The former president of the United States called us “fake news” and the “enemy of the people.” Talk radio hosts falsely parrot claims of “liberal media bias.” Right-wing media figures have flooded the public square with misinformation on everything from the outcome of the election to the effectiveness of wearing a face mask. more

Congratulations. You’ve started your year and the 2021 budget is officially in full swing. Bet it’s going just how you planned it, right? You put time and research into crafting your budget, you make educated assumptions, and you put in the work to get ready for the new year. more

As I work with media companies and their communities, there is a term I like to use called “Economic Gardening.” In the community transformation and revitalization world, this simply means to work at nurturing and cultivating your current communitywide assets in lieu of buying new assets. more

Be careful what you wish for. As I write this column, former President Donald Trump has been indefinitely banned from Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit and Pinterest. “Finally!” many people probably thought when they heard the news. Sadly, all it took was a riot at the Capitol building led by his supporters... more

Tech giants Google and Facebook aren’t strangers to antitrust litigation and Congressional scrutiny, but in a first-of-its-kind case, the two companies have been named as defendants in a federal antitrust lawsuit filed by a newspaper publisher. The plaintiff, HD Media Co., LLC, is the West Virginia-based publisher of seven titles... more

There’s a famous saying that “All politics Is local.” As politics has become nationalized and even local candidates are now being forced to follow or defend the pronouncements of … more

Selling advertising in a post-COVID world is going to be daunting and challenging for most salespeople. Teams that are willing to make changes will see some level of success, but those that are not willing to make any changes could be left behind. One of the most constant themes I have seen during my 30 years in media is the constant effort of media salespeople to try and redefine insanity. more

Building a local news network isn’t easy, or else The Compass Experiment wouldn’t have branded itself as an experiment.  Eighteen months after McClatchy and Google News Initiative … more

Collaboration is a buzzword that we hear a lot. To some extent, we all know why it’s important: More eyes on a project can lead to more ideas, better troubleshooting, etc. And while collaboration is all well and good, it’s important to consider the real, operational costs of bringing everyone together. more

Recently a reader objected to some Herald-Tribune coverage by giving his own personal perspective in a long and heartfelt email. We offered to publish this critique on our opinion page. After … more

A new year typically means a blank slate. But to me, 2021 is like a dry erase board that has been used one too many times. No matter how hard you scrub with your eraser, the faded images and text still linger, even when you write over it. Yes, we have a new president heading into office and a vaccine for COVID-19 is here, but the lasting effects of 2020 will remain for quite some time. So, how can we solider on? more

News managers, I’m sure you’ve thanked your crews by now. You’ve sent people off to get some rest. You’ve taken note of every smart thing you’ve done in covering this year’s election. You’re doing an after-action review of lessons learned. more

In a recent conversation I had with a news media company and its audience director and publisher, they were excited and proud they had been able to increase their audience pricing in both print and online successfully. Additionally, they had been able to implement these increases while reducing their print footprint and maintaining their digital footprint with little damage. more

It’s nice when a newsroom experiment pays off in unexpected ways. In Arizona, ProPublica teamed up with the Arizona Daily Star to sponsor a story by Amy Silverman that looked into why the state’s Division of Developmental Disabilities turned down thousands of people who sought assistance. more

Google and Facebook have made a lot of money from platforms that have been blamed for the viral spread of misinformation, intentional disinformation campaigns and hate speech. In the process, they’ve also commoditized digital advertising and disrupted the traditional business models that support the journalism that cuts through that misinformation. more

A lot happened in the first month of 2021 that confirmed many of our greatest suspicions from last year. The collective desire to consume timely information continues to be higher than ever despite … more

I found it ironic yet comforting to hear those three words come from President-elect and Democrat Joe Biden and South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. They were referring to President Donald Trump inciting and supporting the mob storming the United States Capitol Building. Ironic, because these two people would normally never be on the same side of any major issue affecting our country. Comforting, because they both seemed to be saying, “It is time to put the chaos, hyperbole and sensationalism of the past four years behind us.” more

Yesterday’s Congressional debate over the results of the Electoral College was history in the making. But our television networks often failed in their coverage of this incredible political … more

It's no secret that the rise of tech platforms has roiled news publishers. Much has been written about what went wrong. Were news publishers a victim of their own inability to innovate? Maybe. Did … more

It would be a drastic understatement to say that we’re living in a time of change. In the past eight months, we have seen core improvements to the way we approach long-distance communication. So, what does that mean for the traditional office meeting? more