New network supports local online news sites in the UK
Fifty-five local independent online news publishers in the UK have signed up to join the Independent Community News Network since July, and the organization plans a formal launch in January. It's kind of like a LION organization for the UK.
According to its mission statement: "We exist to promote the interests of community and hyperlocal publishers and to champion new sustainable forms of local digital and print journalism. Our focus is at the local and hyperlocal level; the place where journalism is most valued, but also most at risk."
The effort started at the Centre for Community Journalism at Cardiff University.
Journalism.co.uk recently caught up with the center's community manager, Emma Meese, who explains the new network in this podcast.
Kickstarter unveils new tool to grow reader revenue
Kickstarter’s new product, Drip, lets people charge subscriptions for ongoing projects.
"Kickstarter campaigns are built around specific, isolated projects and aren’t meant to sustain creators on an ongoing basis — until now," Nieman Lab writes. "Drip is Kickstarter’s answer to Patreon, which launched in 2013 and focuses on ongoing support for people rather than projects, and now counts more than 50,000 active creators and 1 million active 'patrons.'”
New research looks at plight of small-market newspapers
New research by University of Virginia professor Christopher Ali and University of Oregon professor Damian Radcliffe, both past speakers at LION's annual conference, was unveiled this week on the status of small-market daily newspapers in the digital age.
One takeaway: "For local newspapers to survive, they need to stop telling everyone they're dying."
Another: There's “no cookie-cutter model” for success in local news.
Related: Harvard experiment finds large effects from small news outlets. FCC votes to roll back media ownership rules, allowing further consolidation of media properties. A call to arms (and wallets) in the new era of deregulation and bigger media.
Trust Project will label 'high-quality' news, increase transparency
The Trust Project, an effort in the works for several years, launched this week with an aim to increase the trust that readers have in news organizations by "provid(ing) clarity on the [news organizations’] ethics and other standards, the journalists’ backgrounds, and how they do their work.”
The Trust Project brings news orgs and tech giants together to tag and surface high-quality news.
Knight News Challenge celebrates 10 years of sparking innovation
Knight shares what it’s learned over 10 years of the Knight News Challenge (and announces eight new winners). The full report is here.
News About Local Independent Online News Sites
CANADA: The future of profitable public service journalism in Canada?
CHARLOTTESVILLE TOMORROW: Journalism’s New Patrons: Enterprise journalism emerges in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
SPIRITED: Why Spirited Media is taking an NPR-inspired approach to memberships.
Tools and Tips: Advertising and Revenue
AD TECH: Publishers’ Secret Weapon Against Facebook & Google: Brand Safety.
ANALYTICS: Use free Google Analytics (and imagination) to target loyal readers. Not all bounces are created equal: Replacing bounce rate with engagement rate. Media companies can connect customer dots, but should they? Reach vehicles vs. money machines: blunt talk about popular and quality news brands. It's Time To Put The Consumer Front And Center In Publisher, Advertiser World.
E-COMMERCE: BuzzFeed now has 19 people writing commerce content.
MEMBERSHIP: Three tips for news organizations looking to launch membership models.
NEWSMATCH: Academic research on how nonprofits can get the biggest bang out of matching funds. The News Match program, funded by the Knight Foundation and Democracy Fund, is matching donations to nonprofit news sites through the end of the year, including many run by LION members.
PODCASTING: How Much Do Analytics Matter in Podcasting?
SPONSORED CONTENT: Holiday cards and house ads: The role of publishers’ content studios is ever-expanding.
Tools and Tips: Journalism and Technology
DATA: That Frustrating Thing About Creating Data Vis in Newsrooms.
DIVERSITY: Seven rules to avoid gratuitous gender profiles of female scientists. Journalists of color facing racism head-on: ‘It kind of rips you apart.' How Students Use ‘Service Learning’ to Cover Diverse Communities. Low Pay In Local Journalism Jobs: A Serious Issue That Affects Diversity.
ENGAGEMENT: How the media lost the public’s trust — and how they’ll earn it back.
FOIA: Fed Up With Uncivil Discourse Online, Lawmakers Block Their Constituents.
GUN VIOLENCE: Five ideas for more respectful media coverage after mass shootings.
HARASSMENT: The news industry has a sexual harassment problem. Now what?
MOBILE: Why an Indian TV Station Went All-In on Smartphone Newsgathering.
OPIOIDS: Should journalists carry Narcan? For some in Philadelphia, the answer is yes.
PODCASTING: Understanding public media's most engaged podcast users. Who are podcast “super listeners,” what do they do, and how do we build podcasts for them?
SOCIAL MEDIA: Anatomy of a Killer Facebook Post. After a decade, it’s time to reinvent social media in newsrooms. How to Use Social Media in Your Career.
STORY COMMENTS: The Wall Street Journal is testing a new commenting experience using software developed in partnership with The Coral Project.
STORYTELLING: Classroom Card Game Teaches Digital Storytelling Skills.
VIDEO: This tool helps you sound smarter when recording videos.
Industry News
BUZZFEED: BuzzFeed Set to Miss Revenue Target, Signaling Turbulence in Media.
CHATBOTS: Moving Beyond the Gimmicks with Chatbots.
FACEBOOK: Facebook wants 'flexibility' in political advertising regs. Do Facebook and Google have control of their algorithms anymore? A sobering assessment and a warning. The Fakebook Inside Facebook. What to do about a global info-and-disinfo pipeline, and who can do it? Facebook Local: The Launch We’ve All Been Waiting For?
FAKE NEWS: The ‘fake news’ focus shifts to YouTube. Inside Google's Struggle to Filter Lies from Breaking News. This Company Made Up Fake News And Fake Celeb Quotes To Sell Supplements, FTC Says.
FOX: Comcast Has Approached 21st Century Fox About an Acquisition.
GOOGLE: Google Critic Thiel Gave Money to Official Probing Search Giant. How have local search ranking factors changed in 2017? Google announces AMP update that will discourage ‘teaser pages.’ Google Maps got a redesign. Google Has Picked an Answer for You — Too Bad It’s Often Wrong.
GUARDIAN: The Guardian's editor on a "mission for journalism in a time of crisis."
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Disney Ban Elevated Tension at Los Angeles Times Newsroom.
MASHABLE: Mashable Agrees to Sell to Ziff Davis for Around $50 Million.
NET NEUTRALITY: The FCC is planning to give the death blow to Obama's open internet rules in December.
NPR: Chairman Steps Down As NPR Grapples With Harassment Crisis.
PRESS FREEDOM: Governments in 30 countries manipulated media online to silence critics, sow unrest or influence elections. Roy Moore's wife uses Facebook to track reporter activity, but a lawyer has some advice about suing: Don't. Russian lawmakers approve "foreign agents" media law. Where doing journalism means ‘breaking the law.’
RADIO: Entercom takes over CBS Radio today.
SINCLAIR: FCC chair accused of helping pro-Trump media giant Sinclair expand.
TIME: Meredith Has Submitted a Bid for Time Inc. of $17 to $20 a Share.
TWITTER: Twitter says it will remove verification badges from accounts that violate its rules. Inside the reckoning of the alt-right on Twitter.
WEB BROWSERS: Firefox aims to win back Chrome users with its souped up Quantum browser.
UPCOMING EVENTS
LION WEBINARS: Upcoming LION webinars are free for members and just $15 for non-members.
* 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.
* COVERING YOUR LOCAL HOSPITAL: Rose Hoban of North Carolina Health News will talk about the many stories to be found in delving into the finances, policies, practices and performance of your local hospital at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22.
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.) |