Yes, local online news is replacing print journalism in many places
“Today, arguably, there is significantly more accountability journalism being done online than by the ever-more cookie-cutter newspapers churned out by national chain owners,” said Tucson Sentinel Publisher Dylan Smith, who chairs the LION Publishers board of directors.
In communities ranging from Derby, Connecticut, to Mansfield, Ohio, to Charlottesville, Virginia, to Santa Barbara, California, more local accountability journalism is coming from local independent online news sites than what is left of print newspapers.
More in LION Executive Director Matt DeRienzo's response to a Washington Post column about the decline of print newspapers' local journalism.
LION welcomes new members from 18 different states
LION Publishers is pleased to have welcomed more than two dozen new members running local independent online news sites from 18 different states over the past year, plus other new members who are preparing to launch sites.
The growth has pushed LION’s membership to more than 150 publishers in 37 states.
Prospective members can learn more about LION Publishers at http://www.lionpublishers.com/members/benefits
LION's member list is available at http://www.lionpublishers.com/members/list
Content-suppressing algorithms frustrate publishers
From the Chicago Tribune: "Facebook’s algorithm isn’t surfacing one-third of our posts. And it’s getting worse."
How YouTube's shifting algorithms are hurting independent media.
Related: What stories gets shares vs. likes on Facebook?
The steady disappearance of independent newspapers
The Pulitzer Prize won by the tiny Storm Lake Times puts a spotlight on the decline of family-owned newspapers. Industry consolidation has accelerated in the past few years, with Gannett, Gatehouse and a handful of hedge fund-backed corporate chains dominating U.S. newspaper ownership.
Related: What would Lee Enterprises, a big corporate newspaper chain based in the Midwest, want with an alternative Missoula, Montana, weekly? Well ...
Early bird registration: LION Summit returns to Chicago Sept. 21-23
LION Publishers is pleased to invite all who care about the future of local journalism to a conference devoted to the journalistic excellence and economic well-being of local independent online news sites.
The annual LION Summit will return to Chicago on Sept. 21-23, 2017, at the downtown campus of Columbia College Chicago. It will feature two full days packed with an array of speakers, panel discussions and networking opportunities devoted to revenue ideas and best practices, community engagement and sustainability. Plus, we'll open with an afternoon networking and informational session, and hold nightly receptions where we can all share what we've learned. Last year, more than 125 publishers and editors, academics, foundation representatives, industry experts and vendors attended our Chicago conference.
Save money today with early bird registration.
News About Local Independent Online News Sites
BILLY PENN: What do journalists need to stop doing to survive? A Poynter Q&A with Billy Penn's Anna Orso.
LGBTQ: ‘No one else is going to speak for us’: LGBTQ media rise in age of Trump.
VIRGINIA SITE SOLD: Local independent online news site Fredericksburg Today is sold.
OVER 50: Why over 50 is the new age for launching a startup.
Tools and Tips: Advertising and Revenue
AD BLOCKING: Google plans ad-blocking feature in popular Chrome browser. People who use ad blockers read a lot more articles. Princeton’s ad-blocking super-weapon may put an end to the ad-blocking arms race.
APPLE: In the duopoly’s shadow, Apple News is finding favor with some publishers.
CROWDFUNDING: Forum.tm turns to crowdfunding to fight journalism constraints.
DIGITAL MARKETING: A small business's frustration with digital marketing vendors. What students learn from Google’s online marketing challenge.
FOUNDATIONS: A new wave of journalism funding is on its way. Are we ready? https://medium.com/@datatheism/a-new-wave-of-journalism-funding-is-on-its-way-are-we-ready-483e1acd9d1f
INSTANT ARTICLES: Facebook's Instant Articles promised to transform journalism — but now big publishers are fleeing. How Instant Articles turned into another Facebook bait-and-switch.
MOBILE: Could custom ad formats be the future of mobile ad tech?
NATIVE ADVERTISING: How to sell native in a new and better way. Striking the right balance: Five tips for success with native advertising. Can paid media ever earn your customer's trust? If social media flunks your brand, try native advertising. Opinion: Sponsored content is compromising media integrity.
NEWSLETTERS: Relaunching a newsletter: Failures, successes and what we learned. So, you want to start an email newsletter? Five reasons you should.
Tools and Tips: Journalism and Technology
ACTIVISM: Should journalists be allowed to participate in political events if they aren’t covering them?
CHAT BOTS: What the Coloradoan staff is learning while experimenting with bots.
DATA: Steve Ballmer thinks you don’t have enough data about your government. Tool draws from Bloomberg data to add financial context on top of any news article.
DESIGN: Designing for the appearance of speed. How Vice Media cut page-load time by 50 percent in six months. http://digiday.com/media/vice-media-latency/
DIVERSITY: Building diverse and equitable organizations, teams and newsrooms.
ENGAGEMENT: Learning ‘engagement’ can be a lonely quest. It doesn’t have to be. Slow news: How taking the time to listen and focus can help journalism’s future. Truth, trust, transparency: the FT’s approach to a sustainable future.
EVENTS: How live journalism brings people together to build trust and excitement around stories.
FOIA: Journalists cry foul at White House plan to keep visitor logs secret.
HEALTH CARE: Town hall crowds want clarity on GOP health plans. Can reporters provide it?
INNOVATION: Why do media companies fail at innovating on new digital platforms?
PODCASTING: From field recording to interviewing, everything you need to know about podcasting. Crimetown shows the podcast potential for local media partnership.
VIDEO: You can now live stream to YouTube from your phone if you have at least 1,000 subscribers. What a mountain resort newspaper team is learning while experimenting with 360 video.
Industry News
AI: A day in the life of a journalist in 2027: Reporting meets artificial intelligence.
BOSTON GLOBE: The Boston Globe's editor seeks to create a digital-first paper without neglecting print. It echoes an emerging consensus on how to transform metro papers.
BREITBART: More than 550 Amazon employees are pressuring leadership to cut advertising ties with Breitbart.
CANADA: Transcontinental sells 27 newspapers in Atlantic Canada to Halifax Herald.
FACEBOOK: Facebook and the cost of monopoly. Ten years of hope and hard lessons on the Facebook platform. Zuckerberg’s likability blitz is a focus group for his 1.8 billion constituents. Facebook ramps up efforts to quash fake accounts. Facebook’s news literacy advice is harmful to news literacy. Facebook livestreams a murder, and must now face itself. Is Facebook a publisher? Murder in Cleveland raises the question again. Facebook on murder video: 'We know we need to do better.' Messenger chief: 'We have a shot at becoming the Yellow Pages of messaging.' Facebook analytics gets smarter with Automated Insights and Custom Dashboards. Facebook
FAKE NEWS: University of Michigan to help citizens spot fake news.
FILTER BUBBLES: This news app starts with the premise that news discovery has become too personalized.
FCC AUCTION: The FCC spectrum auction is sending $10 billion to broadcasters. Where will that money go?
GOOGLE: How Google ate CelebrityNetWorth.com.
MAGAZINES: City magazines, dependent on print, face uncertain future amid wave of deals.
NET NEUTRALITY: Surprise, small publishers screwed the most by net-neutrality rules.
PARENTAL LEAVE: Comparing parental leave policies in American newsrooms.
PLATFORMS: Dealing with digital intermediaries: A case study of the relations between publishers and platforms. Google, Facebook sidestep credibility duties.
POLITICS: Study shows how left/right sites politicize the news.
PRINT: Lancaster, Pa., newspaper launches print weekly covering state government.
PULITZERS: The journalist who won the Charleston Gazette-Mail’s first Pulitzer still does a monthly night cops shift.
SAFETY: U.S. Press Freedom Tracker will keep tabs on the safety of journalists in America.
SNAPCHAT: Lots of people are saying that Instagram just officially ‘killed Snapchat’ Here’s why they’re wrong.
TRIBUNE: Tribune abruptly pulls plug on planned new national news site.
UPCOMING EVENTS
COLLABORATIVE JOURNALISM SUMMIT: The Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University in New Jersey will bring together journalism organizations from around the world May 4 and 5 to discuss the role of collaboration in today's media environment, look at case studies, learn best practices, discuss lessons-learned, and to network with each other. The keynote address will be delivered by Martha Hamilton, an editor with the Panama Papers project at The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Other speakers include Scott Klein of ProPublica discussing Electionland, WNYC, New America Media, the Center for Investigative Reporting, the Detroit Journalism Cooperative, the NC Newsroom Cooperative, Heather Bryant, a Knight fellow at Stanford studying collaboration, and many more.
IRE: Investigative Reporters & Editors conference in Phoenix, June 22-25.
JAWS: Journalism and Women's Symposium annual camp, Oct. 27-29, in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
LION SUMMIT: Save the dates! LION Publishers' annual conference will be held Sept. 21-23 in Chicago.
LION WEBINARS: LION Publishers hosts a monthly webinar series. Upcoming webinars:
* May 16: Programmatic advertising for local independent online news publishers, with San Angelo Live! Publisher Joe Hyde.
* June 22: Copyright and fair use for journalists, with American University Professor Patricia Aufderheide.
* July 18: Making sense of metrics for local independent online news publishers, with Metrics Shift Editor Jason Alcorn.
* Aug. 17: Free content for local publishers from national partners, with Tucson Sentinel Publisher Dylan Smith.
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.) |