NPR’s Post

In today’s fast-paced media landscape, where sensationalism often overshadows substance and commercial interests sometimes dictate editorial decisions, the concept of an entirely honest journalism-based media house seems increasingly difficult. It has various pulls and pressures. Nandkumar Saravade & I write in Business Standard on the challenges facing the #ideology of journalism and the connected industry, including the influence of #corporateownership, the rise of #digital platforms, and the blurring lines between #traditional and non-traditional sources of #news. We observe on #regulatoryoversight, #transparency in media ownership, and the role of independent #watchdogs in holding media organisations accountable. We write on, Enabling true Journalism - The Design Principles. https://lnkd.in/gfuSPvjs #MediaVsJournalism #media #mediaindependence #journalism

🚨Interesting study alert!🚨 Newsroom success is often measured using internal metrics like traffic, revenue growth, donor/subscriber retention, etc. But often, these KPIs only account for people who are already within the newsrooms' orbit. What about the broader impact of these independent journalism outlets on the communities they cover? My team at the Lenfest Institute for Journalism (Diana L. and Allie Vanyur with National Programs, Joseph Lichterman and Hayley Slusser on comms, and my predecessor Amy L. Kovac-Ashley) collaborated with Danny Hayes, a professor in the George Washington University Department of Political Science, to survey residents in states served by three newsrooms—The Center For Michigan | Bridge Michigan | BridgeDetroit, Montana Free Press, and New Hampshire Public Radio. We conducted surveys in each state in April, May, and June 2024, partnering with the firm Qualtrics. Respondents were adult (18+) residents of each state and were recruited from Qualtrics’ research panel. The results are enlightening and provide real insights into residents’ news habits, views on important issues, and levels of civic engagement. We also conducted a content analysis to assess the contribution each outlet makes to its state’s information environment. Read the study here:

"The separation between editorial and business activities of news organizations has long been a fundamental norm of journalism. Journalists have traditionally considered this separation as both an ethical principle and an organizational solution to preserve their professional autonomy and isolate their newsrooms from profit-driven pressures exerted by advertising, sales and marketing departments.” The role of journalists is changing, and siloed teams are no longer viable for success is the digital reader revenue space. We summarize a 2020 study that looks deeper into this challenging change, how editorial and commercial integration has become the norm, and what this looks like. Paired with best practices from those working within the industry, there’s some valuable lessons to be learned and perhaps a new role for journalists: subscription sellers... https://lnkd.in/e5Mdpea7

Local news leaders, does your newsroom struggle with understanding your audience and diversifying sources? Register for this helpful workshop for expert advice!

Join me (and some really smart folks) to learn more about how source auditing can build trust with readers and improve community engagement

The media is the same as every sector – it has its own special language – terms which make perfect sense to those in the know & mystifying to those on the outside. Here is a selection of the most common journalistic jargon, which may be helpful for those working in PR and communications. https://buff.ly/47k7XWA #pr #communications #journalism

The media is the same as every sector – it has its own special language – terms which make perfect sense to those in the know & mystifying to those on the outside. Here is a selection of the most common journalistic jargon, which may be helpful for those working in PR and communications. https://buff.ly/47k7XWA #pr #communications #journalism

Good journalism has value. News consumers value valuable information. If news publishers want people to support their organizations and pay for news, they need to provide journalism that is worth paying for and has value. That means providing quality, nonpartisan journalism. That means listening to the community and building community. That means stop renting audiences on third-party platforms (social media, search) and having a direct 1:1 connection with them (newsletters, IRL events, digital communities you manage and moderate like Discord channels, text messaging). A well-functioning society needs good journalism. Publishers need to show the value of good journalism. Publishers can do this by listening to the community and then giving the community the news and information the community needs. https://lnkd.in/gKsV3izA What are the community's pain points, challenges, and problems? Local news publishers can help solve those problems for the community through good journalism. Ask questions. Provide answers. This is the job of journalism. ✅ Identify the local issue ✅ Investigate ✅ Mobilize social capital ✅ Propose solutions ✅ Hold power accountable ✅ Create change ✅ Make money ✅ Invest in community Newspapers and news publishers can either be part of the problem or the solutions. Solving problems is more profitable. People will pay for solutions. People will not pay opinions. Everyone has those. People will pay for facts and results. Not everyone has those. Whichever news organizations can build trust with their communities and help get positive results for their communities will win. https://lnkd.in/g_F-wGWC Sustainable business models for journalism and news publishers in the future will be based on quality journalism and community building. Quality journalism over quantity garbage. Quality wins. This is pragmatism. Great insights from Thomas Baekdal on why U.S. publishers are stuck in a scale model and why he remains optimistic about subscriptions. "If we look at the past decade, subscriptions have been the single most important success factor for publishers. Not just in Europe, but also in the U.S. If we hadn't focused on subscriptions, the entire industry would be far worse off than it is today. Focusing on subscriptions is the single most important thing we have done, and the overall trend remains strong. In fact, if we are to look 10 more years into the future, toward 2034, I'm much more worried about the future prospects of advertising than I am for subscriptions. So, the very idea that publishers are giving up on subscriptions to go back to advertising is foolish at best. But more importantly, this is just another example of the 'scale' mentality in the U.S. They are so blinded by this way of thinking that they are undermining their own future." #journalism #localnews #sustainability #profitable #businessmodels #community #communitybuilding

New research, authored by Dr Denis Muller and PIJI Expert Research Panel member Professor Andrea Carson, explores the impact of digital platforms and regulation of those platforms on #DigitalJournalism in Australia. Through a variety of case studies taken over six years across three time periods, the research examines the approaches taken to audience growth and journalism, newsroom funding and the impacts of external factors like #COVID19, addressing the question of what role platforms like social media, and regulations like the #NewsMediaBargainingCode, have played in shaping Australia's digital journalism landscape. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eWXVb2sx #Research #Insights

In the first edition of the Pugpig Media Bulletin of 2024, we reviewed a conversation from International News Media Association (INMA)'s board meeting last year. Alexandra Beverfjord asked if the focus on subscriptions was threatening news media's impact and influence. Was journalism at risk of becoming something for only those who could pay, the wealthy and the well-educated? Revenue diversification is at the top of the 2024 agenda for media companies, and we look at ways to balance diversification and focus while keeping your business model grounded in your editorial mission. #journalism #mediamanagement #subscriptioneconomy #innovation