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Welcome to the 2022 Independent News Sustainability Summit, hosted by LION Publishers, News Revenue Hub and RevLab at The Texas Tribune.

Learn more about the Summit.

Thank you to Knight Foundation for being our presenting sponsor, and to The Lenfest Institute and Google News Initiative for supporting this conference.
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Thursday, October 27
 

9:00am CDT

Registration
Check into the conference to receive your conference badge, which will grant you access to all sessions and events. Please be prepared to show a hard copy or photo of your COVID-19 vaccination card and a photo ID.
Thursday October 27, 2022 9:00am - 5:00pm CDT
Waterloo 2 (Registration/Info Table)
  Registration

12:00pm CDT

Welcome Remarks
Welcome to the 2022 Independent News Sustainability Summit! Please join us for opening remarks by Mary Walter-Brown, CEO of News Revenue Hub and co-host of the event, and Sewell Chan, Editor in Chief of The Texas Tribune.
Speakers
avatar for Mary Walter Brown

Mary Walter Brown

News Revenue Hub
Mary founded the News Revenue Hub in 2016 to help news organizations achieve greater financial sustainability. The Hub team has helped more than 70 newsrooms raise $65 million dollars – and counting. Prior to founding the Hub, Mary was the Publisher/COO of Voice of San Diego. During... Read More →
avatar for Sewell Chan

Sewell Chan

The Texas Tribune
Sewell Chan is the editor in chief at The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization established in 2009. He joined the Tribune in 2021 after 21 years as a reporter or editor at The Washington Post,  The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

Thursday October 27, 2022 12:00pm - 12:15pm CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Keynote

12:15pm CDT

Keynote: Local is national: How do we partner to increase watchdog journalism?
Welcome remarks will be followed by this keynote conversation with Evan Smith, CEO of The Texas Tribune and Dean Baquet, former executive editor of The New York Times, on how local news organizations can collaborate with national outlets and new efforts to partner on watchdog reporting to help counter a “crisis in local news."
Speakers
avatar for Evan Smith

Evan Smith

Texas Tribune
Evan Smith is the CEO and co-founder of The Texas Tribune, a pioneering nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news organization whose deep coverage of Texas politics and public policy can be found at its website, texastribune.org, and in newspapers and on TV and radio stations across the... Read More →
avatar for Dean Baquet

Dean Baquet

The New York Times

Thursday October 27, 2022 12:15pm - 1:20pm CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Keynote

1:20pm CDT

Break
Coffee/tea/snacks will be available.
Thursday October 27, 2022 1:20pm - 1:40pm CDT
  Break, Session Break

1:40pm CDT

Is your journalism resonating?: A 101 guide to measuring impact
In this session, four organization leaders will discuss how they track impact in their own organizations, from how they developed an overall impact philosophy to the nuts and bolts of how they monitor impact on a day-to-day basis. Panelists will work with audience members to help them think about how they’re tracking, defining and using impact to tell their organization’s story. 
Session audience and takeaways:
  • Organization leaders at young outlets who are working to define who their audience is, how they serve them, and how they can measure success. 
  • We hope audience members will walk away with a new framework and tools for thinking about and tracking impact in their organization.
Speakers
avatar for Jennifer Hack

Jennifer Hack

The Beacon
Jennifer Hack Wolf is the interim publisher and former audience director for The Kansas City Beacon and The Wichita Beacon. Previously, Wolf launched a design-thinking consultancy, helping Midwest nonprofits solve critical problems. A Kansas City native and graduate of the University... Read More →
avatar for Madeleine Bair

Madeleine Bair

El Tímpano
Madeleine Bair is the founder of El Tímpano, an award-winning Spanish-language reporting lab designed in collaboration with the Bay Area's Latino and Mayan immigrants. Madeleine has taught radio production to teenagers, worked on a morning show at Chicago Public Radio, produced multimedia... Read More →
avatar for Mark Talkington

Mark Talkington

Valley Voice Media
I'm currently dedicated to creating the future of news by building independent, hyperlocal news products in California's Coachella Valley. In my "day job" I work as a news director and social media manager at Microsoft's MSN.com, where I’ve been for the past 20 years. I first entered... Read More →
avatar for Rebecca Klein

Rebecca Klein

New York Focus
Rebecca Klein is the general manager of New York Focus, New York's only statewide non-profit news outlet. At New York Focus, Klein leads the organization's fundraising, operational and strategic efforts. She previously worked as a senior reporter covering education at HuffPost, and... Read More →

Thursday October 27, 2022 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Waterloo 5
  Session Track: Journalistic Impact, Workshop

1:40pm CDT

Measuring trust: How to build and track impact in divided communities
Building community trust is hard. Building it in divided communities is even harder. This session will focus on how to build a throughline between trust, impact and organizational sustainability in communities that are disconnected, divided or undergoing a reckoning. Panelists from Charlottesville Tomorrow, Richland Source and Shasta Scout will share their newsroom and community experiences as a starting point for participants to articulate what trust metrics matter most in their own communities — and how they can improve their distribution, engagement, and revenue by leaning in to the discomfort, and the growth, of building trust. Moderated by Anita Li of The Green Line.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for news businesses working in communities that are disconnected, divided, polarized or undergoing a reckoning (almost all newsrooms, everywhere!) as well as news businesses looking to increase audience trust and news businesses interested in deepening the connection between journalistic impact and organizational health.
  • Attendees will walk away with a framework for articulating trust metrics, a draft list of those metrics for each news org and insight into how organizations of different sizes approach this work and measure trust
Speakers
avatar for Giles Morris

Giles Morris

Charlottesville Tomorrow
I am the Executive Director of Charlottesville Tomorrow, a local, socially-conscious news organization committed to providing readers the context, awareness, and consciousness they need to become better neighbors and citizens. After growing up in Washington D.C., I spent my early... Read More →
avatar for Annelise Pierce

Annelise Pierce

Shasta Scout
Annelise Pierce is Editor and a Community Reporter for Shasta Scout, a nonprofit online news service located in far northern California. She founded Shasta Scout in mid-2021 with a focus on government accountability, religious and political movements, and Indigenous affairs. As a... Read More →
avatar for Anita Li

Anita Li

The Green Line
Anita Li is a longtime journalist, news entrepreneur, media consultant and educator with over a decade of full-time experience as a multi-platform journalist at outlets across North America. Currently, she is the founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Green Line, a local Toronto-based... Read More →
avatar for Brittany Schock

Brittany Schock

Richland Source
Brittany Schock is the Engagement & Solutions Editor at Richland Source in Mansfield, Ohio. She has been a practitioner of solutions journalism since 2016. Her award-winning work has been nationally recognized, and she's been invited to represent the Source in conversations about... Read More →

Thursday October 27, 2022 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Waterloo 6
  Session Track: Journalistic Impact, Workshop

1:40pm CDT

Where's my audience?: Finding the right vehicle for your work
Hear from four publishers who have met audiences in the right spaces: Maya Chupkov on using the audio format for a podcast on stuttering, Ryan Sorrell on reaching Gen Z and Black audiences on social, Leezel Tanglao on fighting misinformation among Filipinos, and Travers Johnson on building a huge TikTok following for the LGBTQ+ audience.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for anyone interested in pursuing a “meet them where they are” strategy to audience development and journalistic impact. 
  • Attendees will be inspired to think through what vehicles and platforms could work for their own projects and what first steps to take towards building an audience in a new space.
Speakers
avatar for Leezel Tanglao

Leezel Tanglao

Tayo (Project of the Filipino Young Leaders Program FYLPRO)
Leezel Tanglao is a bridge journalist at the intersection of editorial, product, business development and sales. She has worked at several media companies including The Points Guy, HuffPost, Associated Press, CNN, CBSNews.com, VICE News, NowThis, ABCNews.com, KCBS/KCAL and Press-Enterprise... Read More →
avatar for Maya Chupkov

Maya Chupkov

California Common Cause/Proud Stutter
Maya Chupkov, a proud woman who stutters, is Host & Producer of Proud Stutter, an independent podcast about stuttering and embracing verbal diversity. She is also Media & Democracy Program Manager at California Common Cause, a good government organization working to strengthen democratic... Read More →
avatar for Ryan Sorrell

Ryan Sorrell

The Kansas City Defender
Ryan has worked at one of the nation's most esteemed Black think tanks, one of Chicago's top B2B Tech PR agencies, a top 3 global PR firm, and led a direct action group during the 2020 uprisings. During Ryan's professional career he's consulted brands such as Facebook, Samsung, Amazon... Read More →
avatar for Travers Johnson

Travers Johnson

Queerency
Travers Johnson (he/him) is the founder & CEO of Queerency, the leading LGBTQ+ business news source. He is an award-winning content strategist and editor with more than 14 years of experience in digital media, print publishing, and email marketing at companies including Penguin Random... Read More →

Thursday October 27, 2022 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Waterloo 1
  Session Track: Journalistic Impact, Lightning Talk

1:40pm CDT

Achieving ambitious goals: How newsroom leaders established and achieved big aims
How can newsrooms of all sizes punch above their weight to achieve ambitious goals? How do you know what’s possible? Moderated by News Revenue Hub's Mary Walter-Brown, John Bebow and S. Mitra Kalita will discuss their approach to setting bold, aspirational targets and surpassing them.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for newsroom leaders at all levels and team members who are charged with achieving ambitious audience and reader revenue goals.
Speakers
avatar for John Bebow

John Bebow

The Center for Michigan / Bridge
John Bebow is president and CEO of the Center for Michigan, which publishes Bridge Michigan and BridgeDetroit. Launched in 2011, Bridge Michigan attracts 600,000+ readers per month, has grown one of the largest paid membership programs in nonprofit news, and has earned hundreds of... Read More →
avatar for S. Mitra Kalita

S. Mitra Kalita

Epicenter NYC / URL Media
S. Mitra Kalita is a veteran journalist, media executive, prolific commentator and author of two books. Recently, she launched Epicenter-NYC, a newsletter to help New Yorkers get through the pandemic. Mitra has also recently co-founded a new media company called URL Media, a network... Read More →
avatar for Mary Walter Brown

Mary Walter Brown

News Revenue Hub
Mary founded the News Revenue Hub in 2016 to help news organizations achieve greater financial sustainability. The Hub team has helped more than 70 newsrooms raise $65 million dollars – and counting. Prior to founding the Hub, Mary was the Publisher/COO of Voice of San Diego. During... Read More →

Thursday October 27, 2022 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Fireside Chat

2:30pm CDT

Break
Coffee/tea/snacks will be available.
Thursday October 27, 2022 2:30pm - 2:50pm CDT
  Break, Session Break

2:50pm CDT

Serving low-income communities: Collaborative discussion on effective revenue strategies
While many news organizations have had success with reader revenue strategies and cultivating major donors, newsrooms that are primarily serving low-income communities have  a much more challenging time with these strategies. We'll lead a facilitated brainstorming session with other organizations serving low-income communities, whether they've had some success or are looking for fresh inspiration.
Speakers
avatar for Candice Fortman

Candice Fortman

Outlier Media
Candice Fortman is the Executive Director of Outlier Media, a Detroit-based service journalism organization. Before joining Outlier, Candice was the Marketing & Engagement Manager for WDET 101.9-Detroit’s NPR station. Candice led the effort to build WDET’s audience and grow the... Read More →
avatar for Cierra Hinton

Cierra Hinton

Scalawag
Cierra is a creative strategist who centers imagination, play, and community in her work. She loves building with teams and individuals as they drive toward outcomes that matter in a way that is inclusive and authentic.Cierra is the Executive Director-Publisher at Scalawag, a Southern... Read More →

Thursday October 27, 2022 2:50pm - 3:40pm CDT
Waterloo 5
  Session Track: Financial Health, Workshop

2:50pm CDT

Reaching new audiences: Learning and acting on your community's unmet needs
Most news leaders now have identified goals for reaching new and/or underserved audiences. But where do you actually start? And what if you don’t have a budget for this work? As leaders of two ecosystem-building organizations, we'll draw on our experiences launching community listening and research projects, our statewide diversity audit and coaching news organizations through this specific challenge. We’ll walk through examples and approaches for any budget, and you’ll walk away with a plan you can put into action for your organization.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is designed for people who are journalists, editors, founders, in product roles or audience development or engagement specialists.
  • Attendees will walk away with ideas for approaches they can take, plus an action plan they can implement when they get back to their newsroom.
Speakers
avatar for Erica Perel

Erica Perel

UNC Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media
Erica Beshears Perel is the director of the UNC Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media, which works to build a more sustainable and equitable future for local news, journalists and communities. She is a former local journalist, journalism educator and director of... Read More →
avatar for Shannan Bowen

Shannan Bowen

NC Local News Workshop
Shannan Bowen is the executive director of the NC Local News Workshop, an organization that helps strengthen and support the local news ecosystem in North Carolina. Shannan's areas of expertise include local news, product strategy and audience development. She has served in leadership... Read More →

Thursday October 27, 2022 2:50pm - 3:40pm CDT
Waterloo 6
  Session Track: Journalistic Impact, Workshop

2:50pm CDT

Selective news avoidance: Sustaining a publication during a time of overwhelm
Grim news and an overwhelming amount of content has more consumers avoiding news. Rosental Alves of UT Austin, leads a conversation with Anita Li of The Green Line and Evelyn Crowley of Prism about selective news avoidance and what this means for publishers working to create a sustainable business.

Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for publishers looking to understand selective news avoidance and the ways it could impact their business.
  • Attendees will get ideas on how content creation and product design could make their news business more resilient to, or actually benefit from, selective news avoidance.
Speakers
avatar for Talia Stroud

Talia Stroud

Center for Media Engagement at UT Austin
Talia Stroud, Ph.D., is the E. M. "Ted" Dealey Professor of the Business of Journalism and is a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies and the School of Journalism and Media, as well as the founding and current Director of the Center for Media Engagement (mediaengagement.org... Read More →
avatar for Anita Li

Anita Li

The Green Line
Anita Li is a longtime journalist, news entrepreneur, media consultant and educator with over a decade of full-time experience as a multi-platform journalist at outlets across North America. Currently, she is the founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Green Line, a local Toronto-based... Read More →
avatar for Evelyn Crowley

Evelyn Crowley

Content Strategy Consultant
Evelyn serves as the GM of Prism, a wellness newsletter. Additionally, she's the founder of her own consulting business for content strategy with clients including Spotify, Levis, Fenty and Sonos. She holds a B.A. from Trinity College and M.A. in Cinema & Media Studies from U.C.L.A... Read More →
avatar for Rosental Alves

Rosental Alves

Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at UT Austin
Professor Rosental C. Alves is the Knight Chair in Journalism and UNESCO Chair in Communication at the Moody College of Communication School of Journalism and Media, where he founded and directs the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. Rosental joined UT Austin faculty in... Read More →

Thursday October 27, 2022 2:50pm - 3:40pm CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Session Track: Journalistic Impact, Panel

2:50pm CDT

Planning for growth: Building a vision for your business’s future
Your publication is ready to think about the next stage of its growth. . Exciting! Now what? This session is for news organizations who are ready to implement a strategic framework for how to grow their news organization. Whether that’s doubling down on what you’re already doing, expanding topically or geographically, or spinning off a new product or publication, this workshop will help you better assess your organizational needs and capacity and determine which growth strategy is most likely to succeed.
Speakers
avatar for Alison Go

Alison Go

Chalkbeat
Alison Go is Chalkbeat’s chief strategy officer and co-founder of Votebeat. Previously, she was a product manager at Amazon, Facebook, and several venture capital-funded startups. Alison received her MBA from the Wharton School and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan... Read More →
avatar for Mary Walter Brown

Mary Walter Brown

News Revenue Hub
Mary founded the News Revenue Hub in 2016 to help news organizations achieve greater financial sustainability. The Hub team has helped more than 70 newsrooms raise $65 million dollars – and counting. Prior to founding the Hub, Mary was the Publisher/COO of Voice of San Diego. During... Read More →

Thursday October 27, 2022 2:50pm - 3:40pm CDT
Waterloo 1
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Workshop

4:30pm CDT

Opening Reception
Join us for drinks and appetizers at our opening reception a couple blocks from the conference hotel.
Thursday October 27, 2022 4:30pm - 6:30pm CDT
Fareground 111 Congress Ave Austin, TX 78701
  Food/Drink
 
Friday, October 28
 

7:00am CDT

Breakfast
Breakfast will be provided.
Friday October 28, 2022 7:00am - 9:00am CDT
  Food/Drink, Breakfast

7:00am CDT

Registration
Check into the conference to receive your conference badge, which will grant you access to all sessions and events. Please be prepared to show a hard copy or photo of your COVID-19 vaccination card and a photo ID.

Friday October 28, 2022 7:00am - 12:00pm CDT
Waterloo 2 (Registration/Info Table)
  Registration

9:00am CDT

Know your audiences: Who is actually reading your work?
Who are your readers? How can knowing more about them support your organization’s sustainability? Small publishers can easily overlook audience insights to be gained from troves of “first party” and “zero party” data within their reach or already being collected. In this workshop, we’ll demystify the data jargon, and share simple, accessible approaches to develop audience insights that help publishers connect with individuals, make personal relationships and power journalism. Participants will leave with useful tools to bring back to their newsrooms, including an analytics dashboard, an audience survey template and more.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • Newsroom leaders and managers responsible for growing and engaging audiences, either for the purpose of creating a feedback loop for a better news product or for marketing a reader revenue program. 
  • We will demystify data jargon and share common accessible tactics publishers can quickly deploy to develop audience insights. High level case studies will reveal how this can inform business and editorial decisions. BlueLena will share free tools including an analytics dashboard, audience survey and a reader persona template. 
Speakers
avatar for Erin Millar

Erin Millar

Indiegraf, Discourse Media
Erin is co-founder and CEO of Indiegraf, a network of small and startup community news outlets pooling technology, services and capital to accelerate their growth. An experienced journalist and entrepreneur, she previously founded The Discourse, where she led an award-winning journalism... Read More →
avatar for Ned Berke

Ned Berke

BlueLena
Ned Berke is the Chief Strategy Officer of BlueLena.io, a team of audience development strategists and technology managers that grow reader revenue, allowing publishers to focus on what matters: quality journalism. He is a founding boardmember of LION, and a former publisher of a... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Waterloo 5
  Session Track: Journalistic Impact, Workshop

9:00am CDT

Innovating after a decade: Building experimentation culture at mature newsrooms
Leaders from three mature digital newsrooms will share how they keep things fresh and maintain a growth mindset after more than a decade in operation. They’ll weigh in on how they create a strong newsroom culture and inspire a spirit of experimentation and collaboration.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for newsroom leaders at all levels who are interested in inspiring their teams and building a strong culture that attracts and maintains top talent.
Speakers
avatar for Angie Mock

Angie Mock

The San Antonio Report
After 20+ years in the private sector in the hospitality business and a hiatus to raise twin children, Angie joined the ranks of the nonprofit sector as CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio. Under her leadership, the organization grew substantially to become the 10th largest Boys... Read More →
avatar for Bill Macfadyen

Bill Macfadyen

Noozhawk
Bill Macfadyen is the founder and publisher of Noozhawk, Santa Barbara County’s No. 1 source for online local news. Now in its 15th year, Noozhawk specializes in drama and inconvenience — which covers everything from breaking news, to government, to K-12 education, to disasters... Read More →
avatar for Tracey Taylor

Tracey Taylor

Cityside
Tracey Taylor is Co-Founder and Editorial Director of Cityside, the nonprofit parent organization that powers Berkeleyside and The Oaklandside, digital-first newsrooms that serve the Bay Area communities of Berkeley, Oakland and the greater East Bay. Before co-founding Berkeleyside... Read More →
avatar for Mary Walter Brown

Mary Walter Brown

News Revenue Hub
Mary founded the News Revenue Hub in 2016 to help news organizations achieve greater financial sustainability. The Hub team has helped more than 70 newsrooms raise $65 million dollars – and counting. Prior to founding the Hub, Mary was the Publisher/COO of Voice of San Diego. During... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Waterloo 1
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Panel

9:00am CDT

Leading a turnaround: How reimagination can lead to sustainability
Cierra Hinton of Scalawag and Lisa Snowden-McCray of Baltimore Beat brought their publications to sustainability from points of near-closure. Their turnaround strategies embraced re-imagination and better ways of doing things, from audience to operations and people, in addition to revenue, which led to success.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for news leaders and aspiring leaders who want inspiration for better business practices and the connection to sustainability.
  • Attendees will understand the challenges and the critical decisions required to execute a bold turnaround.
Speakers
avatar for Cierra Hinton

Cierra Hinton

Scalawag
Cierra is a creative strategist who centers imagination, play, and community in her work. She loves building with teams and individuals as they drive toward outcomes that matter in a way that is inclusive and authentic.Cierra is the Executive Director-Publisher at Scalawag, a Southern... Read More →
avatar for Lisa Snowden-McCray

Lisa Snowden-McCray

Baltimore Beat
Lisa Snowden is Editor-in-Chief and cofounder of Baltimore Beat. Previously, she was an editor at Baltimore City Paper, Baltimore Sun, and The Real News Network. Her work has also appeared in Essence, Washington Post, Baltimore Magazine, and many other publications.
avatar for Tim Griggs

Tim Griggs

Blue Engine Collaborative
Tim Griggs is the founder and CEO of Blue Engine Collaborative, a mission-first consulting/coaching/advisory firm. Tim and the Blue Engine team have run digital transformation programs and coached hundreds of teams around the globe, including the Google News Initiative's Digital Foundations... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Fireside Chat

9:50am CDT

Break
Friday October 28, 2022 9:50am - 10:00am CDT
  Break, Session Break

10:00am CDT

Launching advertising/sponsorships: Strategies and infrastructure to set up successful selling
Looking to launch an advertising or sponsorship program in your business? Hear from three people who’ve done it successfully. Learn how to be strategic in advertising, how to keep your local community in mind, and how to be intentional about setting up the sponsorship or advertising partnership that works best for you. 
Session audience and takeaways:
  • People who are curious about sponsorships, sponsored content; people who maybe haven’t set up an advertising revenue stream yet and want some ideas for where to start
  • Being strategic and audience-focused with your advertising; finding advertising/sponsorships that are community-focused and intentional
Speakers
avatar for Fernando Soto

Fernando Soto

New Digital Press, Nuestro Estado
Fernando Soto is the CEO & Publisher of NuestroEstado.com, a Spanish-language digital news outlet focusing on informing and engaging Latinx audiences across South Carolina. He is also a co-founder of ThePeoplesBeat.com, an English language media company that aims to center BIPOC communities... Read More →
avatar for Irene McKisson

Irene McKisson

Arizona Luminaria
Irene McKisson is the co-founder and Principal Executive of Arizona Luminaria, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to truly local news and community-centered journalism. Before launching a startup, she spent 18 years at the Arizona Daily Star where she was the GM of niche audience... Read More →
avatar for Megan Raposa

Megan Raposa

Sioux Falls Simplified
Megan Raposa is an award-winning journalist based in South Dakota. She started her career as a newspaper reporter at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, where she worked for six years, most recently as an editor. Raposa left to start her own digital local news outlet, Sioux Falls Simplified... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Waterloo 6
  Session Track: Financial Health, Workshop

10:00am CDT

Partnerships for mutual success: Find new audiences and revenue
Are media collaborations worth doing? What’s the pay-off in partnering with third-party news apps? In this series of lightning talks, we’ll discuss:
  • How many newsrooms can work together successfully on collaborations
  • How newsrooms can create a story republishing strategy
  • How third-party news app partnerships work and if they pay off
  • How newsrooms can band together to fundraise collectively
Session audience and takeaways:
  • Anyone in a newsroom who has participated in partnerships or is interested in learning more about what it takes
  • How newsroom collaborations can work successfully; what you need to know about third-party news app partnerships; earning collective revenue from collaborations

Speakers
avatar for Jonathan Kealing

Jonathan Kealing

Institute for Nonprofit News
Jonathan Kealing strengthens collaboration among INN’s network of nonprofit newsrooms and develops partnerships and services that help them meet their missions and increase the reach and impact of their journalism. Jonathan oversees the membership and collaborations teams, in addition... Read More →
avatar for Alana Rocha

Alana Rocha

Institute for Nonprofit News
Alana Rocha leads INN’s Rural News Network — its most ambitious collaboration to date. As editor, Alana works with more than 60 member outlets in 30 states to guide and amplify coverage of remote areas. Alana joined INN after 20 years as a news and politics reporter in Florida... Read More →
avatar for Gabe Schneider

Gabe Schneider

The Objective
Gabe Schneider is the co-founder of The Objective, a media publication focused on reporting, first-person commentary, and reported essays on communities journalism in the U.S. has typically ignored or misrepesented. He is also currently the partnerships and collaborations manager... Read More →
avatar for Joseph Lichterman

Joseph Lichterman

The Lenfest Institute for Journalism
Joseph Lichterman is the Lenfest Institute’s Communication and Editorial Director. In this role Joseph leads the Institute’s reporting, research, and communications strategy. He also writes Solution Set, a regular report on innovation in journalism. Prior to joining the Institute... Read More →
avatar for Rachel Glickhouse

Rachel Glickhouse

News Revenue Hub
Rachel Glickhouse is the learning and labs director at the News Revenue Hub. She's also an organizer of the Democracy Day collaboration and creator of the Drought in the West Slack initiative. She previously worked at The COVID Tracking Project, ProPublica, Univision, Medium, and... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Waterloo 5
  Session Track: Journalistic Impact, Lightning Talk

10:00am CDT

Effecting institutional changes: Moving past inertia to major transformation
What happens when a media organization takes a radically different approach to its business model? We'll talk to newsroom leaders from Politifact, The Salt Lake Tribune, and the Cap Times to understand how they made the case to change their approach, got buy-in and moved forward with major organizational changes.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • People who work in newsrooms who want to learn how to make changes big and small possible
  • What you need to do to shepherd change in a newsroom; what it takes to change your organization’s business model

Speakers
avatar for Chris Murphy

Chris Murphy

The Capital Times (aka Cap Times)
Murphy is the managing editor for the Cap Times, a 105-year-old former daily newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin that is retooling its business model. Murphy is the lead person for investigating new revenue streams, including events — most notably Cap Times Idea Fest, which debuted... Read More →
avatar for Josie Hollingsworth

Josie Hollingsworth

PolitiFact
Josie Hollingsworth is PolitiFact's Audience Director. Previously, she worked in audience engagement, expanding social platforms and website production at The Seattle Times and the Tampa Bay Times.
avatar for Lauren Gustus

Lauren Gustus

The Salt Lake Tribune
Lauren became Executive Editor of The Salt Lake Tribune in fall of 2020. The Tribune is the only major metro news organization to become a nonprofit. It achieved sustainability in 2021, under Lauren’s leadership.She previously worked for McClatchy as West Region Editor, overseeing... Read More →
avatar for Paul Cheung

Paul Cheung

Center for Public Integrity
Paul Cheung leads The Center for Public Integrity as CEO to counter the corrosive effects of inequality by using investigative reporting to hold powerful interests accountable and equipping the public with knowledge to drive change. Previously, he managed a multi-million dollars investment... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Waterloo 1
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Panel

10:00am CDT

Road to sustainability: Successes and mistakes from three news founders
ProPublica co-founder and past President Richard J. Tofel, Outlier founder and editor-in-chief Sarah Alvarez, and Lenfest Institute CEO Jim Friedlich will share how they launched and grew sustainable nonprofit news enterprises, the challenges overcome along the way, and the pitfalls ahead. They'll offer insights into building compelling product and editorial visions, long term revenue models, organizational culture and structure, leadership, succession, and more.
Speakers
avatar for Jim Friedlich

Jim Friedlich

The Lenfest Institute for Journalism
Jim Friedlich is CEO and Executive Director of The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, an innovative non-profit organization that supports local journalism in Philadelphia and nationwide. The Institute is the owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer, now the largest newspaper in America owned... Read More →
avatar for Sarah Alvarez

Sarah Alvarez

Outlier Media
Sarah believes journalism should be designed as essential civic infrastructure and be responsive to the needs of all people. Before founding Outlier Media, she worked in civil rights law, social justice, and public radio. Her work has also been featured in The New York Times and ProPublica... Read More →
avatar for Richard Tofel

Richard Tofel

Independent Consultant
Dick Tofel was the founding general manager (and first employee) of ProPublica, and its president from 2013-21. Under his leadership, ProPublica grew to more than 160 employees and raised more than $225 million from other than its founding funders, while winning six Pulitzer Prizes... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Fireside Chat

10:00am CDT

Legal Office Hours
Looking for guidance on a legal issue or question related to your news business? Sign up for a 30-minute session with one of our three legal experts. Each expert has 8 sessions available on a limited basis. Sign up today!

Sign up for legal office hours with Alexander Papacristou. Alex can best address questions relating to incorporation, nonprofit tax exemption, fiscal sponsorship, corporate governance, contracting, employment, and insurance issues. I’m also familiar with copyright and trademark issues.

Sign up for legal office hours with David Bralow. David can best address questions relating to copyright, defamation, privacy and independent contractor issues.

Sign up for legal office hours with Katie Townsend. Katie can best address questions relating to news-gathering (e.g., recording laws, subpoenas/source protection); libel/defamation and related considerations; and access (FOIA, state public records, and access to judicial records and proceedings).



Speakers
avatar for Alexander Papacristou

Alexander Papacristou

Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice
Alexander Papachristou is Executive Director of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, an international public interest law program of the New York City Bar Association, providing pro bono legal support to human rights, environmental, and investigative journalism organizations... Read More →
avatar for David Bralow

David Bralow

First Look Institute
David S. Bralow is the Senior Vice President of Law at First Look Institute, where he provides First Amendment and other legal advice to The Intercept, Field of Vision, and the Press Freedom Defense Fund.  He is also the co-founder of Lawyers for Reporters, a pro bono law firm project... Read More →
avatar for Katie Townsend

Katie Townsend

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Katie Townsend (@katie_rcfp) is Deputy Executive Director and Legal Director at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (www.rcfp.org), a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. She oversees the litigation, amicus, and other legal work of Reporters Committee attorneys... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
Room 502
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Office Hours

10:50am CDT

Break
Coffee/tea/snacks will be available.
Friday October 28, 2022 10:50am - 11:10am CDT
  Break, Session Break

11:10am CDT

Keynote: Reimagining our newsrooms: Why sustainable newsroom culture matters
As independent news startups, we all have a fantastic and uncommon opportunity to redefine how journalism works, without being weighed down by how things have always been done. Sisi Wei, editor-in-chief of The Markup and previously co-executive director of OpenNews, and Angilee Shah, editor-in-chief of Charlottesville Tomorrow, which is reimagining local news in central Virginia, will be in conversation about how leaders can design journalism organizations to take care of people, and ultimately, remake the news. By not assuming value in any existing processes, these two leaders are creating impactful journalism by running newsrooms in which journalists can thrive.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for all journalism industry leaders and newsroom leaders.
  • Some takeaways from our session will include how to value your team’s work, and not undervalue it the way the industry pressures us to; the need for support for journalism at the local level; how to let local and those close to the topics and people they cover lead; how news economies need to change by strengthening economies of local newsrooms rather than seeking to stay apart from them while you work
Speakers
avatar for Angilee Shah

Angilee Shah

Charlottesville Tomorrow
Angilee Shah is the Editor-in-Chief of the nonprofit news organization Charlottesville Tomorrow, in Central Virginia and a coach for news organizations and journalism change makers around the country. She specializes in building teams and content for people and communities too often... Read More →
avatar for Sisi Wei

Sisi Wei

The Markup
Sisi Wei is Editor-in-Chief at The Markup. Previously, she was Co-Executive Director of OpenNews, where she founded the DEI Coalition, which is dedicated to sharing knowledge and taking concrete action in service of a more anti-racist, equitable, and just journalism industry. She... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 11:10am - 12:00pm CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Keynote

12:00pm CDT

Lunch
Explore Austin restaurants to enjoy lunch on your own. (Lunch is not provided by the conference hosts).
Friday October 28, 2022 12:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
  Food/Drink, Lunch

2:00pm CDT

Funding sustainable news: How leading funders evaluate journalism projects
In this discussion moderated by Jim Friedlich of the Lenfest Institute, representatives from The American Journalism Project, Arnold Ventures, the Ford Foundation and the Knight Foundation will discuss how they evaluate journalism projects, how they think about philanthropic funds as a part of sustainability, and where philanthropic funding of journalism is headed. 
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is designed to help news organizations learn more about funding fundamentals and strategy from 5 foundations that support journalism.
  • Learn more about what each funding organization does (or doesn’t fund); how they think about philanthropic funds as a part of sustainability and what’s ahead for journalism funding in light of market forces. 
Speakers
avatar for Jim Brady

Jim Brady

Knight Foundation
Jim Brady is the Vice President of Journalism for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Brady, who joined Knight in August 2021, is a longtime digital media innovator whose experience ranges from leading major brands such as washingtonpost.com and Digital First Media to starting... Read More →
avatar for Jim Friedlich

Jim Friedlich

The Lenfest Institute for Journalism
Jim Friedlich is CEO and Executive Director of The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, an innovative non-profit organization that supports local journalism in Philadelphia and nationwide. The Institute is the owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer, now the largest newspaper in America owned... Read More →
avatar for Lolly Bowean

Lolly Bowean

Ford Foundation
Lolly Bowean is a writer, an award-winning journalist and community storyteller. She currently manages the Journalism portfolio with the Creativity and Free Expression team at the Ford Foundation. Before joining Ford, she curated the Media & Storytelling portfolio at the Field Foundation... Read More →
avatar for Michelle Srbinovich

Michelle Srbinovich

American Journalism Project
Michelle leads the American Journalism Project’s portfolio-wide support and capacity building initiatives, and serves as a strategic partner to a growing number of grantees. She was previously general manager at WDET, Detroit’s NPR affiliate, and has earned national recognition... Read More →
avatar for Rhiannon Collette

Rhiannon Collette

Arnold Ventures
Rhiannon provides strategic support and helps manage the journalism portfolio at Arnold Ventures. A former journalist, Rhiannon worked in newsrooms across Texas, covering health care, education, government, public housing and business. In 2016, she transitioned to a career in health... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Session Track: Financial Health, Panel

2:00pm CDT

Optimizing the audience funnel: Teamwork and workflows for the user journey
Leaders from Mississippi Today, Montana Free Press and The Narwhal will share how their membership and audience teams work together on specific projects and workflows, and how they’ve carved out roles to tackle the different parts of the funnel. Then they’ll work with attendees to brainstorm new workflows for their teams.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for people who work in audience or membership roles who would like help:
    • People who work in audience or membership roles
    • Team leaders looking to have effective communication and collaboration between their audience and membership teams
    • Media outlets who want to build loyalty and community with their readers
    • Anyone looking to increase membership retention
  • Some takeaways for attendees include: 
    • How membership and audience teams can work more effectively together to improve loyalty and increase revenue.
    • Structures for effective collaboration and communication between audience and membership
    • Database understanding to implement retention strategies, donor loyalty and community engagement. 
Speakers
avatar for Kathryn Juricic

Kathryn Juricic

The Narwhal
Kathryn has long been an advocate for resilient communities. She has spent the last decade organizing neighbourhood arts and culture events and raising funds for everything from Indigenous legal challenges across Canada to produce drives for families throughout her local region. She... Read More →
avatar for Kristin Tessman

Kristin Tessman

Montana Free Press
Kristin Tessman is the Deputy Director at Montana Free Press. Tessman's responsibilities range from donor and partner management (fund development, framing of key approaches, high-quality relationship building, communication) to administration (finance, reporting, facilities), and... Read More →
avatar for Lauchlin Fields

Lauchlin Fields

Mississippi Today
Lauchlin Fields is Mississippi Today’s Audience Development Director. Building on her early foundation in journalism as a community newspaper reporter and following her passion to elevate the voices of Mississippians, Lauchlin has designed a unique approach to growing and engaging... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Waterloo 1
  Session Track: Financial Health, Workshop

2:00pm CDT

Growing pains: Operational solutions for each stage of growth
Audience growth, revenue growth and team growth are every news organization’s dream. But that growth can be painful if internal operations aren’t keeping pace with progress, which can lead to inefficiencies, redundancies, disorder, overwork and burnout. INN and LION Publishers will lay out common operational pain points that emerge at each growth stage based on INN’s Index of industry-wide data and LION’s Sustainability Audit. Together with participants, we will co-create practical, applicable solutions for healthy growth.

Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for those who are interested in better understanding the stages of organizational growth and for those who want to learn how to grow in a sustainable way
  • Some takeaways include a framework for articulating the stages of growth and how to successfully manage them and a co-created resource that articulates solutions to common operational problems at each of those stages of growth
Speakers
avatar for Soraya Membreno

Soraya Membreno

Institute for Nonprofit News
Soraya Membreno is the Chief Operating Officer of the Institute for Nonprofit News, where she leads organizational development as INN extends programs and support to a growing number of nonprofit newsrooms across North America. Prior to joining INN, Soraya served as the publisher... Read More →
avatar for Lisa Heyamoto

Lisa Heyamoto

LION Publishers
Lisa Heyamoto is director of Teaching & Learning at LION Publishers. She helps independent news organizations reach sustainability by designing training programs, coaching/consulting opportunities and practical resources that help publications become more operationally resilient... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Waterloo 6
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Workshop

2:00pm CDT

Legal Office Hours
Looking for guidance on a legal issue or question related to your news business? Sign up for a 30-minute session with one of our three legal experts. Each expert has 8 sessions available on a limited basis. Sign up today!

Sign up for legal office hours with Alexander Papacristou. Alex can best address questions relating to incorporation, nonprofit tax exemption, fiscal sponsorship, corporate governance, contracting, employment, and insurance issues. I’m also familiar with copyright and trademark issues.

Sign up for legal office hours with David Bralow. David can best address questions relating to copyright, defamation, privacy and independent contractor issues.

Sign up for legal office hours with Katie Townsend. Katie can best address questions relating to news-gathering (e.g., recording laws, subpoenas/source protection); libel/defamation and related considerations; and access (FOIA, state public records, and access to judicial records and proceedings).
Speakers
avatar for Alexander Papacristou

Alexander Papacristou

Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice
Alexander Papachristou is Executive Director of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, an international public interest law program of the New York City Bar Association, providing pro bono legal support to human rights, environmental, and investigative journalism organizations... Read More →
avatar for David Bralow

David Bralow

First Look Institute
David S. Bralow is the Senior Vice President of Law at First Look Institute, where he provides First Amendment and other legal advice to The Intercept, Field of Vision, and the Press Freedom Defense Fund.  He is also the co-founder of Lawyers for Reporters, a pro bono law firm project... Read More →
avatar for Katie Townsend

Katie Townsend

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Katie Townsend (@katie_rcfp) is Deputy Executive Director and Legal Director at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (www.rcfp.org), a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. She oversees the litigation, amicus, and other legal work of Reporters Committee attorneys... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 2:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
Room 502
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Office Hours

2:50pm CDT

Break
Coffee/tea/snacks will be available.
Friday October 28, 2022 2:50pm - 3:10pm CDT
  Break, Session Break

3:10pm CDT

Breakouts with revenue all-stars: Advice from leading fundraisers in journalism
Hear top takeaways from experts in revenue development with an opportunity to attend small-group roundtable breakout discussions. Come prepared with your question or challenge in key areas: foundation funding, major gifts, corporate sponsorships/advertising or membership.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is designed for fundraisers at news organizations, whether they are dedicated fundraisers, or they play a role in fundraising through their leadership roles.
  • Session attendees will have the opportunity to engage in small group conversations with leading fundraisers in journalism, who will share their experiences and solutions to common challenges.
Speakers
avatar for Penny Riordan

Penny Riordan

Local Media Association
Penny Riordan is the Director of Business Strategy and Partnerships for Local Media Association. She manages two of LMA's collaboratives, Oklahoma Media Center and News Is Out. Prior to joining LMA, Penny worked for six years at Gannett and GateHouse. She helped run GateHouse’s... Read More →
avatar for Annie McCain Madonia

Annie McCain Madonia

The Lenfest Institute for Journalism
Annie is The Lenfest Institute for Journalism’s Chief Advancement Officer. In this role, she leads external affairs including fundraising, communications, and Board development and governance. Annie brings 30 years of fundraising experience to the Institute, and has held roles at... Read More →
avatar for April Brumley Hinkle

April Brumley Hinkle

The Texas Tribune
April Hinkle is the chief revenue officer of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news organization recently called “one of the nonprofit news sector’s runaway success stories.” Hinkle, who holds an advertising degree from the University of Texas, is responsible... Read More →
avatar for Christina Shih

Christina Shih

News Revenue Hub
Christina works to ensure the Hub reaches its partner and revenue goals. Prior to the Hub, Christina managed Voice of San Diego’s membership program. She has a background in mission driven event planning and spent four years planning high-level donor cultivation events for art... Read More →
avatar for Terry Quinn

Terry Quinn

Texas Tribune
Terry Quinn is a sixth-generation Texan and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She has worked as a volunteer and professional for over 23 years to raise funds for many nonprofit organizations in Austin and around Texas, most recently The Nature Conservancy of Texas and... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 3:10pm - 4:00pm CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Session Track: Financial Health, Workshop

3:10pm CDT

Turbocharging reader revenue: Helpful strategies for growing membership
Have a new revenue program, or has yours been plateauing? Hear from experts at three leading nonprofit newsrooms about ways to improve your membership program, including campaign strategies that work, making use of calls to action, and more.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • People who work at newsrooms with an existing reader revenue program that they’d like to improve
  • Successful campaign strategies and tips for improving membership programs

Speakers
avatar for Amber DeLind

Amber DeLind

Bridge Michigan | BridgeDetroit
Amber DeLind is membership and engagement director at Bridge Michigan and leads membership efforts at BridgeDetroit. Previously, DeLind led the public engagement team at the Center for Michigan (Bridge's nonprofit publisher), worked as a grant programs consultant for the Michigan... Read More →
avatar for Ben Nishimoto

Ben Nishimoto

Honolulu Civil Beat
Ben Nishimoto is the Vice President of Operations and Philanthropy for Honolulu Civil Beat, responsible for executing revenue, engagement, and operating strategies for Hawaii's nonprofit small newsroom.Prior to Civil Beat, Ben was the Vice President of Advancement at PBS Hawaii, where... Read More →
avatar for Kyle Constable

Kyle Constable

The Connecticut Mirror
Kyle is the Director of Membership and Digital Innovation at The Connecticut Mirror. He joined CT Mirror in 2016 as a reporting intern and later became a general assignment reporter. He transitioned into audience engagement responsibilities in late 2017 and started his current role... Read More →
avatar for Abbey Gingras

Abbey Gingras

News Revenue Hub
Abbey Gingras is the director of consulting at News Revenue Hub where she works with newsrooms on growing and engaging their audiences and turning readers into paying members. She was previously an audience editor at Outside magazine.

Friday October 28, 2022 3:10pm - 4:00pm CDT
Waterloo 1
  Session Track: Financial Health, Panel

3:10pm CDT

Building for community: Lessons from orgs working in underserved communities
How is an “underserved” community-centered approach different, and how do we approach it differently? We’ll talk about the specific ways in which we work with “underserved” communities, and how that differs from traditional journalism. We’ll talk about how impact and revenue look in our community-centered approach.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for established outlets trying to expand reach within their community that are being underserved by them and other news outlets and news entrepreneurs wanting to start an outlet specifically to serve an underserved community.
  • Session attendees will learn how to identify who can help them understand their community better, how to think about their audience differently, defining what impact looks like, and how to balance making money with establishing trust.
Speakers
avatar for Arjuna Soriano

Arjuna Soriano

Ang Diaryo
Arjuna is a community organizer, journalist, and co-founder of Ang Diaryo, a news outlet filling the news and information gap for the Filipino working class of Los Angeles. Ang Diaryo was selected as a participant in the first cohort of the Tiny News Collective. Arjuna has mentored... Read More →
avatar for Fernando Soto

Fernando Soto

New Digital Press, Nuestro Estado
Fernando Soto is the CEO & Publisher of NuestroEstado.com, a Spanish-language digital news outlet focusing on informing and engaging Latinx audiences across South Carolina. He is also a co-founder of ThePeoplesBeat.com, an English language media company that aims to center BIPOC communities... Read More →
avatar for Sonam Vashi

Sonam Vashi

Canopy Atlanta
Sonam Vashi is a cofounder of Canopy Atlanta, a community-powered nonprofit newsroom that equips metro Atlantans to tell stories and access information. She is an award-winning journalist who has written about metro Atlanta for the New York Times, Atlanta magazine, ProPublica, and... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 3:10pm - 4:00pm CDT
Waterloo 5
  Session Track: Journalistic Impact, Panel

3:10pm CDT

The sophomore years: Overcoming challenges to achieve startup success
Once a startup newsroom survives its first two years, what comes next? We'll talk to leaders from The CITY and Sahan Journal to understand where they’re going and what’s important to know about the early stages of growth of a news startup. 
Session audience and takeaways:
  • People who work at startup newsrooms who want practical advice.
  • The keys to success at a nonprofit startup newsroom
Speakers
avatar for Mary Taylor

Mary Taylor

THE CITY
Mary leads THE CITY’s fundraising efforts as Director of Development. She connects donors to causes through innovative approaches and has led development and communications teams at the Center for Urban Community Services, Action Against Hunger, and the Jericho Project. Mary holds... Read More →
MI

Mukhtar Ibrahim

Sahan Journal
avatar for Richard Kim

Richard Kim

The City
Richard Kim is the Editor in Chief of The City, a local nonprofit new site covering all things NYC. He was previously Executive Editor of HuffPost and Executive Editor of The Nation.
avatar for Evan Mackinder

Evan Mackinder

News Revenue Hub
As VP of Consulting at News Revenue Hub, Evan leads org efforts to help newsrooms build and refine audience and membership strategies from his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has been working in newsrooms for more than a decade. Prior to joining the Hub, Evan worked as a senior audience... Read More →

Friday October 28, 2022 3:10pm - 4:00pm CDT
Waterloo 6
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Panel

5:30pm CDT

LION Awards Happy Hour
Join us for a pre-LION Awards Ceremony happy hour just outside the main ballroom on our conference floor. If you haven't yet purchased your ticket, which will include one drink, dinner and entrance to the Awards Ceremony, we'll have a limited number of tickets available for purchase at the door. Doors to the ceremony will open at 6:45 p.m.
Friday October 28, 2022 5:30pm - 7:00pm CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  LION Awards

7:00pm CDT

LION Awards Ceremony + Dinner
Join us at the Independent News Sustainability Summit for a celebration of the 2022 LION Local Journalism Awards winners and finalists, hosted by Outlier Media executive director Candice Fortman and LION Publishers director of teaching & learning Lisa Heyamoto and featuring a keynote by The 19th co-founders Amanda Zamora and Emily Ramshaw.

If you haven't yet purchased your ticket, which will include one drink, dinner and entrance to the Awards Ceremony, we'll have a limited number of tickets available for purchase at the door.

Doors to the ceremony will open at 6:45 p.m.



Friday October 28, 2022 7:00pm - 9:30pm CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  LION Awards
 
Saturday, October 29
 

7:00am CDT

Breakfast
Breakfast will be provided.
Saturday October 29, 2022 7:00am - 9:00am CDT
  Food/Drink, Breakfast

7:00am CDT

Registration
Check into the conference to receive your conference badge, which will grant you access to all sessions and events. Please be prepared to show a hard copy or photo of your COVID-19 vaccination card and a photo ID.

Saturday October 29, 2022 7:00am - 9:00am CDT
Waterloo 2 (Registration/Info Table)
  Registration

9:00am CDT

Assessing Opportunities: Aligning ideas with finance and capacity
Outlining your organization’s vision and strategy is the key to leading with clarity – and sleeping well at night. Learn how to align your organization’s mission and values with Fraser Nelson, build the operational processes and reporting to support your strategic goals with Lillian Ruiz, and assess the viability of a revenue opportunity with Ashley Woods Branch. This session will be heavy on Q&A, so bring your thorniest strategic, operational and revenue questions so our team of industry experts can weigh in!


Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is designed for news founders and leaders who are looking for a replicable framework to strategically plan for growth , develop operational capacity and assess the viability of a revenue opportunity.
  • We’ll devote a significant portion of time to consulting on strategic, operational and revenue questions from the audience – so come equipped with your burning questions!
  • Attendees will leave with a short slide deck and a framework that will allow them to define their organization’s values, build operational processes that pair with the overall vision, and develop revenue opportunities that build on their organization’s strengths.
Speakers
avatar for Ashley Woods Branch

Ashley Woods Branch

Outlier Media
Ashley Woods Branch is the Senior Director of Audience & Growth at Outlier Media, where she creates strategic partnerships and revenue opportunities and grows loyal and engaged audiences. Ashley quit her corporate career at the Detroit Free Press in 2017 to launch Detour Detroit... Read More →
avatar for Fraser Nelson

Fraser Nelson

National Trust for Local News
fraser nelson is a co founder of the national trust for local news and led the effort to turn the salt lake tribune into a nonprofit. she has led transformational organizations for decades and loves to help nonprofits develop strategy, which is less strange than it sounds.
avatar for Lillian Ruiz

Lillian Ruiz

Ci-X Strategies
Lillian Ruiz is the founder of Ci-X Strategies, where she works with funders, outlets, and support organizations in the media and social entrepreneurship space. Prior to Ci-X Strategies, she was co-founder of the National Trust for Local News, Civil Media and Civil Foundation, supporting... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Waterloo 6
  Session Track: Financial Health, Workshop

9:00am CDT

Meeting major donors: How to get in the room with the right people
Join Kimberly Griffin, Publisher and Chief Revenue Office of Mississippi Free Press, Kari Mitchell, Executive Director of the Dallas Free Press and Kimberly Spencer, Senior Director of Development at Capital B News, as they share best practices on how to get in front of major donor prospects, and how to prepare for your first meeting.

Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for development directors, founders, board members and any team member  responsible for fundraising. 
  • Attendees will leave this panel with fundraising tools, resources and tactics  they can immediately implement.
Speakers
avatar for Kimberly Spencer

Kimberly Spencer

Capital B & Myself
Kimberly Spencer currently oversees fundraising at Capital B. She has spent her career working with mission-based organizations to raise strategic support and increase brand awareness. She has held a variety of leadership and fundraising roles. Growing up in rural Maine she has seen... Read More →
avatar for Kimberly Griffin

Kimberly Griffin

Mississippi Free Press
Kimberly Griffin is the Publisher and Chief Revenue Officer for the Mississippi Free Press, which she co-founded in March 2020. Kimberly led her team’s participation in the Meta Membership Accelerator, where they created and implemented the MFP VIP Club membership program. Kimberly... Read More →
avatar for Keri Mitchell

Keri Mitchell

Dallas Free Press
Keri Mitchell launched Dallas Free Press in early 2020 with the belief that all neighborhoods deserve reporting and storytelling that values their community and holds leaders accountable. She cut her teeth at daily newspapers in the exurbs of Houston, then spent 15 years dedicated... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Waterloo 1
  Session Track: Financial Health, Panel

9:00am CDT

Product thinking: Building new products in small newsrooms
Industry experts will lead a workshop on product building for newsrooms with limited capacity. We’ll teach you what “product” means and the steps and tools you need to get started in basic product development.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • Anyone who’s interested in learning about what “product” means and a beginner’s approach to product development, especially in smaller newsrooms.
  • How to create products from scratch with few resources
Speakers
avatar for Candice Fortman

Candice Fortman

Outlier Media
Candice Fortman is the Executive Director of Outlier Media, a Detroit-based service journalism organization. Before joining Outlier, Candice was the Marketing & Engagement Manager for WDET 101.9-Detroit’s NPR station. Candice led the effort to build WDET’s audience and grow the... Read More →
avatar for Cheryl Thompson Morton

Cheryl Thompson Morton

Center for Community Media
In her role as Black Media Initiative Director for the Center for Community Media at the Newmark J-School, Cheryl Thompson-Morton works to support Black media outlets through training, research, convenings, and connecting them to financial resources. Cheryl is the co-organizer of... Read More →
avatar for Stephen Jefferson

Stephen Jefferson

American Press Institute
Stephen serves as Senior Applications Engineer at American Press Institute. He works on the team that manages their products for large and small newsrooms including analytics dashboards with Metrics for News and source diversity tracking with Source Matters. Stephen has over 15 years... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Waterloo 5
  Session Track: Journalistic Impact, Workshop

9:00am CDT

From journalist to CEO: What we wish we'd known before running a startup
What does it take to pivot from reporting to running a newsroom startup? We'll hear from three media leaders who made the jump and learn what their journeys were like, and open up the discussion for questions.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • Anyone interested about the overlap between editorial and leadership in newsrooms.
  • What it takes to pivot careers in journalism and what journalistic skills can be applied to newsroom leadership roles.
Speakers
avatar for Erin Millar

Erin Millar

Indiegraf, Discourse Media
Erin is co-founder and CEO of Indiegraf, a network of small and startup community news outlets pooling technology, services and capital to accelerate their growth. An experienced journalist and entrepreneur, she previously founded The Discourse, where she led an award-winning journalism... Read More →
avatar for John Adams

John Adams

Montana Free Press
John Adams is the founder and executive director of Montana Free Press, an independent nonprofit news organization focused on in-depth, investigative and statehouse news coverage. Before starting MTFP, Adams was the Capitol Bureau Chief of the Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune and a correspondent... Read More →
avatar for Kara Meyberg Guzman

Kara Meyberg Guzman

Santa Cruz Local
Kara Meyberg Guzman is the CEO/Co-founder of Santa Cruz Local, a local news outlet in Santa Cruz, Calif. She's passionate about building a healthy culture and efficient workflows in her newsroom. Santa Cruz Local was the recipient of LION Publishers' 2021 Local Journalism Award for... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Fireside Chat

9:00am CDT

Media law for entrepreneurs: Increasing your news organization’s sustainability by covering your legal needs
This media law session is designed to acquaint news entrepreneurs with an understanding of their legal rights and opportunities for news gathering; ways they can avoid costly defamation and copyright claims; and some of the important legal considerations that should be considered when establishing and managing a news organization.  Most importantly, the panel will provide news executives with need-to-know information on where they can find all-important legal resources to answer all their operational questions.

Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for all news entrepreneurs who are faced with thorny legal questions.  
  • They will learn the basics of newsgathering (public record, access, can-we-record) law as well as ways to avoid liability in publishing news articles of significant public concern. Besides these core First Amendment issues, news executives will be introduced to legal concepts on how best to organize your organization to avoid liability, to ensure appropriate non-profit governance, and how to manage independent contractor relationships.
Speakers
avatar for Alexander Papacristou

Alexander Papacristou

Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice
Alexander Papachristou is Executive Director of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, an international public interest law program of the New York City Bar Association, providing pro bono legal support to human rights, environmental, and investigative journalism organizations... Read More →
avatar for David Bralow

David Bralow

First Look Institute
David S. Bralow is the Senior Vice President of Law at First Look Institute, where he provides First Amendment and other legal advice to The Intercept, Field of Vision, and the Press Freedom Defense Fund.  He is also the co-founder of Lawyers for Reporters, a pro bono law firm project... Read More →
avatar for Katie Townsend

Katie Townsend

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Katie Townsend (@katie_rcfp) is Deputy Executive Director and Legal Director at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (www.rcfp.org), a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. She oversees the litigation, amicus, and other legal work of Reporters Committee attorneys... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room 502
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Panel

9:50am CDT

Break
Saturday October 29, 2022 9:50am - 10:00am CDT
  Break, Session Break

10:00am CDT

Successful newsletter strategy: Email products to grow loyalty and revenue
Three newsletter experts will share examples of successful newsletters they’ve worked on, and go into detail on:
  • Newsletters as lead generators and engagement/loyalty builders 
  • Sponsored emails and newsletter advertising 
  • Newsletters and membership/subscription promotion 
  • Growing newsletter lists
Session audience and takeaways:
  • People who want to improve their existing newsletters and email lists, and/or want to come up with a new newsletter idea.
  • What you need to turn a newsletter into a loyalty and revenue driver; how to make newsletter sponsorship and advertising work; how to effectively grow your email list.
Speakers
avatar for Heidi Thompson

Heidi Thompson

Independent Consultant
Heidi Thompson is a digital marketer and publishing executive focused on helping independent publishers find readers and revenue online.  She was the publisher and CEO of Religion News Service and served as the vice president for marketing and publisher of Sojourners magazine. Currently... Read More →
avatar for Irene McKisson

Irene McKisson

Arizona Luminaria
Irene McKisson is the co-founder and Principal Executive of Arizona Luminaria, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to truly local news and community-centered journalism. Before launching a startup, she spent 18 years at the Arizona Daily Star where she was the GM of niche audience... Read More →
avatar for Kim Bode

Kim Bode

Consultant and Devex
Kim is a consultant and coach, helping organizations identify opportunities, map strategies, and adopt best practices for newsletters and emails, as well as audience and product development more broadly. She is also the director of audience and news product at Devex, where she leads... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Session Track: Financial Health, Panel

10:00am CDT

From listening to news product: Lessons from the API-REJ Listening Lab
In this discussion moderated by Michael Grant, members of the American Press Institute–Racial Equity in Journalism Fund Listening Lab cohort will talk about how they transformed their community news businesses by applying human-centered design. The publishers will share how they conducted field research, created new products and came to reevaluate their roles as publishers. 
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for publishers, especially small newsrooms, who want to learn more about conducting listening work in communities and how to apply it towards creating news products that make a more sustainable business.
  • Attendees will learn the steps and tactics for conducting listening work and will come away with concrete examples of potential products. 
Speakers
avatar for Samantha Ragland

Samantha Ragland

American Press Institute
Samantha Ragland is the Vice President of Journalism Programs for the American Press Institute where her team is working to impact the longevity of local news by promoting cultural transformation and business sustainability through DEIB programs like the Inclusion Index and digital... Read More →
avatar for Garry Pierre-Pierre

Garry Pierre-Pierre

Haitian Times
Garry Pierre-Pierre is a Pulitzer-prize winning, multimedia and entrepreneurial journalist. In 1999, he left the New York Times to launch the Haitian Times, a New York-based English-language publication serving the Haitian Diaspora. He is also the co-founder of the City University... Read More →
avatar for Irene Romulo

Irene Romulo

Cicero Independiente
Irene Romulo is a bilingual journalist and co-founder of Cicero Independiente.
avatar for James Washington

James Washington

The Atlanta Voice
A 2019 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Legacy Award winner, Washington is a communications practitioner in all forms of media for over four decades. He has served on numerous boards in Dallas Texas and nationally. He currently serves on the board of the National Newspaper... Read More →
avatar for Michael Grant

Michael Grant

Reveal
Michael Grant is a UX design editor at Reveal, from The Center for Investigative Reporting. He aims to carefully apply user-centered design methods to storytelling, strengthen user experiences and develop strategies for creating meaningful engagement with stories. Grant enjoys exploring... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Waterloo 1
  Session Track: Journalistic Impact, Panel

10:00am CDT

Legal Office Hours
Looking for guidance on a legal issue or question related to your news business? Sign up for a 30-minute session with one of our three legal experts. Each expert has 8 sessions available on a limited basis. Sign up today!

Sign up for legal office hours with Alexander Papacristou. Alex can best address questions relating to incorporation, nonprofit tax exemption, fiscal sponsorship, corporate governance, contracting, employment, and insurance issues. I’m also familiar with copyright and trademark issues.

Sign up for legal office hours with David Bralow. David can best address questions relating to copyright, defamation, privacy and independent contractor issues.

Sign up for legal office hours with Katie Townsend. Katie can best address questions relating to news-gathering (e.g., recording laws, subpoenas/source protection); libel/defamation and related considerations; and access (FOIA, state public records, and access to judicial records and proceedings).
Speakers
avatar for Alexander Papacristou

Alexander Papacristou

Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice
Alexander Papachristou is Executive Director of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, an international public interest law program of the New York City Bar Association, providing pro bono legal support to human rights, environmental, and investigative journalism organizations... Read More →
avatar for David Bralow

David Bralow

First Look Institute
David S. Bralow is the Senior Vice President of Law at First Look Institute, where he provides First Amendment and other legal advice to The Intercept, Field of Vision, and the Press Freedom Defense Fund.  He is also the co-founder of Lawyers for Reporters, a pro bono law firm project... Read More →
avatar for Katie Townsend

Katie Townsend

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Katie Townsend (@katie_rcfp) is Deputy Executive Director and Legal Director at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (www.rcfp.org), a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. She oversees the litigation, amicus, and other legal work of Reporters Committee attorneys... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Room 502
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Office Hours

10:00am CDT

Remote & distributed work: Effective workflows and structures for distributed teams
How are newsrooms changing their office environments, training new staff, and shifting their hiring practices now that employees expect more flexible working arrangements? We’ll learn how two statewide and national newsrooms have adapted their distributed work arrangements, and how their set-ups have affected workflows, recruitment, and more. Speakers will share what’s worked from them and what they’re still troubleshooting.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • People who work in newsrooms with hybrid or remote work structures who want advice and tips about making distributed work more efficient.
  • How to make remote and distributed workflows better

Speakers
avatar for Joanna Zuckerman Bernstein

Joanna Zuckerman Bernstein

Spotlight PA
Joanna Zuckerman Bernstein joined Spotlight PA at launch in 2019 as its first development director. For the past three years, she has built local and national support for Spotlight PA’s statehouse and statewide journalism and led myriad other initiatives, including expanding the... Read More →
avatar for Paul Cheung

Paul Cheung

Center for Public Integrity
Paul Cheung leads The Center for Public Integrity as CEO to counter the corrosive effects of inequality by using investigative reporting to hold powerful interests accountable and equipping the public with knowledge to drive change. Previously, he managed a multi-million dollars investment... Read More →
avatar for Rachel Glickhouse

Rachel Glickhouse

News Revenue Hub
Rachel Glickhouse is the learning and labs director at the News Revenue Hub. She's also an organizer of the Democracy Day collaboration and creator of the Drought in the West Slack initiative. She previously worked at The COVID Tracking Project, ProPublica, Univision, Medium, and... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Waterloo 6
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Panel

10:50am CDT

Break
Coffee/tea/snacks will be available.
Saturday October 29, 2022 10:50am - 11:10am CDT
  Break, Session Break

11:10am CDT

Growing advertising/sponsorships revenue: Leveling up your earned revenue strategy
This session is for publishers who have established advertising or sponsorship relationships and are looking to strengthen and grow these relationships to increase their revenue.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for publishers with an established sponsorship/advertising program and leaders/managers who want to level up, refine, and improve their offerings.
  • Session attendees will walk away with understanding how to audit and beef up a media kit, build a better lead generation form, maximize inventory potential, how to create paperless, same day proposals and signatures, and how to build client relationships through clarity and accountability.

Speakers
avatar for David Yoder

David Yoder

Richland Source
David Yoder is a founding member of the Richland Source team & is currently the Sr Ad & Marketing Manager. He manages a 100M impression display ad network and leads company partnerships with Google. His 10 year career has spanned sales, marketing and audience development. From life-sized... Read More →
avatar for Sally Waterman

Sally Waterman

Sahan Journal
Sally Waterman is Sahan Journal’s director of advertising and sponsorship. She has worked in radio and print sales and in digital advertising since the late 1990s at major Minnesota news organizations such as startribune.com and mpr.org as well as early internet pioneers like AOL... Read More →
avatar for Sky Barsch

Sky Barsch

Chalkbeat & Votebeat
Sky Barsch is the VP of Sponsorships & Market Strategy at Chalkbeat and Votebeat. She's worked in just about every role in journalism including daily news reporting and owning, publishing, and editing Vermont Sports, an outdoors magazine. A writer and editor at heart, she learned... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 11:10am - 12:00pm CDT
Waterloo 6
  Session Track: Financial Health, Workshop

11:10am CDT

Combating burnout: Lightning talks to inspire new ways of working
Much of small newsroom burnout starts with ineffective or inefficient operations and not rightsizing your work based on your capacity. Hear from publishers and experts on specific solutions or frameworks they've implemented to prevent from being overworked or burnt out.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • Anyone who has experienced or feels like they’re closing to experiencing burnout; anyone who is working with colleagues or a team that always seems perpetually burned out; anyone who is interested in how to proactively prevent burnout on their team
  • Specific frameworks or ideas that these publishers or experts have implemented that can be adapted by attendees in their newsrooms or in their work
Speakers
avatar for Stephanie Martinelli

Stephanie Martinelli

LION Publishers
Stephanie Martinelli leads membership growth, retention and community-building strategies to ensure LION Publishers is providing the highest possible value to the news entrepreneurs it serves. She most-recently led Hearken’s engagement consulting team, and previously worked for... Read More →
avatar for Candice Fortman

Candice Fortman

Outlier Media
Candice Fortman is the Executive Director of Outlier Media, a Detroit-based service journalism organization. Before joining Outlier, Candice was the Marketing & Engagement Manager for WDET 101.9-Detroit’s NPR station. Candice led the effort to build WDET’s audience and grow the... Read More →
avatar for Emily Ristow

Emily Ristow

American Press Institute
Emily Ristow is the director of local news transformation at the American Press Institute, where she designs and leads programs that help news organizations manage change and transform their journalism and business strategies to become sustainable digital operations. Programs she’s... Read More →
avatar for Gabe Schneider

Gabe Schneider

The Objective
Gabe Schneider is the co-founder of The Objective, a media publication focused on reporting, first-person commentary, and reported essays on communities journalism in the U.S. has typically ignored or misrepesented. He is also currently the partnerships and collaborations manager... Read More →
avatar for Gaby Martinez-Stevenson

Gaby Martinez-Stevenson

The Diversity Pledge Institute
Gaby is DPI’s Director of Institutional Research. She has over 10 years of mixed-methods research experience with a strong focus on survey design and implementation, data analysis and collection and evaluation. She has expertise in the design, management, and implementation of research... Read More →
avatar for Kara Meyberg Guzman

Kara Meyberg Guzman

Santa Cruz Local
Kara Meyberg Guzman is the CEO/Co-founder of Santa Cruz Local, a local news outlet in Santa Cruz, Calif. She's passionate about building a healthy culture and efficient workflows in her newsroom. Santa Cruz Local was the recipient of LION Publishers' 2021 Local Journalism Award for... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 11:10am - 12:00pm CDT
Waterloo 1
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Lightning Talk

11:10am CDT

My first five hires: How growing news organizations expand their team
Documented, Fort Worth Report and Signal Cleveland leaders share the critical early decisions they made to set up their nonprofit news organizations for what they hope will be long-term sustainability. At 4 years old, Documented has cleared that critical three-year stage of development. At 18 months, Fort Worth Report is rapidly approaching that precarious point. Launching this month, Signal Cleveland is leading a statewide approach to local journalism.

Session audience and takeaways:
  • The session is geared toward those in the early stages of founding a nonprofit news organization and to supporters who want to see these efforts succeed.
  • The three news organizations featured offer contrasting starts; The first five hires for each were different but connected in important ways.
Speakers
avatar for Lila Mills

Lila Mills

Signal Cleveland
Lila Mills, editor-in-chief of Signal Cleveland, part of the Ohio Local News Initiative, has been working in community and media for more than 20 years. She most recently spent almost 11 years with the nationally-recognized community building program Neighborhood Connections where... Read More →
avatar for Chris Cobler

Chris Cobler

Fort Worth Report
Chris Cobler is a the CEO and publisher of the Fort Worth Report. He started his career as a reporter in his hometown at the Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal and then worked at newspapers in Colorado, South Dakota and Texas, where was editor and publisher of the Victoria Advocate. As... Read More →
avatar for Mazin Sidahmed

Mazin Sidahmed

Documented
Mazin Sidahmed is co-executive director of Documented, a nonprofit news site that covers immigration in the New York area. Before founding Documented, he was a reporter at the Guardian US in New York on the national desk as well as with the award-winning Guardian Mobile Innovation... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 11:10am - 12:00pm CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Panel

11:10am CDT

Legal Office Hours (Part II)
Looking for guidance on a legal issue or question related to your news business? Sign up for a 30-minute session with one of our three legal experts. Each expert has 8 sessions available on a limited basis. Sign up today!

Sign up for legal office hours with Alexander Papacristou. Alex can best address questions relating to incorporation, nonprofit tax exemption, fiscal sponsorship, corporate governance, contracting, employment, and insurance issues. I’m also familiar with copyright and trademark issues.

Sign up for legal office hours with David Bralow. David can best address questions relating to copyright, defamation, privacy and independent contractor issues.

Sign up for legal office hours with Katie Townsend. Katie can best address questions relating to news-gathering (e.g., recording laws, subpoenas/source protection); libel/defamation and related considerations; and access (FOIA, state public records, and access to judicial records and proceedings).
Speakers
avatar for David Bralow

David Bralow

First Look Institute
David S. Bralow is the Senior Vice President of Law at First Look Institute, where he provides First Amendment and other legal advice to The Intercept, Field of Vision, and the Press Freedom Defense Fund.  He is also the co-founder of Lawyers for Reporters, a pro bono law firm project... Read More →
avatar for Alexander Papacristou

Alexander Papacristou

Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice
Alexander Papachristou is Executive Director of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, an international public interest law program of the New York City Bar Association, providing pro bono legal support to human rights, environmental, and investigative journalism organizations... Read More →
avatar for Katie Townsend

Katie Townsend

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Katie Townsend (@katie_rcfp) is Deputy Executive Director and Legal Director at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (www.rcfp.org), a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. She oversees the litigation, amicus, and other legal work of Reporters Committee attorneys... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 11:10am - 12:10pm CDT
Room 502
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Office Hours

12:00pm CDT

Lunch with the Knight Foundation journalism team
All Summit attendees are invited to join us for lunch with Jim Brady, Duc Luu, Karen Rundlet, Ariana Aboulafia, and Marc Lavallee of Knight Foundation.
Saturday October 29, 2022 12:00pm - 1:00pm CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Food/Drink, Fireside Chat

12:00pm CDT

Lunch
Explore Austin restaurants to enjoy lunch on your own. (Lunch is not provided by the conference hosts).
Saturday October 29, 2022 12:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
  Food/Drink, Lunch

2:00pm CDT

Rethinking wealth, funding and equity: Aligning your values and your revenue
As independent news organizations increasingly rely on philanthropy, fundraising and major donors as key revenue sources, it can be difficult to reconcile the need for financial support with the social, political, economic and racial implications of an inequitable wealth structure. This session will help organization leaders rethink their relationship with money and share ideas for how to align fundraising mechanisms with core values. 
Session audience and takeaways:
  • The audience for this session is fundraisers and thought leaders at news organizations who are thinking about their approach to fundraising in the context of inequality.
  • After a discussion of the aspects of wealth that make us uncomfortable, attendees will come away with ideas for reconciling the discomfort and new perspectives of peers who are thinking about the same issues.
Speakers
avatar for Lisa Heyamoto

Lisa Heyamoto

LION Publishers
Lisa Heyamoto is director of Teaching & Learning at LION Publishers. She helps independent news organizations reach sustainability by designing training programs, coaching/consulting opportunities and practical resources that help publications become more operationally resilient... Read More →
avatar for Veronica Garcia

Veronica Garcia

Wealth Reclamation Academy of Practitioners
Veronica Garcia was born in Los Angeles and raised on the U.S./Mexico border in El Paso, Texas. She has over 20 years of experience working with social justice groups and has supported hundreds in building their grassroots fundraising capacity. Veronica founded the Paso del Norte... Read More →
avatar for Eden Fineday

Eden Fineday

IndigiNews
Eden is a nehiyaw iskwew (a Cree woman), storyteller and author from the Sweetgrass First Nation in Treaty 6 territory. She joins IndigiNews as Growth & Revenue Aunty and a contributing storyteller, where she writes for the website and a send out each week's newsletter to over 17,000... Read More →
avatar for Mario Lugay

Mario Lugay

Justice Funders
As Justice Funders’ Senior Innovation Director, Mario Lugay partners with philanthropy and field practitioners to design, pilot and scale both innovation and collective action that advances social movements through the Movement Commons Lab. In 2010, Mario co-founded the New American... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Waterloo 6
  Session Track: Financial Health, Workshop

2:00pm CDT

Building a roadmap: How to set and track goals
Facilitators will walk participants through a pain-free way to set goals for revenue and audience, get newsroom buy-in and set up a system to track them. Participants can expect to walk away with frameworks that make their hopes into measurable goals and reasonable plans.

Session audience and takeaways:
  • People who work in leadership, audience, or membership roles that want to learn an effective way to set and track goals.
  • A methodology and templates for goal setting and tracking.
Speakers
avatar for Abbey Gingras

Abbey Gingras

News Revenue Hub
Abbey Gingras is the director of consulting at News Revenue Hub where she works with newsrooms on growing and engaging their audiences and turning readers into paying members. She was previously an audience editor at Outside magazine.
avatar for Lizzy Hazeltine

Lizzy Hazeltine

Independent consultant
Lizzy helps teams solve real problems, grow revenue to sustain themselves, and deepen their service of their communities. In her consulting, she applies hard-won lessons from local media, early stage venture capital, and product management to build her clients’ capacity to earn... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Workshop

2:00pm CDT

Building a support network: How leaders can combat isolation
Being a founder and/or a leader of an independent newsroom can be a lonely journey. Learn tips and frameworks these speakers have used to create a network of support with other entrepreneurs, industry peers, mentors and their local community.

Session audience and takeaways:
  • Anyone working in a small newsroom or in a siloed leadership role who is looking for inspiration on how to get connected with others doing similar work.
  • How these newsroom leaders created a network of support, and how you can adapt their ideas to find and/or create your own

Speakers
avatar for Christian Monterrosa

Christian Monterrosa

LION Publishers
Christian Monterrosa helps foster an engaged community among LION’s members and those interested in news entrepreneurship by listening to and articulating their needs and designing engagement strategies that strengthen their relationships with one another. He comes from a background... Read More →
avatar for Ben Nishimoto

Ben Nishimoto

Honolulu Civil Beat
Ben Nishimoto is the Vice President of Operations and Philanthropy for Honolulu Civil Beat, responsible for executing revenue, engagement, and operating strategies for Hawaii's nonprofit small newsroom.Prior to Civil Beat, Ben was the Vice President of Advancement at PBS Hawaii, where... Read More →
avatar for Flavian DeLima

Flavian DeLima

Spinning Forward
Flavian DeLima is the founder and publisher of Spinning Forward, which provides news that levels the playing field for Black, Indigenous, and people of color content creators in Toronto and beyond. It helps overlooked communities get stronger by addressing the racial pay gap, discrimination... Read More →
avatar for Lela Savic

Lela Savic

La Converse
Lela Savic is the founding editor of La Converse, a francophone community-powered media. She has worked at Journal Métro in Montreal, covering politics and human rights, CBC’s investigative show Enquête, La Presse and regularly presents lectures on biases and positionality in... Read More →
avatar for Megan Raposa

Megan Raposa

Sioux Falls Simplified
Megan Raposa is an award-winning journalist based in South Dakota. She started her career as a newspaper reporter at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, where she worked for six years, most recently as an editor. Raposa left to start her own digital local news outlet, Sioux Falls Simplified... Read More →

Saturday October 29, 2022 2:00pm - 2:50pm CDT
Waterloo 1
  Session Track: Operational Resilience, Lightning Talk

2:50pm CDT

Break
We'll have a cash bar and snacks available at this time.
Saturday October 29, 2022 2:50pm - 3:10pm CDT
  Break, Session Break

3:10pm CDT

Closing Session + Happy Hour
What was the highlight of the conference for you? What a-ha moments did you have? At this informal session, we’ll have a cash bar available and opportunity for networking. Attendees will share conference highlights on sticky notes, and we’ll ask some participants to share their thoughts with the group.
Session audience and takeaways:
  • This session is for everyone who attended the conference!
  • The most interesting and useful things people learned throughout the conference.

Saturday October 29, 2022 3:10pm - 5:00pm CDT
Waterloo 3/4 (Main Ballroom)
  Food/Drink, Keynote
 
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