LION: Local Independent Online News Publishers

🚨 Today's the LAST DAY to apply to join a LION 2025 peer learning group! Participants will meet virtually on a monthly basis to discuss media entrepreneurship wins, challenges, and lessons learned, as well as share resources with one another. We've got 10 groups total, so whether you're looking to connect with other LIONs around business needs, news leader identity, or serving specific audiences, there's a group for you! Apply by 5 p.m. PT TODAY (Friday, March 21). Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, so get yours in now! Read more about the peer learning groups and the 10 Community Ambassadors leading them: https://lnkd.in/grpAyGZh

✨ In this week’s LION newsletter ✨ ✅ 5 sustainability tips for every publisher, from the 354 we've helped 🚨 Only half of our early bird Summit tickets remain (be sure to grab yours before they’re gone!) 🔦 How CalMatters' Digital Democracy tool empowers its own reporters, other newsrooms, and the broader California community to hold elected officials accountable https://lnkd.in/gHz7-GvC

“We are constantly doing and rarely assessing. The interview and the Audit provided time to think and assess what we are doing.” -- Denise Rolark Barnes, The Washington Informer We at LION: Local Independent Online News Publishers are proud of this program; our Sustainability Audits and Funding work, with the support of the Google News Initiative and the Knight Foundation, has spanned the last few years and has helped hundreds of publishers like Denise. Our Andrew Rockway wrote up lessons for every publisher; these Audits are changing this summer so we can scale to do even more of them. #localnews #sustainability #scalingprograms https://lnkd.in/euGUTiFn

✨ In this week’s LION newsletter ✨ 🐦 100 early bird Summit tickets are now available; get one while they last! (Update: 95) 🤝 Apply to join one of our 10 new peer learning groups, led by Eden Fineday, Reid Williams, Kimberly Griffin, Mia Warren, Travers Johnson, Leo Cusimano, Chas Hundley, Steven Hanson, Valeria Fernandez, and Penda H. 🌟 Become a LION Awards judge https://lnkd.in/gP4GuwdU

🏆 Seeking a little celebration and community? Applications are officially OPEN for the seventh annual LION Sustainability Awards. These awards honor the dedication and innovation of local independent news organizations, featuring categories that recognize excellence in journalistic impact, financial health, and operational resilience. All LION members are eligible and encouraged to apply, so be sure to submit your application(s) by April 16 at 5 p.m. PT. Check out our categories and create an account on our new submissions portal: https://lnkd.in/g_UiNNaf

Do you want to meet like-minded LION members, build community, learn from your peers, and share your knowledge with others? We have an opportunity for you! We’re launching 10 peer-led groups to connect members with shared experiences. Apply to join a peer group by Monday, March 21, at 5 p.m. PT. Groups will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so get your application in early! Read more about the groups and the community ambassadors leading them here: https://lnkd.in/grpAyGZh

✨ In this week’s LION newsletter ✨ 🎤 Submit a session proposal by April 2 to take the stage at the 2025 Summit 🏆 Apply for the 2025 LION Awards by April 16 🎯 Submissions wanted: Columbia Journalism Review is bringing back its Laurels and Darts column https://lnkd.in/gT8FwPuj

📣 Calling all LION members! Take a moment to reflect on and celebrate your outstanding work by entering the 2025 LION Sustainability Awards by April 16 at 5 p.m. PT. This year, you can submit, pay for, and receive feedback (yes, feedback!) on your entries all in one place. Create an account on our new submissions portal, and start thinking about which categories you’re going to apply for. We’ve got eight categories covering everything from community engagement to financial health — and no accomplishment is too small for consideration. Get started here: https://lnkd.in/g_UiNNaf

What happens when you try to help an independent publisher with... whatever they need? After our popular Sustainability Audits and Funding program (350+ members served!) wound down in 2024, we started thinking about how next to serve members at scale - and Elaine Díaz Rodríguez and Sarah Gustavus Lim began work on a pilot we called Sustainability 360, with the support of the Google News Initiative. This program helps six news businesses; each was matched with a coach. We're not yet through 12 months, but the coaches (Celeste LeCompte and Kimberly Spencer, CFRE) are helping these publishers push past barriers to their growth. Their stories are here, and thanks to renewed support from the Google News Initiative and the MacArthur Foundation, we'll add 40 more news organizations; signups open in May: https://lnkd.in/dMKd-Azv #nonprofitprogram #sustainability #scale

✨ In this week’s LION newsletter ✨ 🌱 Growing pains = healthy signs of progress, featuring our inaugural Sustainability 360 cohort members Mission Local, SF, The Buckeye Flame, Planet Detroit, RANGE Media, Ctrl+P Publishing, and LOOKOUT Publications 🏆 Tips from LION members on crafting a winning awards submission (psst! The 2025 LION Awards launch next week) 🎉 Plus, 11 more resources for independent publishers https://lnkd.in/gMx9GdUn