Latest Exclusives from E&P

Citizen Journalism: With newsroom resources stretched thin, local news publishers consider whether and how to embrace community reporting

Our June cover story asks: "Who is a “journalist?” It’s a simple question, newly steeped in controversy. As local newsrooms find they don’t have enough resources for comprehensive coverage, some communities are turning to citizen journalists to bridge the information gap. It would seem good for the country to have more watchdogs and more people contributing to the local news landscape — yet, not everyone agrees.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Partnering with news organizations, hosting fellowships and covering nonprofits and charities since 1988

The world of philanthropy was burgeoning in 1988. But there was no unified source of information for the diverse group of charities and nonprofits until The Chronicle of Philanthropy began publishing. The monthly magazine reports on issues impacting the world that other journalists cover, such as climate change and democracy, but approaches them through a nonprofit lens.

Become 'the other job," by creating a workplace where employees resist the temptation to leave.

Employees who are happy with their current employers aren’t likely to be tempted into another position. So, how do you ensure you don't lose your people to a new, more appealing offer? Simple. You become the other job. Instead of the boring person at home, you become the mistress.
Latest Vodcasts

One-on-one with the outspoken Evan Brandt, the last reporter left at The Mercury

In this episode of "E&P Reports," we go one-on-one with the outspoken reporter for Media News Group's Pottstown (PA) Mercury, Evan Brandt, where we explore what it is like to be the last local journalist remaining at this "ghost paper" that serves a suburban Philadelphia community of over 40,000. Brandt offers insight into his 25+ years at The Mercury, the several ownership bankruptcies that created years of serial downsizing, and how today he works out of his own attic to cover beats once reported on by a team of 30+ reporters.

Ballantine enters a Gannett “ghost paper” town, starting a five-day-a-week free, printed tabloid.

In this episode of "E&P Reports," we explore the Tri-City Record, a new, five-day-a-week free publication serving San Juan County, New Mexico, being launched by Ballentine Communications, the owners of the Durango (CO) Herald. We learn from board chairman/ owner Richard G. Ballentine and new Record Publisher David Cook why they believe there is a real opportunity for expansion into this area already served by an existing Gannett title since that paper has drastically cut back on staff and content over the past few years.

More E&P Exclusives
Collaboration among news media outlets is not new, but The Exchange is a new collaborative effort that aims to create business and financial content for underserved communities. It’s a collaboration of local, diverse news media with decades of service to their communities, the Local Media Association (LMA), the Local Media Consortium (LMC) and Deloitte.
The new owners of The Weekly Recorder — three lifelong residents who are active in their communities — acknowledge the challenge of entering the newspaper business when other newspapers, both locally and nationwide, are struggling. But, they believe there's an opportunity and much to highlight within Washington County.
The “gender beat” concept developed less than a decade ago, but it has already evolved significantly since then. While many of the journalists interviewed by Meg Heckman, a journalist, author and educator with Northeastern University, thought the concept of a gender beat should not be necessary, she believes it is a necessary stepping stone in the short term.
Across the country, more and more "ghost papers" are appearing, where you may find no publisher or editor; and a newsroom with just one reporter left. In some cases, entire “beats” have disappeared — where cities and large regions have no one covering the news. What happens to these journalists and to the communities they serve? In some cases a news desert remains. In others, we find competing media companies stepping in to fill the void.
In the digital age, an increasing number of publications choose to eliminate their print issues and move entirely online. However, those publications with a loyal print subscriber base are left to choose between a myriad of local carriers or the United States Postal Service (USPS). There is no correct answer. Publications must do the research and evaluate the market.
Journalists from all over the world traveled to Ohio in early spring for the Kiplinger Fellowship. There were 19 fellows this year, representing 12 nations. They had the added distinction of being the program’s 50th-anniversary class. Kevin Z. Smith, the Kiplinger Program’s executive director, spoke with E&P about the evolution of the fellowship program.
When Pulitzer Prize-winner Steve Sack decided to retire last year after four decades at The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Opinion Editor Scott Gillespie decided to buck industry trends and announced he had an opinion position to fill: editorial cartoonist. The Star Tribune may be an outlier in an industry that no longer appears to value the work of editorial cartoonists.
Dave Stevens is the only legless player in sports history to have played NCAA football and minor league baseball. The seven-time Emmy-winning sports journalist is now a motivational speaker and television host as he nears 40 years in broadcasting. While he says the media industry has come a long way in terms of inclusivity, he adds: "we still have a long way to go in this and other aspects of society."
As philanthropic support of news organizations has increased substantially, Journalism Funding Partners was founded to bring more funding sources and news organizations together to support and report on the issues impacting local communities. JFP disbursed $2.2 million in funds in 2022 and has provided more than $1 million during the first quarter of 2023 to news organizations.
Getting onsite click-to-cancel right is imperative for the coming generation of news media and will require techniques built on highly valuable content, efficient user experiences and transparency. Any applicable future adaptations needed in your onsite cancellation and retention experiences should not be viewed as obstacles but as opportunities to reassess and refine your product strategy and communication flows.
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Latest Industry News
Oregon’s attorney general announced Monday she is investigating Fox Corp.’s board of directors for “breach of fiduciary duty” after Fox News repeatedly broadcast election lies in the wake of the 2020 election.
Poland’s state broadcasting authority has received multiple complaints over the way state media covered a huge anti-government protest over the weekend, an official said Tuesday.
Fewer than one third of Americans believe that local news media hold public officials accountable, a finding that calls into question whether local journalism is fulfilling  one of its primary missions, according to national poll commissioned by the Medill School at Northwestern University.
New York prisons may have effectively banned journalism behind bars.
Regional journalism experts appear optimistic generative AI can help their snowed-under newsrooms.
Chris Licht, the embattled chief executive of CNN, apologized to network employees on Monday for distracting from their work and promised to “fight like hell” to earn their trust amid criticism of his year at the helm.
A newspaper in Cumberland County (Pennsylvania) has announced it will now publish its print edition three days a week but also promises to expand its content.
Since receiving the association’s top award in early May, The Cadet has come under scrutiny for its ties to an alumnus who has helped fund it.
It is the school’s fifth consecutive national championship, eighth in the nine past years and 12th since 2002 — far surpassing the school’s closest competitors.
A group whose members include The New York Times and The Washington Post has advice on how to navigate concerns surrounding AI.
When the buzzy philanthropist-backed nonprofit newsroom Baltimore Banner launched last summer, executives set the ambitious goal of 100,000 subscribers by 2025. Almost exactly one year later, they’re reporting they’re already well on their way.
After publishing an exposé, journalists in New Hampshire faced broken windows, vulgar graffiti and a legal brawl, with important First Amendment implications.
During Kent Cooper’s long tenure as a senior executive, general manager and executive director — as documented in Mr. Associated Press — he changed AP, and the news that its readers and listeners depended on, in three major ways.
Millions of people have the tools to create deceptive political content.
The union representing the company’s newsroom employees has urged a vote of no-confidence against the CEO at a shareholder meeting on Monday.
The WAN-IFRA survey indicated it is management, rather than individual journalists, driving adoption.
In a rare bright spot for media freedom in Hong Kong, a panel of judges on the territory’s top court unanimously voted Monday to overturn the conviction of award-winning journalist Choy Yuk-ling, also known as Bao Choy, who had investigated the police response to a 2019 mob attack that left dozens injured.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed a new media adviser who has tweeted critically against President Joe Biden, the daily Haaretz reported.
RJI spoke with 20 people at journalism organizations across the country to gather and share practical ways to build community, camaraderie and connection.
Industry Partner News
The Jewish World of Albany, New York, has formed an alliance for improved sales and marketing projects, with Capital Region Independent Media (CRIM), which operates media companies, including nine newspapers in the region.
STN's user-focused video player functionality not only boosts engagement but also delivers enhanced KPIs and more revenue for publishers.
In a global effort to streamline their printing production workflow and lessen their dependencies and related costs tied to managing and supporting on-premises data centers (hardware and software), Gannett has already implemented ProImages NewsWayX Systems in 10 print locations with more planned in the coming months.
Deaths are up. Obits are down. Discover why private party placement is the secret to thriving with the digital generation, with three strategies to make your private party intake a revenue-generating success.
BlueLena, which supports independent news organizations with developing, implementing and managing subscription, membership and donation models, has announced a strategic partnership with Piano Software, a leading digital experience platform that supports subscription, conversion, analytics and personalization outcomes.
In less than six months of rolling out the Column platform, Ogden Newspapers successfully migrated 75% of their public notice orders to self-serve. Implementing the new platform involved a well-defined plan and strong collaboration. The final result was an enhanced customer experience with greatly improved efficiency.
Email newsletters continue to be one of the most powerful newsroom tools, regularly connecting publications with their audiences and encouraging readers to develop a habit and establish loyalty toward a news organization. Looking to spruce up a newsletter or planning a new launch? Here are some tried and true strategies for optimizing newsletters that publishers can put into place today.
The challenges are many when launching a new local, nonprofit news outlet, especially in the current newspaper industry climate. Deciding to be a digital-only news source with a hard registration wall meant the Springfield (Missouri) Daily Citizen had to rely heavily on various technologies to manage email registration and subscriptions. BlueLena's intimate knowledge of subscription best practices allowed the paper to rapidly evolve its products toward launch.
Each year Editor & Publisher Magazine (E&P) and the Local Media Consortium (LMC) recognize companies that have done the impossible through successful innovation, implementing cost savings or developing new programs that have generated considerable increases in revenue or audience.
#NewsMedia Stocks of Interest
Newspeople
Small-town editor squeezed out at traditional newspaper — so he joins the expanding Spanish newspaper.
Peter Baniak, editor of the Lexington (Kentucky) Herald-Leader, has been promoted to become McClatchy’s vice president of news for small and medium markets.
Guardian Media Group has announced that Debbie Klein will join its board as a non-executive director in September.
ABC News President Kim Godwin has announced the 2024 campaign producers/reporters who will be covering the 2024 presidential election.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation has welcomed award-winning journalist Azmat Khan as the newest member of its board of directors.
“Meet the Press” host and moderator Chuck Todd announced on Sunday that he will step down this year after nine years hosting the public affairs talk show. Kristen Welker, NBC News’ co-chief White House correspondent, will succeed him.
ABC News Vice President of Global Newsgathering Katie denDaas has announced new leadership roles in three bureaus.
MORE NEWSPEOPLE
Phil Trexler comes to The Marshall Project - Cleveland with broadcast, digital and print journalism experience.
Elena Shao has become a graphics/multimedia editor at The New York Times.
A.J. Brown’s departure comes after Ella Irwin, company’s head of trust and safety, left Thursday.
Gannett Co., Inc. has announced that veteran journalist and news executive Terence Samuel will join Gannett and lead USA TODAY’s award-winning newsroom as editor in chief, effective July 10.
Cameron Barr, who joined The Washington Post in 2004 after several years as a foreign correspondent, helped oversee teams that won 12 Pulitzer Prizes.
Industry Obits
Hoyt Purvis died on Friday, May 26, after an illness, said his wife Marion Purvis. He was 83.
In the early hours of May 31, two assailants on a motorcycle shot and killed radio journalist Cris Bundoquin on the C5 Road in the city of Calapan, in Oriental Mindoro province, according to multiple news reports.
John Widdison, a former executive managing editor of the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Massachusetts, died Tuesday, May 23, at the age of 84.
On Wednesday, May 25, James Don “JD” Swartz passed away peacefully at Franklin Woods Hospital. He was born August 5, 1935, to Don and Maude Jane Barnett Swartz. He lived a beautiful life of 87 years.
The Wichita Business Journal family is mourning the death of longtime colleague Daniel McCoy.
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