In this video featuring highlights from the News/Media Alliance Industry Summit, held on September 30, 2022 in New York, speakers offered expert tips and actionable insights on trending topics, including using data to deepen reader engagement, expanding ecommerce opportunities, and the future potential of Web3 in the context of news and magazine publishing.

Watch Now:

Speakers featured (in order of appearance): Scott Stein, USA TODAY/Gannett; Linda Li, SVP & General Manager, Wirecutter (The New York Times); Tyler Sperry, Director, eCommerce +
Affiliates, America’s Test Kitchen; Alysia Borsa, Chief Business Officer and President of Lifestyle, Dotdash Meredith; Beth Diaz, Vice President, Audience Development and Analytics, The Washington Post; Robin Berjon, Former VP, Data Governance, The New York Times

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day
License code: 3TCNKHDLZCSHBI9Q

Panel Recaps:

Session 1: Using Data to Deepen Reader Engagement

Session 2: Expanding eCommerce Opportunities

Session 3: Could Web3 Really Be a Thing for Publishers?

Related:

Full session recording: Fireside Chat with Robin Berjon: Could Web3 Really Be a Thing for Publishers?

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On Friday, The Washington Post published its weekly Five Myths column, which featured News Media Alliance President & CEO David Chavern dispelling five myths about the news business.

Read the column on The Washington Post website.

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In the span of just nine months in late 2019 and early 2020, the Washington, D.C. area lost two local newspapers, The Washington Post Express and The Current. A combined readership of 300,000 daily and weekly readers lost their connection to their local news in print and online. D.C. is just one of many such cases nationwide of a community losing its local newspapers. In an age dominated by electronic media, the loss of local news media poses serious concerns for the readers that turn to these papers for news and information about their community. 

As a resident of D.C., I have relied on local papers for years. Seeing the Express and later The Current go out of business has felt like a stab in the back. The Current provided an invaluable point of access to information for me and my neighbors to the goings-on in our community. Without them, especially during a pandemic that is keeping us isolated, I feel disconnected from the very area that I live in. 

Both the Express and The Current ceased online publication as well as print when they closed. The Washington Post Express, a free daily newspaper distributed by The Washington Post, printed its final issue on September 12, 2019, after 16 years. Their last headline blamed the digital age for its untimely closure, reading, “Hope you enjoy your stinkin’ phones.” The Current, a local weekly newspaper that served the residents of Northwest D.C. for 52 years, was forced to abruptly cease publishing after their May 8, 2020, issue. The roughly 100,000 recipients of its weekly publication were left without a newspaper that covers events specific to their neighborhood, including school news, a police blotter, local events, and more. 

D.C. residents are lucky, however, and have other sources of local news, though not as hyperlocal as the Express and The Current. Other towns are not as fortunate. According to a report by Penelope Muse Abernathy, Knight Chair of Journalism and Digital Media Economics at UNC’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media, in the United States, “[m]ore than one in five papers has closed over the past decade and a half [as of 2018].” And as a result, she says, “Half of the 3,143 counties in the country now have only one newspaper, usually a small weekly [publication]… [and] [a]lmost 200 counties in the country have no newspaper at all.”

Though social media provides some local news, it is not enough. Even online, information about local news is scarce unless you search hard for it; but not everyone has that kind of time. That’s what local papers provide that other platforms cannot: they give us a way to quickly read about upcoming events and important updates without having to disrupt our schedules to do so. 

In a year of both a major election cycle and a worldwide pandemic, access to accurate news and information is incredibly important. The people must be informed of decisions by local governments and local businesses, both of which greatly affect their daily lives. People who are unemployed need to have access to job listings for their area that traditionally show up in the local newspaper. 

In her study, Abernathy recommends that local television stations and online news outlets should be the ones to step up and fill the void left behind by the newspapers; but she also notes that underfunded communities may not have as much access to these sources as affluent communities. 

Even the smallest stories can make an impact on our daily lives, so it is crucial that local news, both in print and online, remains accessible to readers in every community nationwide so that we can stay up to date on current events and be prepared for what lies ahead. 

The post What Happens When a Community Loses Its Local Newspaper appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

Washington Post writer Jonathan Capehart (left) moderates a discussion of the “Journalism Competition and Preservation Act” between Reps. David Cicilline (center) and Doug Collins (right)

On April 4, House Antitrust Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI) and Representative Doug Collins (R-GA), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, were part of a panel at The Washington Post‘s #PostLive event, “Protecting Local News.” The Congressmen spoke with Post writer Jonathan Capehart about the the “Journalism Competition and Preservation Act,” which the pair had introduced in the House on April 3.

You can watch the discussion between Capehart, Cicilline and Collins below, and view other panels from the event here.

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Journalists report the facts, giving their readers and viewers the details they need to make informed decisions about their lives and the world around them. While they are usually background players, in recent weeks they have taken center stage, not as the storytellers, but as the story. During last night’s Super Bowl LIII, The Washington Post highlighted this point in an ad about the value of journalists to our democracy.

Aired at the start of the fourth quarter, the 70-second spot highlighted the value of journalism to a high-functioning democracy. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks, the ad shared photos and clips from important stories told by journalists over the years, from World War II to the Civil Rights Movement to the Moon landing to natural disasters and terrorist attacks. “There is someone to gather the facts, to bring you the story, no matter the cost,” Hanks intones over footage of reporters at work in danger zones around the world.

Some of the reporters shown lost their lives while working to deliver the news, and The Washington Post used the spot to pay homage to three losses faced by the industry in recent years: journalist Austin Tice, who was captured in Syria in 2012 and whose fate remains unknown; photographer Marie Colvin, who was killed by the administration of Bashar al Assad in Syria to prevent her from further reporting on the situation in the war-torn country; and Jamal Khashoggi, a famed Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, who was murdered while visiting the Saudi consulate in Turkey in late 2018.

While the ad highlights the journalists who risk their safety each day to deliver the news, its true focus is on the value they bring to the audience. “Knowing empowers us. Knowing helps us decide. Knowing keeps us free,” Hanks concludes.

The message is not that journalists are heroes or that news is infallible, but rather, that we are better for having access to news.

The Alliance applauds The Washington Post’s ad and its message. Knowing the facts is essential for anyone who wishes to engage with the world around them, and the best source of facts, now and always, is quality journalism.

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As part of our celebration of Women’s History Month, we caught up with Amy King, editor in chief and creative director of Washington Post’s The Lily. This new publication launched last year with the mission of creating informing and powerful journalism for women.

1. Where did the idea for The Lily come from?

The goal of my team, Emerging News Products, is to reach new audiences. The Washington Post reaches a lot of millennials, but I thought we could offer something even more engaging for female readers and further deepen their engagement with Post content. The Lily also allows us to experiment with how Post journalism is distributed. The Lily’s Instagram is a great example of how a publication can adapt stories specifically for a platform. The treatment we give stories there differs from how it might appear on our site or on another social channel like Facebook.

2. How has the first year been, what worked, what didn’t?

We’ve been live for about 10 months, and so far, it’s been a series of wonderful moments. As far as growth, every month has been better than the last. We reach 10 times the number of people now than we did the month we launched.

What’s worked very well for us is creating a consistent visual brand. A reader can identify a Lily story at a glance. We stick to a strict style guide with a distinct color palette. We design an original image for every story, across platforms. With this approach, our stories always stand out, regardless of how many people are writing about the same subject.

Our newsletter, Lily Lines, has the highest average open rate of any newsletter at The Washington Post. It’s another visually-driven experience. We work with several illustrators and photographers to create something original for each edition.

We’re learning and changing every day. Our first travel series, “The Lily in _____” didn’t take off after we tried it six times, so we have a completely new travel series concept coming next month. Our Instagram strategy is always evolving, and we analyze the analytics every week. We started out heavy on illustration but quickly learned that timely photos and quotes resonate with our audience. So now we have a mix of both. We noticed that comics, which we publish to Instagram on Sundays, were doing really well for us. Now we are working with five comic artists.

3. What are the misconceptions about writing for a millennial female audience? How do you address those?

We are elevating stories critical to the lives of women. Though we write for women, we hope to inform a wide audience about the issues affecting women.

What stuck out to us as we were considering our editorial voice was the way other publications talk to or about young women. You see a lot of words like “lady boss” and “girl crush.” We deliberately chose to stay away from the slang and cliché terms used to address women. We foster intelligent conversations using normal language. We don’t speak in emoji and memes.

Another misconception is that millennial women don’t care about politics and international news as much as they care about food, celebrity gossip and beauty trends. No topic is off limits at The Lily, and while we still cover the latter, we don’t do straightforward tutorials or trend pieces. Instead, we offer pieces on women who find empowerment through cooking or the far-reaching implications of the latest Vanity Fair cover.  Surprise, women are still engaged.

Our audience responds positively to this approach. A lot of people thank us for how we communicate, the topics we cover and the overall lack of pink.

4. What are your goals for year two?

We are focused on growth across all our platforms. This includes having more original stories. Monica Castillo just joined our team as our first dedicated contract writer. We also want to continue to find interesting ways to connect with our community, whether online or in person. We recently unveiled in Washington, D.C., that invites our local followers and visitors to photograph themselves and tell us what they’re “getting loud” about on social media.

5. By writing for socially-aware millennials, do you ever worry that The Lily is preaching to the choir instead of informing those who need the information?

I’m encouraged by the fact that our stories reach people of various ages and genders. As many have noted lately, the conversation around issues affecting women cannot be discussed among women only.

Our mission is to share as many diverse voices and perspectives as possible. Our readers and followers do not agree with all of the viewpoints they read on The Lily, and they let us know. We’ve received comments from readers thanking us for exposing them to people or situations they didn’t know existed or wouldn’t encounter on other sites that speak to this audience.

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In August, The Washington Post hosted high school students for a week-long program on journalism. The program, originally called the Young Journalist Development Program, was established in 1997 by reporter Dorothy Gilliam. This year, it became The Student Journalist Program.

The idea behind the program is to draw young people to journalism through mentoring.
We spoke with Azhar AlFadl Miranda, who runs the program at The Washington Post to learn more.

NMA: How does the program work? 

AM: Beyond demonstrating strong writing skills, we sought out applicants who exhibited curiosity and a strong interest in exploring journalism.  On their first day, students pitched their story ideas to editors, who gave them guidance on how to refine or redirect their story focus. They worked on reporting, writing and editing their story during their week in the newsroom. Students had the opportunity to go out in the field to conduct actual interviews.  Each day began and ended with interactive workshops led by Washington Poststaff to learn about reporting with social media, basics of video reporting, how to self-edit, among other topics.

NMA: What lessons do you hope the students walk away with?

AM: The biggest thing we hope the students walk away with is a deeper appreciation for the craft of journalism and some practical knowledge they can immediately apply to future stories they report, such as ways to strengthen their writing, sharpen their eye for a good news story, and expand their view on storytelling mediums.

We also hope that our program will teach them about the range of opportunities that exist in a modern newsroom like The Washington Post’s, and demystify the path toward a career in journalism.  Through workshops led by our staff, students will learn reporting skills that run the gamut from social media to narrative journalism. They’ll learn that it takes the collaboration of several groups with diverse skillsets to produce powerful and thoughtful journalism and actually participate in this process.

NMA:  What is the most surprising thing about working with high school students?

AM: We can’t say this surprises us, but we will say we are continually impressed by the zeal and curiosity of the high school students we meet through this program.  They often showed us they truly understand the power of journalism, and it’s clear they are interested in shaping the future of this industry.”

NMA:  As journalism is rapidly changing with the digital revolution, what skills will you focus on?

AM: In addition to learning how to use innovative storytelling tools such as social media, this program emphasizes that journalistic principles such as accuracy and news judgment remain essential. The Post is a media and technology organization, so we do ensure our students learn about emerging work opportunities in the journalism field, such as virtual reality and production for mobile platforms.

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