This year’s EPPY Awards received more than 400 entries. Winners were selected from an international list of nominations to honor the best in digital media across more than 40 diverse categories.

After a nearly three-year COVID-related hiatus, newspaper industry executives gathered at the Hotel Viking in Newport, Rhode Island, for an International Newspaper Group conference, Sept. 17-19. The conference provided a snapshot of the innovations, challenges and general state of newspaper operations in North America. Here are five takeaways from the event.

Reporting on prisons in the United States can be challenging and often frustrating for even the most respected publications and seasoned journalists. It can't be approached like any other beat. The good news is that organizations are penetrating the confusing, dense veil of prison policies and prison life. And, they’re supporting prisoners who dare to write as incarcerated journalists and sharing tips with editors and journalists on the outside who want to report on prisons.

The term “objectivity” is itself subjective. If you were to poll the public about their desire and demand for “objective” journalism, many might opine that reporters should stick to the “who, what, when, where and why” model — sans the “why” part. But the “why” is, after all, the essential context of the story, and without it, the public is less informed and not as inclined to read the bare-bones carcass of the story that remains. Of course, contemporary conversations about objectivity and fairness in reporting are much more nuanced and complex.

In the early days of the internet, a few early adopters were starting careers in the news industry and seeing opportunities in digital that their bosses did not fully understand. Today, digital pioneers have become the bosses. Those ahead of the digital movement — like Conan Gallaty, Lisa DeSisto, Grant Moise and Robert Granfeldt — saw their careers take shape in ways they never expected.

Louie Mullen owns over 30 weekly newspapers in small towns across seven states. “Every newspaper is run as an individual. It is a representation of that community. It’s more of an old-school style of running newspapers,” said Mullen, who is buying community newspapers across the country. And, his ownership style is hands-off.

Gaps in news coverage are spreading across the country. But even with this challenge, newsrooms are finding resources and innovative ways to save or even revive their storytelling capabilities. One example is partnerships between universities and media companies. This trend is especially prevalent in local newspapers, which are facing increasing newsroom layoffs as they struggle to survive.

Ryan Sorrell and his team at The Kansas City Defender rely on two methods to reach young people. First, they know that each social media platform has a different ethos, so they personalize content for each brand. Second, they have a broad content mix, blending hard news and culture stories with headlines such as “10 Best Black-Owned Restaurants.”

A report published by the Center for Media Engagement in the Moody College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin shows how journalists can connect with stigmatized communities by using person-centered language. Caroline Murray, a senior research associate at the school and one of the authors, says this research is important because it demonstrates how journalists can better connect with the communities they cover.

Over the decades since, there have been dozens of cases of news people who turned to a life of politics. Richard Warner Carlson — known as Dick and father to one Tucker Carlson — famously quit TV news to pursue his political aspirations. Malcolm Stevenson (Steve) Forbes Jr. straddled the world of news and politics, including two bids for the Republican presidential nomination. Sarah Palin remarkably went from TV sports reporter to Alaska’s governor to vice presidential candidate. This year, she campaigned for Alaska’s House seat but lost to her Democrat opponent in the special election. The list goes on and on.

The New Zealand government said it will introduce a law that will require big online digital companies such as Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google and Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) to pay New Zealand media companies for the local news content that appears on their feeds.

Editorial workers at Charlotte’s WFAE (90.7 FM) have officially formed a union with SAG-AFTRA less than a month after voting to do so.

Donald Trump’s announced 2024 bid for the White House means a member of his family will no longer be getting a Fox News paycheck.

Infowars founder Alex Jones filed for bankruptcy Friday, weeks after the total he owes in damages to the families of victims of the 2012 mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., reached nearly $1.5 billion.

Over the last year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has given just a handful of interviews. Almost all of them have been with Fox News primetime or morning hosts or major conservative podcasters.

Since the world’s richest man paid $44 billion for Twitter, the platform has struggled to define its rules for misinformation and hate speech, issued conflicting and contradictory announcements, and failed to full address what researchers say is a troubling rise in hate speech.

A new student fee has been approved that will fund the student newspaper at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The Superior Telegram (Duluth, Minnesota) has launched a grant program to help nonprofit organizations in Superior and Douglas County with advertising and marketing.

Among those affected were reporters at flagship paper USA Today and producers working on Gannett’s digital optimization teams.

ParentCo LLC announced today that it has acquired the Bay Area Parent media properties from Dominion Enterprises of Norfolk, Virginia.  Bay Area Parent magazine includes both electronic and print editions, an extensive network of electronic newsletters and the BayAreaParent.com website. 

Twitter suspended the account for Ye, the rapper and mogul formerly known as Kanye West, Twitter CEO Elon Musk said early Friday. The move came after the rapper posted on Twitter an image of a swastika depicted inside a Star of David.

Bipartisan coalitions in the House and Senate pushed through a bill that would impose an agreement between rail companies and their workers.

How can consumers evaluate the accuracy of science information in media? What factors can influence how media frame and build narratives around science information?

A Bloomfield resident tracks her journey from subscriber to staffer.

Research reveals a striking correlation between lack of trust in journalism and a lack of knowledge of the industry.

The Recount, a video news startup founded in 2018, told employees it plans to suspend operations next Friday, sources told Axios.

Lizzie O’Leary: "Wordle’s very randomness is what makes it so great! It’s why thousands of people play."

Lydia Polgreen: "As local news gathering shrinks, people are spending more time in places likely to deepen partisan divides: on social media or on platforms like Nextdoor, or watching national cable television. A 2019 study in Scientific American found that voters in areas where local news outlets closed were less likely to vote a split ticket, a signal that points to deepening polarization in those communities."

Ethnic minority voices are lacking on leading news website homepages.

CNN on Wednesday informed employees that layoffs had commenced, a move that is expected to impact hundreds of staffers at the global news network and mark the deepest cuts to the organization in years.

The Economist and PressReader have announced an expansion of their strategic partnership to further broaden the publication’s digital distribution and increase group subscriptions. The continued and deepened partnership helps PressReader carry out its mission to empower and enrich curious minds by bringing a universe of quality content within reach.

Doorfront Direct, the nation’s largest independent magazine and catalog delivery network, celebrates its five-year anniversary on Dec. 5.

In October 2022, Seawave Corporation, publisher of the Cape May County Herald in Rio Grande, New Jersey, signed a contract with SCS to implement the Community Advertising System to standardize and modernize its advertising and production workflows.

We're proud to announce that Column is now a certified B Corporation. Our certification establishes us amongst a small subset of public benefit corporations officially certified by the B Lab, a global nonprofit network committed to making all businesses a force for good. In our most recent blog, Melissa Theiss, head of people at Column, explains our certification, what a B Corp Score means and how we're committed to making an impact.

On Tuesday, Oct. 18, the trading platform for journalism — Journexx — is launching its final test phase before opening its doors to the entire publishing industry.

We need your help in recognizing the next generation of news publishing leaders,. We’re talking about people who are young, bright, and capable of tackling whatever the changing news media climate throws at them. Please help us by nominating a news publishing up-and-comer (or yourself) for our “25 Under 35” feature story that will appear in our February 2023 issue.

It's going to be a rough year for local advertising in 2023. Borrell is forecasting that growth will be at a near-standstill, held back by a combination of economic pressures and a dramatic reshaping of the type of businesses now operating in each market. Borrell will unveil its forecasts and describe the change in business composition during a 45-minute webinar at 11 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, Nov. 17. The webinar is free.

Mediahuis, an international media group with a range of powerful brands and activities in many European countries and Ireland's leading print and digital media publisher, reaches millions …

Times-Journal Inc, is a 150+ year old family-owned media company now in the hands of 3rd generation news publishers who are committed to serving local communities with award winning journalism and results driven advertising programs.  In short, there are no hedge-funds or corporate “bean counting downsizers” here to contend with. We are committed to a long-term future in this industry!  Located in the heart of Georgia’s most desirable markets, our communities are the ideal place to live, work and play. 

Vivian Giang joins the Business desk as an editor working on stories and live coverage.

The New York Times has announced three new appointments in Opinion Audio.

Dawn Cai is moving to Seoul as a senior editor, and Lauren Leatherby is moving to London as a visual reporter.

Sewell Chan, editor in chief of The Texas Tribune, has been elected to the Pulitzer Prize Board, Columbia University announced.

Watertown (Wisconsin) High School graduate Brian O’Connor is the new managing editor of the Watertown Daily Times and Daily Jefferson County Union.

Gabe Whisnant has been named interim editor of the USA TODAY Network newsrooms in South Carolina. Whisnant replaces Elizabeth Walters, who left her position Friday, Nov. 25. 

Lauren Egan will be joining the POLITICO White House team on Dec. 13 to help helm the West Wing Playbook newsletter.

Guardian Media Group has appointed Ete Davies as a non-executive director to the GMG board.

The New York Times has welcomed two new correspondents to the Asia crew: David Pierson and Alex Travelli. And Chris Buckley is headed to Taiwan later this year.

Michael Strober will lead the transformation of sales strategy, leveraging Nexstar’s linear, digital, mobile and streaming platforms to deliver new revenue growth.

Michaela Román is The New York Times' newest social media editor, joining from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Bruce Christensen, who led PBS from the mid-1980s to the early ’90s amid attacks on public TV for airing controversial documentaries, died Friday, Nov. 18, at his home in Orem, Utah. He was 79.

A memorial service for Stephen F. Bentley, former co-publisher of The Lawton (Oklahoma) Constitution, will be at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 1, in St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.

He composed many of George W. Bush’s signature addresses, and later, as a writer for The Washington Post, took a stand against Donald J. Trump.

Fred Hickman, a pioneering sports broadcaster and anchor who helped to launch two major cable networks and influenced and informed a generation of sports journalists and fans, has died.

Gary Martin, the Washington bureau chief for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, has died.