Local investigative reporting's future won't look like the past
"As journalists collaborate, not only with other newsrooms, but also with their community, we are beginning to see the outlines of new models for investigative reporting that don’t replace the old models, but complement them."
Molly de Aguiar and Josh Stearns of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation have more at Columbia Journalism Review.
One of Chicago's original indie journalists on why he's quitting
"Gapers Block was an original in Chicago, a space for bloggers and independent writers to congregate and muse on the city, writing about culture and the arts, politics and the Cubs. It was alone when it launched in 2003."
Founder Andrew Huff talked to Columbia Journalism Review about why the site is shutting down this week.
And a LION co-founder, former local independent Chicago journalism entrepreneur Mike Fourcher, weighs in on what Gapers Block meant for the city and the sometimes lonely and difficult task of indie journalism.
FTC sets new rules for native advertising
The Federal Trade Commission has set new rules for native advertising, aimed at preventing deceptive practices.
Some national publishers will likely have to change what they're doing.
The IAB is "concerned," but publishers are playing it cool.
Free webinar for LION members: Local business directories
Many local publishers have tried or want to add a business directory to their site. In truth, a business directory, by itself, does not dramatically increase revenue or provide more local authority. This webinar will describe how to easily add a business directory to your local site, as well as the additional tactical and strategic things that you must do in order to create a more authoritative local site and create new revenue opportunities.
Scott Barnett of Bizyhood will talk about his company's platform and the broader issues relating to business directory revenue and readership. Joining him will be two local independent online publishers - Denise Lockwood from Racine County Eye and Lisa LaGrou from Oakland County Moms.
CLICK HERE for more information.
The Connecticut connection to Sheldon Adelson-Vegas mess
Numerous stories (including this roundup from the New York Times and this one from the Los Angeles Times) were written over the holiday week about casino mogul Sheldon Adelson's secretive purchase of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and apparent attempts to have reporters investigate a judge he had clashed with.
Michael Schroeder, the man fronting the company that Adelson used to buy the paper is the owner/publisher/editor of the New Britain Herald and Bristol Press, where a bizarre story about that judge appeared with a fake byline, quotes from sources who were never spoken to, and plagiarized passages.
Dan Kennedy writes about how a LION member, Christine Stuart of CTNewsJunkie.Com, broke a key piece of news about the whole situation.
It all led longtime reporter Steve Majerus-Collins to resign with a protest letter that rocketed around the world of journalism. He was quickly presented with the first I.F. Stone Award for courage in journalism, which comes with a $5,000 cash prize.
And Schroeder was just announced as the buyer of the weekly paper on Block Island in Rhode Island, a community that, coincidentally, perhaps, has feared a casino development for some time.
Related: Will Sheldon Adelson pursue a personal agenda at his Las Vegas paper? He may already have. Nevada gaming regulators monitoring Adelson Review-Journal buy. Sheldon Adelson’s ability to steer election coverage just got even greater.
News About Local Independent News Sites
BOSTON: A near-exhaustive look at the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism thus far.
CHICAGO: How will city bureau regenerate civic media in Chicago?
ENGAGEMENT: A 2016 prediction from Jan Schaffer: Journalism as relationship building.
NEW JERSEY: Six lessons learned in six months of News Voices: New Jersey.
PODCASTING: LION member Gary Kopycinski has launched the first major podcast of his Illinois site, eNews Park Forest. "Around Park Forest" is the start of an effort he hopes to expand to police news, high school sports and more.
Tools and Tips: Advertising and Revenue
AD BLOCKING: Five things we learned about ad blocking in 2015. GQ is now blocking its readers running ad blockers. Browsers are starting to block ads by default. Ad blockers: One big distraction from the real issue.
EMAIL: How email and audio came back in a major way in 2015.
FACEBOOK: Facebook tests interest-specific news feeds on mobile. Why is the media so afraid of Facebook?
INNOVATION: The great journalism innovation problem: What can media outlets learn from Google, Apple or Tesla?
MOBILE: Smartphones are the hardest screen to monetize.
NATIVE ADVERTISING: Five content marketing don’ts for 2016. The best of the best native ads of 2015. Ten content marketing game changers to look for in 2016.
PROGRAMMATIC: Why the existential crisis of ad tech is overblown.
REACH LOCAL: ReachLocal retrenches to focus on markets with ‘potential for positive, sustainable economics.’
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Selling ads is a short-term strategy. Here’s why subscriptions are the future of journalism.
Tools and Tips: Journalism and Technology
ACTIVISM: A 2016 Dan Gillmor prediction: Journalists turn activist.
CHARTS: The most misleading charts of 2015, fixed.
DIVERSITY: The absence of women’s voices is a problem for democracy, and for news organizations’ bottom lines. A 2016 prediction: The best journalism will be from newsrooms that have diverse staff — and top leadership that reflects that diversity. The man who transformed how The New York Times covers the gay community.
CITIES: Hopes&Fears wants to shine a light on the lesser-known corners of the modern urban experience.
FACT CHECKING: Seven things we learned about fact-checking this year. Eleven tools for verification and fact-checking in 2016.
FOIA: A look at 50 states and 50 public records stories. Northeastern journalism students expose flaws in Massachusetts public records law.
SOCIAL MEDIA: The dos and don’ts of ethical social newsgathering. This was the year social networks turned into news organizations.
TRAUMA: On the ‘digital frontline,’ social media reporters and editors exposed to vicarious trauma.
WEB PRODUCTION: 'You can’t think about words in isolation when producing for the web.' News bingo could lead readers to unexpected places.
Industry News
APPLE: Apple News is nudging people to use the app with notifications. A former Topsy employee has an interesting theory on why Apple shut down this $200 million acquisition.
ALASKA: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner sold to Snedden Foundation.
GATEHOUSE: GateHouse could make more business journal purchases after Mass. Lawyers Weekly deal.
GOOGLE: Google plans new, smarter messaging app. Google has lost its mind, says Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman.
GROUPON: Why Groupon needs to go private to rebuild its vision.
INSTAGRAM: Why Instagram thinks its users love their ads.
JOURNALISM SAFETY: Sixty-seven journalists were killed while reporting or because of their work in 2015.
SEARCH: Microsoft and Yahoo search share grows but still trails Google by miles.
SNAPCHAT: Why Snapchat is 'the one to watch in 2016' — at the expense of Twitter.
TWITTER: Twitter’s new rules finally explicitly ban hateful speech and keep users from self-harm.
YELP: Yelp’s struggles and the evolution of online user reviews.
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 www.lionpublishers.com/members/dues 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.) |