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News, information and much more for independent online news publishers. 
How Berkeleyside is converting readers to investors

Local independent online news site Berkeleyside is offering readers the opportunity to invest in the company, and it has raised $556,000 of an $800,000 goal.

The minimum investment is $1,000, but the site has received amounts of $10,000-plus out of the blue. In addition to using the "megaphone" of its own daily news platform, Berkeleyside is hosting house parties to talk up the role of the site in the community.

"Most journalists aren't used to asking people for money because in most journalism you shouldn't be asking people for money," said Berkeleyside Publisher and LION member Lance Knobel. But being dogged in pursuit of something? "That's a very journalistic task."


A look at Facebook's pilot with local independent news sites

Last month, Facebook launched a pilot program with six local newsrooms - three members of LION and three members of the Institute for Nonprofit News. Here’s how it’s going.

Related: Inside the Facebook team that’s charged with keeping publishers happy.


Learning to embrace the biz side of your local news startup

A Q&A on the LION website this week features member Matt Hennie, publisher of Project Q Atlanta.

"The journalism brings in the readers and reputation, which I knew when I started the site. The business side pays the bills and keeps the doors open. I also knew that. But I focused for far too long on just the journalism with the hope that somehow the revenue would show up with little to no nurturing and work," Hennie said. "I now understand how much more success I could be enjoying if I focused on the business side with the same energy and passion that I have for the journalism side. Fortunately, I survived my mistakes and am now making strides in growing revenue and bringing the business side up to the same level as the journalism side."


LION webinar: Making sense of metrics

Join LION for a webinar at 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, on how to approach metrics.

Jason Alcorn, editor of Metrics Shift and a local news consultant working with news organizations, nonprofits and foundations to help build a more informed citizenry, will talk about the metrics that should matter most to local independent online news sites, how to best use Google Analytics and whether indie publishers should consider other tools to measure traffic and engagement.

This webinar is free for LION members and only $15 for non-members.


News About Local Independent Online News Sites

CALIFORNIA: Two years in, state government site CALmatters is collaborating to make a name for itself.

INN: INN launches Amplify news-sharing pilot; Sherry Skalko to direct.

MEMBERSHIPS: "Newspapers are eating themselves to stay alive." Richland Source in Ohio explains why its town should care, and what it can do to support what's replacing newspapers.

UK: Local online news sites in the UK to partner with the BBC.


Tools and Tips: Advertising and Revenue

APPLE: Apple News May Let Publishers Sell Ads Their Own Way.

DATA: An Unsexy Truth: Emerging Tech Hinges on Local Data.

MARKETING: Country Mouse vs. City Mouse: One Size Does Not Fit All in the SMB Digital Market.

MEMBERSHIP: What can newsrooms learn from churches? More than a month in, the Membership Puzzle Project is asking big questions.

NATIVE ADVERTISING: In the digital age, The New York Times treads an increasingly slippery path between news and advertising. How Bloomberg is proving to advertisers its branded content works.

NEWSLETTERS: With new newsletter, The New York Times wants to help you live your best life (and plug some money-making links). Email Still The King Of ROI, Says Data and Marketing Association.

PODCASTING: Looking to launch a podcast? Advice from an audio producer. Podcast Ad Business Set to Boom in 2017 (According to Study Funded by Podcasting Companies). You can now use social audio app Anchor to publish podcasts. The Partially-Filled Glass of Apple’s New Podcast Statistics. How do you discover new podcasts if Apple (and everyone else) keep recommending the same ones? Here’s what happened the last time audio producers got better data.

PROGRAMMATIC: In programmatic, buyers sometimes don’t know what type of auction they’re bidding in. The Economist is helping advertisers find Economist readers off its properties.

REVENUE STREAMS: How newsrooms large and small are learning to grow new revenue streams.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Trump bump in subscriptions wanes for publishers. Two Newspapers Have Crushed All Others in Post-Election Growth. Talking Points Memo doubled its subscribers in a year — now it’s trying to find new extras for them. The Houston Chronicle has a BBQ podcast, a site for smarties and big plans for turning readers into subscribers.

Reuters Institute report prompts optimism about readers' appreciation of journalism.

VERTICALS: How New York Media drives direct traffic to its verticals.


Tools and Tips: Journalism and Technology

COLLABORATION: Reach, skills and 'feet on the ground': Benefits for local and national newsrooms to collaborate on stories. Local/national news partnerships project: Exploring how divergent news entities can work together. Is collaboration the new frontier of fact-checking? Three journalists share their experiences.

DATA: New version of data journalism handbook is launched. Many newsrooms have data teams but few reporters have formal data training, study finds.

DESIGN: The six truths about UX design.

DIVERSITY: Yes, journalism has a class problem.

ENGAGEMENT: Listening Post has expanded to seven cities. How to bring it to yours. Beyond the parachute: Newsrooms rethink centralized model. Postcards, game nights and other real ways journalists can connect with their communities. How can the press clear the way for journalists to connect with audiences?

FAIR USE: Zillow drops complaint against ‘McMansion Hell’ blog after backlash over copyright claim.

FOIA: FOIA User’s Guide: Six key sources. Maine’s governor accused the press of lying. Then, the press found the evidence.

HEALTH CARE: New Mexico health reporter: ‘I’ve yet to find a story that didn’t have its roots in poverty.’ Wisconsin is a case study for health reporters covering Medicaid.

INVESTIGATIVE: The State of Investigative Reporting: Highlights From lRE 2017.

MINDFULNESS: Bringing Buddha to the newsroom: media with mindfulness.

OBJECTIVITY: Why journalism is shifting away from 'objectivity.'

PLAGIARISM: Journalism Rip Off: Is it ‘Following Up,’ Lifting or Straight Up Plagiarism? Why Plagiarism Is Cancerous to the Free Press and How AI Can Help. An aggregator claims another aggregator violated copyright on its aggregation.

PRODUCTIVITY: How I Got My Productivity Groove Back With Internet Restriction Apps.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Clickbait is dead. How emotion-bait drives virality on social. ‘We need to be bolder’: How publishers control their brand identity on social platforms. Three things to keep in mind when writing great headlines for social media. Why It’s Important to Understand Social Media’s Dark History.

TRAUMA: New study investigates the emotional impact on journalists reporting the refugee crisis.

VIDEO: Instagram video is soaring for publishers. This Is How Top Instagram Publishers Use Video vs. Photos. How realistic are these pivots to video? What “Pivoting to Video” Really Means. When The Video Plays You: Stop calling glorified powerpoints and two-minute summaries “video.”

VIRTUAL REALITY: “VR journalism should focus on story living, not storytelling” and other insights from Google’s new VR study.


Industry News

APPALACHIA: Dissatisfied with the national media’s frame, Appalachia finds its own voice.

ARKANSAS: Arkansas newspaper shuts down after more than a century of local journalism.

AUTOMATION: “We reached the boundaries of automation faster than expected.”

CNN: How CNN Made Its Own Reporting Sound Like Blackmail.

DFM: DFM papers hit with more layoffs.

FACEBOOK: How Salon regrouped after Facebook decimated its traffic. Why Zuckerberg Needs Local News Providers to ‘Bring the World Closer Together.’ Facebook’s Secret Censorship Rules Protect White Men from Hate Speech But Not Black Children. For small publishers, Facebook is often a force for good — and frustration. ‘There’s nothing to be ashamed about’: How publishers approach buying traffic through Facebook. Inside the Facebook team that’s charged with keeping publishers happy. Facebook found a new way to identify spam and false news articles in your News Feed.

FAKE NEWS: If you think nobody’s shared any fake news with you recently, maybe you should think harder. Mistakes in the news are not fake news. Fake news bots are so economical, you can use them over and over.

GATEHOUSE: Sale to Gatehouse ends local newspaper ownership in Philadelphia suburbs.

GOOGLE: Google is putting another $24 million into 107 more European journalism projects, including WikiTribune.

HEARST: Hearst has grown profits for the past 5 years, and it’s looking to buy more papers.

LIBEL: ABC, meat producer settle in $1.9B ‘pink slime’ libel suit.

MEDIUM: With big plans to staff up, ThinkProgress is leaving Medium behind. http://www.poynter.org/2017/with-big-plans-to-staff-up-thinkprogress-is-leaving-medium-behind-update/465424/

NET NEUTRALITY: Kill the Open Internet, and Wave Goodbye to Consumer Choice.

NEW YORK TIMES: New York Times copy desk to top editors: ‘You have turned your backs on us.' This Timeline of Layoffs and Buyouts at the New York Times Shows Why the Staff Staged a Walkout. Reporters will leave The New York Times in this round of cuts, top editors say.

POLITICO: Politico is building a community of audience advisers that now numbers about 5,000.

PRESS FREEDOM: Think President Trump’s press-bashing doesn’t affect local journalists? Think again. CPJ to use $50,000 Gianforte donated as part of body slam settlement to track other assaults on press. Free-press groups warn of violence against media. Blogger facing potential jail time says he is ‘honor bound’ not to identify sources. Top Canadian court permits worldwide Internet censorship. Media opposes right-of-publicity bill: ‘an attack on the First Amendment.’ Other presidents boosted free press abroad; Trump bashes it.

REDDIT: How CNN found the Reddit user behind the Trump wrestling GIF.

STUDENT JOURNALISM: Stop censoring student journalists - we're trying to hold universities to account.

TENNESSEE: The Knoxville Mercury publishes its last issue.

TRUMP: What we miss when we obsess over Trump’s tweets.

TRUST: Fewer think news media is biased, survey finds. Putting a reporter’s mugshot next to a fact check won’t make readers more likely to believe it. Should journalists have the right to be wrong? CNN screwed up. So have we all. Reuters Institute report prompts optimism about readers' appreciation of journalism.

SINCLAIR: John Oliver on why some local TV news is getting more conservative. Sinclair VP donated to Gianforte after 'body-slam' incident. FCC approves Sinclair purchase of seven local TV stations. In Circa, Sinclair sees a way to attract “independent-minded” millennials (and Sean Hannity).

TWITTER: Twitter is looking for ways to let users flag fake news, offensive content.

VERIZON: Verizon's plan to create a data powerhouse to challenge Facebook and Google is fraught with challenges.

WALL STREET JOURNAL: The Wall Street Journal shutters eight blogs: “The tools for telling” stories have changed.

YELP: Yelp's six-year grudge against Google.

YOUTUBE: YouTube refunds advertisers after terror content scandal.


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:
* 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.
* 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.)
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