: money up front).
NEW YORK TIMES: New York Times' Good Quarter Shows Its Separation From Newspaper Pack.
PRESS FREEDOM: The corrosion of support for First Amendment principles started before Trump. He’s supercharged it. Video shows officers taking reporter to ground at parade that included GOP candidate Ed Gillespie in Virginia.
PRINT: Daily Herald outside Chicago offers employee buyouts. Cox selling Palm Beach, Austin newspapers.
RADIO: FCC Regulation Change Strikes Another Blow Against Local Radio.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT: NPR Editor-in-Chief Michael Oreskes resigns following sexual harassment allegations. Global media confronts its own Weinsteins. 'Weinstein effect' ripples around the world one month after initial sexual misconduct story.
SNAPCHAT: Snap Maps offered real-time coverage of Tuesday’s terror attacks in Manhattan.
TRONC: At Tronc, revenue fell 6.6%, but lower costs meant $2.1 million net income vs. a $10 million loss same quarter 2016.
UPCOMING EVENTS
LION WEBINARS: Upcoming LION webinars are free for members and just $15 for non-members.
* A PAYWALL MODEL FOR LOCAL ONLINE NEWS: Jay Senter, publisher of the Shawnee Mission Post in Kansas, and Mark Henderson, publisher of the Worcester Sun in Massachusetts, will discuss their experiences with and best practices for paid subscription/paywall business models from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14.
* FACEBOOK LIVE IN LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE: Charlotte-Anne Lucas of NOWCastSA will offer advice and discuss best practices on the technical requirements of livestreaming video on Facebook, building an audience for livestreams, and choosing the right topics and events to cover with live video from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12.
Is Your LION Publishers Membership Up for Renewal?
For many of our LION Publishers members, it's time to renew! Your membership includes participation in the LION Publishers Den on Facebook, networking and support from fellow LION publishers, our new newsletter, discounted rates on media liability and directors and officers insurance and more.
Plus, being a member gives you access to a members-only rate to the LION Summit – a savings of up to $175 compared to the non-member rate. If your membership is due for renewal, please go to http://www.lionpublishers.com/members/dues/renew to submit your payment. Those who opt for multi-year membership save, and easy, secure payment options are available via credit card or through Paypal. (Not sure when your membership expires? You can look it up easily on LIONPublishers.com.)
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