Documented is an independent nonprofit newsroom reporting on and for New York City’s immigrant communities. The team produces a website and its flagship newsletter, “Early Arrival,” published three times a week. Documented is led by Mazin Sidahmed and Max Siegelbaum, who met while reporting in the Middle East.

In the current news industry environment, legacy newspapers face two future scenarios. First, they continue to operate with their decades-old business models and experience declining revenue and fewer print days, eventually closing and creating news deserts. Second, they are acquired by new owners with a 21st-century entrepreneurial spirit to build a stronger bond with their communities. The citizens of Pinehurst, Southern Pines and surrounding communities in North Carolina are pleased. The Pilot is following the second path.

News media can be a fast-paced environment, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed, especially when resources are limited and difficult decisions about budget cuts or reallocations must be made. This constant drive to stay ahead often leads to innovation fatigue. To address this challenge, E&P columnist Richard E. Brown developed the S.C.O.R.E. framework — a tool designed to evaluate and communicate strategies and guide the entire innovation process.

For so many local news outlets around the country, the cost of maintaining real estate — especially older, often historic buildings — has become untenable. However, this is a story about the antidote and how two local news publishers, in particular, are reinvesting in real estate. They're taking their brick-and-mortar assets and putting them to work as revenue generators and communal centers.

A surprising last-minute deal between Google and California lawmakers has left the local news industry grappling with mixed emotions and crucial lessons learned. While some view the $250 million agreement as a positive step toward funding journalism, others criticize it for falling short of what was needed and creating divisions among news leaders. The agreement, which bypassed two proposed bills aimed at compelling tech giants to pay local newsrooms for content, highlights the importance of unity and strategy in advocating for fair compensation in an era dominated by digital platforms.​

We are seeking your assistance in recognizing a leader with business acumen, technical savvy and a deep understanding of what needs to be done to stay successful — along with the fortitude and tenacity to implement change. “Publisher of the Year” recognition is open to all news media publishers worldwide.

In a last-minute, closed-door deal that surprised many, Google secured an agreement late Wednesday with California lawmakers to circumvent two legislative bills that would have required it and other tech companies to compensate local newsrooms in the state for using their content.

Born from the upheavals of the 1970s, when the government issued reporters with a slew of subpoenas to reveal their confidential sources, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) has had the backs of journalists, editors, publishers and all news professionals. It continues to be a major advocate for protecting newsgathering rights and a proactive fighter against governmental attempts to erode and limit the press’ First Amendment freedoms.

Randall Lane, the chief content officer at Forbes Media and editor at Forbes magazine, penned a June 11, 2024 column — “Why Perplexity’s Cynical Theft Represents Everything That Could Go Wrong With AI” — citing a dispute with major AI developer, Perplexity. E&P followed up with Lane to better understand what happened and to seek his advice to other news media publishers grappling with the copyright-AI conflict.

In the generative AI space, primarily dominated by tech developers like OpenAI, Microsoft and Google, Perplexity.ai seeks distinction. E&P spoke with the company’s chief business officer, Dmitry Shevelenko, in late July, a day after the company revealed its new Perplexity Publishers Program.

There is growing angst in the news media community about how their products ­— the journalism they create, at no small expense — are being used to train the Generative AI Large Language Models (LLMs). They wonder whether copyright law will protect them, whether they should sue over copyright violations or agree to license and compensation terms offered by AI developers. E&P sought to understand these dilemmas better, so we asked news media publishers and advocates how they think these relationships will come to pass.

When Alden Global Capital sold The Baltimore Sun to Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s David D. Smith and conservative radio host Armstrong Williams, concerns about the newspaper’s editorial independence quickly emerged. Those fears were realized in June when content from Sinclair’s Baltimore affiliate, Fox45, began appearing on the Sun’s website without clear attribution, raising alarm within the newsroom. The Baltimore Sun Guild responded by demanding transparency and editorial integrity, citing the potential erosion of trust among readers as Sinclair’s content, often criticized for its lack of nuance and journalistic rigor, started to infiltrate the Sun’s storied brand. Despite some concessions from the new owners, the Guild remains vigilant, stressing that the integrity of The Baltimore Sun’s journalism must not be compromised.

Remember when we said more people use VR headsets in the U.S. than subscribe to a newspaper? That number will continue to grow in 2024 and beyond. It’s time to dive deeper into what that means for local media publishers.

With more community newspapers — often weeklies — closing their doors, the publications still surviving are seeking the secret sauce/winning formula to sustain themselves financially and continue to serve their communities. Although there isn’t a universal formula, a recent study co-sponsored by the New Jersey Press Association and the Corporation of New Jersey Local Media revealed the characteristics of successful community newspapers.

Sam Hoisington is a 20-something news entrepreneur who founded Madison (Wisconsin) Minutes in late 2020 and transformed a humble email newsletter into a daily newsletter with 20,000 subscribers. After selling the Madison Minutes in 2023, he returned to his hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, and launched The Bentonville Bulletin.

Fund for Oregon Rural Journalism (FORJournalism) was organized three years ago to help rural newspapers remain viable. Among its priorities is training young people — some still in high school — the tenets of journalism and journalism literacy and funding paid internships so a new generation of journalists can chip in at small rural newspapers that need help.

I’ve been beating the drum among public media leaders for over a year: You need to understand what’s happening with Press Forward, the $500 million effort to remake local news. So it was heartening — and frustrating — to see dozens of public media leaders show up when three Press Forward leaders appeared at a webinar presented by the consultancy Public Media Company and Current in early July.

On May 24, 2022, nineteen children and two educators were killed when a single shooter opened fire at Robb Elementary in the small town of Uvalde, Texas. No local newsroom can ever fully be prepared to tell the story of a community brought to its knees by a mass murder. Uvalde Leader-News Owner-Publisher Craig Garnett was approached by ABC News about allowing a documentary film team into their lives. “Print It Black” refers to how the newsroom handled the following day’s 1A page.

This was seriously a no-win situation for everyone involved. The NABJ caused a large rift in their membership — with some members calling for a new association — and did nothing to help its female members feel safe and supported. Former president Trump may think he “crushed it,” but I doubt highly that he gained any followers today — and probably gave the Harris campaign some great clips for future ads.

At the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC), students are drawn to the diverse educational opportunities that prepare them for successful careers in various media fields. Whether it’s sports journalism, television storytelling, or multiple career paths, UFCJC offers immersive experiences that are central to attracting students. This institution not only tailors its programs to meet professional aspirations but also equips students to step into the media world ready to make an impact, thanks to its hands-on learning environments and comprehensive curriculum.

With local news publications vanishing and cities becoming news deserts, changes may need to be made to avoid extinction. In some cases, collaboration with outside non-media entities could be a new lifeline. A project between Deloitte and nine Black-owned local publishers could start a new trend.

The Society of Environmental Journalists provides multiple support channels for those trying to tell the story of the changing climate. Current Executive Director Aparna Mukherjee says: “SEJ is here to make sure that we are putting resources into the hands of individual journalists and supporting the news outlets that are trying to do more with less.”

We all know this story. Public media’s traditional programming has a waning appeal to younger audiences (part of the largest generation in U.S. history). Finances are a mess, station operators and networks face accusations of political bias, NPR has a revolving door of senior leadership, and activists in Congress are calling for defunding us. Are these today’s headlines? Nope. Try 50 years ago.

You may know him by his social handle, @FOIANate. FOIA — the Freedom of Information Act — is Nate Jones’ business. Jones is the FOIA director at The Washington Post and ideally suited to the role. He’s a historian, journalist and lawyer — all disciplines that inform his work.

An ambitious research project by The Pivot Fund is focused on the Great Lake states. The project aims to better understand the news landscape in the region and help identify news and information sources that have specifically earned the trust of communities of color. Pivot began its Midwest survey in Minnesota in early 2024, and it should be completed this month. The project also includes news ecosystem studies in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois.

Scripps News has launched the disinformation desk, which is focused on exposing disinformation and how it spreads — not just in politics but also in news. Liz Landers, former chief political correspondent for Vice News, is the network's lead disinformation correspondent and spoke to Editor & Publisher about the role and the team’s mission.

If we were to tell you that more people have VR headsets in the U.S. than those who subscribe to a newspaper — print and digital subscriptions combined — would you consider it a viable new frontier? The reality is extended reality (XR) — the catch-all term encompassing virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality — has slowly grown under the radar. 

Whether local media was asleep at the wheel, too small to compete with the digital giants or thought their kingdoms were unassailable, the share of obtainable local ad dollars available continues to dwindle. Nonetheless, there are some strategies we can initiate today, to regain some of that revenue.