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6 reasons you should be at LION's Chicago Summit
Yes, there's still time to register for the LION Summit in Chicago Sept. 29-Oct. 1, the only major, nationwide annual gathering of local independent online news publishers. And if it's not obvious why you should be there, here's just a few of the reasons.
1.You care about local news. As legacy media newsrooms face layoffs and buyouts and continue to cut back on local news coverage, a grassroots movement of local online news startups is cropping up across the country. You'll be immersed in their successes, challenges and opportunities.
2.You care about your community. If you believe the strength of local journalism correlates to the strength of democracy, you've got a vested interest in the business of independent online local news business.
3.You are thinking about launching your own local media organization. If this is the case, you really can't miss the LION Summit. It's like a local news startup boot camp. And the people you will meet - local news entrepreneurs who have been through all of the decisions and challenges you are about to experience, will end up being a resource long after the conference is over.
4.Your local news site needs more revenue. Well, if it doesn't, we'd like to know your secrets, so come to the LION Summit anyway, and share them with us. One of the most valuable parts of our Chicago conference for local online news publishers are the training, advice, tips and ideas on advertising and reader revenue that you can take home and implement immediately.
5.You need help navigating publishing tools and technology. This year's LION Summit will feature a ton of information about options for web CMS platforms, and presentations on whether and how small sites should participate in Facebook Instant Articles and Google AMP. Also, Mike Reilley of Google News Lab will be conducting training on Google Trends, MyMaps and Fusion Tables, Google Earth, Street View and more
6.Chicago! The LION Summit will be held on the campus of Columbia College, near some amazing restaurants, historic architecture, and just a few blocks from the Art Institute of Chicago. And the Lions are playing the Bears that Sunday at Soldier Field.
What are you waiting for? Register here.
Journalism's 'lost generation'
When Scott Reinardy began studying the state of morale in newspaper newsrooms more than 10 years ago, he says, he was trying to “take the temperature” on job satisfaction and burnout in the profession. He didn’t know the industry was about to enter a traumatic period of upheaval that would deplete the ranks of journalists around the country and force newspapers to reassess their mission.
More at Columbia Journalism Review.
Pilot project aims to form local-national news partnerships
Tim Griggs, formerly of the Texas Tribune and the New York Times, will lead a local/national news partnership project for Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University in New Jersey.
"The one-year pilot program, funded by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the Democracy Fund, will seek to find ways to build lasting and meaningful partnerships between national news organizations and local news publishers, using New Jersey as a primary testing ground."
Griggs has experience in this kind of endeavor. He led the New York Times' efforts to partner with nonprofit local news startups including The Bay Citizen in San Francisco, the Texas Tribune, and the Chicago News Cooperative.
Newspaper organization drops 'newspaper'
The Newspaper Association of America has dropped "newspaper" and changed its name, to the News Media Alliance. And it's opened membership to online-only news organizations.
The parent company of local indie online news site, Billy Penn, is among the first digital news outlets to join.
Rick Edmonds at Poynter: At the News Media Alliance, more than the name is changing.
Jim Rutenberg in the New York Times: Yes, the news can survive the newspaper.
News About Local Independent Online News Sites
CANADA: In wake of newsroom cuts, Canada should embrace non-profit journalism.
CHICAGO: Can you improve community news by opening up your newsroom? City Bureau is trying to find out.
DISTRACTIONS: Don’t let false urgency throw you off your priorities.
INTERNS: Unpaid internships influenced by recent court decision.
STARTING UP: Five lessons on building a newsroom from scratch.
Tools and Tips: Advertising and Revenue
AD BLOCKING: ‘Brave’ is a new browser that offers both ad-blocking and publisher payments.
COUPONS: Mobile coupon users on the rise. Facebook has created the digital equivalent of a coupon drawer for users.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: What entrepreneurial journalism can do for legacy newsrooms.
FUNDRAISING: WNYC boosts podcast income with text-to-donate efforts. Five ways to achieve above-average online giving from your website visitors.
MOBILE: Facebook pushes advertisers to speed up their mobile sites.
NATIVE ADVERTISING: The stumbling blocks to marrying programmatic buying and native ads. Study: 86% of readers are OK with native advertising. Majority of publishers use their own editorial staffs to produce native ads.
PLATFORMS: What ad buyers really think about Google, Facebook, Twitter and everything in between.
PODCASTING: Welcome to the new golden age of audio: Inside today's obsession with podcasting, streaming and the power of sound. Why recent grads are breaking up with blogs in favor of podcasts.
PROGRAMMATIC: Facebook, header bidding and the fight for control of the publisher ecosystem.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: How to get people to pay for the news. Media “audience” becomes “community,” changing value proposition. Innovation in Denmark: building a community willing to pay for quality journalism.
VIDEO: Twitter will now share video revenue with individual content creators. Why Facebook Live doesn't make sense for advertisers. YouTube has changed its standards for user content, and people aren't happy.
Tools and Tips: Journalism and Technology
APPLE: Apple is eliminating the headphone jack on the new iPhone. What does that mean for reporters?
ARCHIVES: New initiative reminds journalism students to archive their digital work. A deep dive into the deep archive: Pulling old stories into the light of social media.
CRIME: 26 ways to find information on people: Tips for journalists writing about crime on deadline.
DATA: Defining types of data journalism projects.
DIVERSITY: The fixation on "culture fit" might be steering us wrong on both sides of the hiring table. Media’s own lack of diversity may be one legacy of the Colin Kaepernick controversy.
DRONES: The open-source guide to drone journalism is here.
ENGAGEMENT: As user participation turns 10, media leaders discuss the future of audience engagement.
FACEBOOK: With Facebook's power growing, publishers scramble to connect directly with audiences. Yes, Facebook is a media company. Will a chart convince you? Okay. Here’s a chart. Facebook share count glitch highlights publishers’ reliance on social network’s data. How Facebook's most hated feature became the future of the company. Algorithms are now controlling Facebook’s Trending topics. What does that mean for news? Why Facebook's trending topics spam problem can't be solved with algorithms. Almost no one really knows how Facebook’s Trending algorithm works, but here’s an idea. Confessions of an ex-Facebook trending news curator: 'They are just going to get rid of the product altogether.' Facebook is tracking ‘trends,’ so we’re tracking Facebook. Wanted: Public editor, Facebook. How Facebook’s foray into automated news went from messy to disastrous.
FACT CHECKING: That debunk of a viral fake news story might help the hoaxers: Here’s how to stop it. Facebook should hire fact-checkers. Here’s what they would do. Four guidelines to avoid fabrication in your news coverage.
FOIA: Making government officials’ emails open to scrutiny is key to accountability. New British information commissioner says Freedom of Information Act should include private firms providing public services.
NEWSLETTERS: Fusion’s newsletter strategy trades automated feeds for human curation and reporters’ voices. The New York Times expands coverage of California, launches daily newsletter.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Telling visual stories: Photography tips for journalists.
REPORTED.LY: Lessons from nearly two years of reported.ly.
STORY COMMENTS: Comments are changing. Our commitment to audiences shouldn’t. Everyone seems to hate online reader comments. Here’s why I treasure them. As news orgs drop comment sections, data shows users don’t think they’re that important.
Industry News
COLLEGE PAPERS: After ditching their newspaper, these community college students are blowing up campus news all over again.
What happened after 6 college newspapers cut their print schedules.
FREELANCE: Vice shows how not to treat freelancers.
GAWKER: Lawsuits against the media aren’t new. But Thiel blueprint sets a disturbing precedent.
INSTAGRAM: Instagram is killing photo maps. Instagram now lets you pinch to zoom on photos and videos in iOS.
LEGACY MEDIA: Revenge of the 'legacy' sector (in national news, anyway).
MOBILE: Mobile news may turn the digital media divide into a Grand Canyon. Mobile vs. computer: Implications for news audiences and outlets. The rise of mobile could create “a second-class digital citizenship” of less informed news consumers.
NEXTDOOR: How Nextdoor reduced racist posts by 75%.
POLITICO: Politico co-founder Jim VandeHei to launch news venture for professionals.
SNAPCHAT: Why journalists can no longer ignore Snapchat.
TEGNA: CareerBuilder loses Tronc sites, pivots radically. Tegna to spin off Cars.com, weigh options for CareerBuilder.
TRONC: The gamble of Tronc’s ‘just say no’ defense.
TV: Study: Social media overtakes TV as main source of news for 18-24.
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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