| Saving local news: Private companies and public benefit
Writing for Columbia Journalism Review, Simon Galperin argues that "journalism is a public service" and public money should fund of local news. He suggests doing it under the parameters of 30,000 special service districts across the country that are already used to fund water infrastructure projects and local fire departments.
LION member Howard Owens, publisher of The Batavian in upstate New York, argues in Editor & Publisher that "only entrepreneurs will save journalism" and that there are limits to how far nonprofit journalism models can go to fixing the nationwide threat to local news coverage.
"Again, we don’t have a journalism problem. We don’t have an audience problem. We have a technology problem. We have a business model problem," he writes. "That’s where investment money needs to flow. The more ideas funded, the more ventures backed, the better chance one or two successful business models emerge."
LION member Tom Sofield, publisher of Levittown Now in Pennsylvania, writes in Muck Rack that local news is already making a "major comeback" - in the form of local independent online news sites.
Related: What happens to local news when there is no local media to cover it?
Newspapers' decline threatens local journalism in Canada
Why Canadians are closer to losing their news than they think. When rural newspapers fall prey to predatory ownership, local content goes fast.
LION podcast: Charlottesville Tomorrow's local news model
A new episode of the LION podcast is up, hosted by ARLNow.com and RestonNow.com Publisher Scott Brodbeck.
He's joined by Brian Wheeler, executive director of Charlottesville Tomorrow, based in Charlottesville, Virginia, and eyeing expansion. His site is one of the most well-known non-profit indie local news websites in the United States, oft-cited in the journalism trade press and elsewhere for its deep civic coverage, its unique partnership with the corporate-owned local print daily newspaper, and its fundraising successes.
Facebook's efforts to help journalism met with skepticism
Facebook says it's launching a news subscription product. Critics of the company's dominant role in what kind of news people see, and the local advertising dollars it has sucked up in competition with local journalism organizations, see another ploy for control.
Facebook’s had a busy week when it comes to journalism, discussing "link ownership," Instant Article subscriptions, and the first six months of its Journalism Project. It has also released an update on its project to combat fake news and support journalists.
Related: Behind the velvet ropes of Facebook’s private groups.
News About Local Independent Online News Sites
BUSINESS PLANS: "How I plan to support myself as an independent journalist." Putting as much energy into revenue as great investigative stories.
CONNECTICUT: Ex-Patch Editor Behind New Canaanite Uses ‘Local Language’ to Succeed in Crowded Suburban Market.
HUFFPOST: Local indie news sites The Lens, The Incline, Wisconsin Watch, Iowa Watch and the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting are partnering with Huff Post on a cross-country tour.
MOBILE: Christopher Guess expands work on mobile news app for smaller news orgs. Guess will be speaking at LION's annual conference in Chicago this fall.
Tools and Tips: Advertising and Revenue
AD BLOCKING: Accidental Ad-Blocking: The Brand-Safety Snag that Advertisers Can Fix. "Content-hungry consumers can tolerate a side dish of ads."
COMPETITION: Building your business? See how you stack up to the competition.
E-COMMERCE: How Hearst is experimenting in commerce and content.
FACEBOOK: Facebook always wins: Data shows publishers are buying far more Facebook traffic. "Tired of fake math" about the dominance of big tech platforms. Facebook’s Self-Serve Ad Creative Can’t Be Small Businesses' Only Choice. Facebook tries to prove Instant Articles beat mobile web.
FREQUENCY: Could Excessive Ad Frequency Be Good For Your Brand?
LEGAL ADS: North Carolina governor vetoes bill that would have moved legal ads from newspapers. (There is another way - open legal ads to online-only local news sites).
MOBILE: Ad spending on mobile video will reach $18 billion next year, surpassing desktop.
NATIVE ADVERTISING: A Journalist’s Love Affair: The Rise of Sponsored Content. How To Create Branded Content That Moves The Needle. Programmatic ad buying is declining as native advertising increases. What’s Next for Native Advertising in Mobile? Google's new Native Ads for AdSense "an extremely valuable growth opportunity for a stagnant revenue segment."
NEWSLETTERS: This Danish startup evolved into a “newsletter company” because that was what its readers wanted.
PODCASTING: Live touring is a real business for some podcasts (and you don’t need huge downloads for it to work). "Podcasting Won’t Replace Local Radio Soon."
REVENUE MIX: Looking Beyond ‘Sales Rep’ as the Revenue Mix For News Changes, by LION Executive Director Matt DeRienzo.
SEARCH: Paid Search Advertising Still Outranks Social In Performance.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Pricey publisher subscriptions require a special sales approach.
Politico now has 20,000 paid subscribers that account for half of its revenue.
USER EXPERIENCE: Five User Requirements for Online Ads.
Tools and Tips: Journalism and Technology
ALT WEEKLIES: Knoxville’s alt-weekly is closing after 2 years. ‘Maybe we can’t figure this out.’
ANONYMOUS SOURCES: When To Trust A Story That Uses Unnamed Sources.
DRONES: Drone journalists get very good news – instant waivers.
ENGAGEMENT: Elevate Engagement Manifesto from Joy Mayer -- Building connections to support engaged, community-driven journalism. How the Listening Post Collective is Helping Journalists Engage With Communities.
FACT CHECKING: How can fact-checkers earn readers’ trust — and keep it?
FOIA: Meet the ‘cranky country publisher’ who files lawsuits instead of tweets.
FREELANCE: Freelancing: How to thrive, not just survive.
INVESTIGATIVE: The new yardsticks of investigative journalism.
MESSAGING: Pushing messaging platforms beyond their boundaries.
METRICS: New Report Highlights Potential Financial Benefits of Attention Analytics.
MOBILE JOURNALISM: Report finds sources are more likely to talk to a journalist with mobile equipment than traditional-look TV crews.
PRODUCTIVITY: Tech Tools That Increase a Reporter’s Productivity.
SOCIAL MEDIA: People who get news from social or search usually don’t remember the news org that published it, survey finds. This new Facebook analytics tool lets publishers compare their mobile and Instant Articles traffic. Buzzfeed’s Craig Silverman Explains Why CrowdTangle Isn’t Just for Your Social Media Team.
VERIFICATION: Authenticating Email Using DKIM and ARC -- How Pro Publica Analyzed the Kasowitz Emails.
VIDEO: Why Publishers Shouldn’t Push into Video Without a Solid Strategy – and Metrics. Open the Room Project helps journalists, citizens and towns broadcast on Facebook Live. Look out, YouTube and Facebook: Amazon’s coming for video publishers. Four ways the Columbia Missourian is using Facebook Live to engage with community.
VIRTUAL REALITY: Publishers forge ahead with VR, even if users and advertisers lag behind.
Industry News
ARKANSAS: Arkansas reporters slam senators for ‘stonewalling’ local news on health care.
CALIFORNIA: Oakland and Alameda Magazines Acquire the East Bay Express.
CHICAGO: How Labor Unions and a Former Alderman Plan to Transform the Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times investors: No layoffs despite financial restructuring. New union owners pledge ‘firewall’ with Sun-Times newsroom.
FAKE NEWS: This scary video tool makes fake news look legit. People have trouble A) detecting faked images and B) identifying where they’ve been changed. Trump Jr.’s emails should have killed the president’s ‘fake news’ rants. Here’s why they won’t. The ‘huge issue’ with identifying original content from media outlets.
GOOGLE NEWS: Google introduces the feed, a personalized stream of news on iOS and Android.
LOS ANGELES: LA Times investigation highlights local news that gets results.
MAINE: Owner of Portland Press Herald and other dailies in Maine buys the Lewiston Sun-Journal and weekly group.
NET NEUTRALITY: Digital media companies: net neutrality rules help us compete.
PRESS FREEDOM: Ten overlooked press freedom groups that deserve support.
PRINT: Most Britons say broadsheets are most trustworthy news source, but print is least read news medium.
For the newspaper industry’s next feat, can it get Donald Trump to give it antitrust protection?
Survive and Thrive in a Shrinking Newsroom, Part 1. (Or ... just launch your own.)
PUBLIC BROADCASTING: Ten lessons from West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s near-death experience.
SEATTLE: An Expanded, Redesigned, Biweekly Stranger Debuts This Fall in Seattle. http://www.thestranger.com/news/2017/07/12/25287604/an-expanded-redesigned-biweekly-stranger-debuts-this-fall
STUDENT JOURNALISM: Student Journalists Are Our Future—We Should Start Treating Them Like It.
TIME: What Does Time Inc. Think It Would Solve With a Name Change?
TRUMP: His campaign to discredit the press is a permanent feature of Trump’s political style.
Journalists fight the wrong battle on White House access.
TV: On Facebook, Local TV News Isn’t So Local. Sinclair exemplifies consolidation concerns in local TV news. Sinclair executive defends company from 'biased' media in internal memo.
UPCOMING EVENTS
LION SUMMIT - CHICAGO: Save the dates! LION Publishers' annual conference will be held Oct. 26-28 in Chicago.
LION WEBINARS: LION Publishers hosts a monthly webinar series. Upcoming webinars:
* Aug. 17: Free content for local publishers from national partners, with Tucson Sentinel Publisher Dylan Smith.
* Sept. 14: Hiring, paying and managing sales reps at local independent online news sites, with ARLNow.com Publisher Scott Brodbeck, Home Page Media Publisher Kelly Gilfillan and Richland Source Publisher Jay Allred.
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.) |