What Works

Hyperlocal AI with a million subscribers. Patch built a newsletter system to be not hard-nosed journalism but a community-building tool.

There was a time when Patch hired one reporter per community, and they actually went out and covered stories. This is an abomination. #journalism www.cjr.org/feature/hype...

2025 Impact Report - CommonWealth Beacon 2025 Impact Report From the Editor Last summer, as Hallie Claflin and I were discussing ideas for her contribution to our special project on health care

The 2025 impact report from @cwbeacon.bsky.social is out. (Note: @dankennedy.net is on the editorial advisory board.) Some key numbers: 1.9m views. 1.1m visitors. Membership up 10%. 11k subscribers to its flagship newsletter. Also impressive is the number of pubs CWB is partnering with. #journalism

Mark your calendar: Our May 21 webinar will offer free workshops on audience, events and AI We are excited to announce that our 2026 What Works webinar aimed at practical skills for local news publishers will be held on Thursday, May 21. The free all-day event will comprise three interact…

Mark your calendar: Our May 21 What Works webinar will offer free workshops for local news entrepreneurs on audience development, event planning and practical, ethical uses for AI. #journalism whatworks.news/2026/03/03/m...

“Why a paper anywhere in the U.S. would want to draft an article that affirmatively states that someone who is a private individual is a child abuser, without doing enormous amounts of verification work and being certain that they are correct is beyond my understanding,” Ochs said. “And unfortunately, that’s what happened here.”

Jackson, Wyo., newspaper settles $25m defamation lawsuit. What can be learned? #journalism wyofile.com/jackson-news...

The Colorado Sun's 2025 annual report The Colorado Sun's 7th year, 2025, was a time of smart growth and organizational maturation. Peruse our Annual Report to see the highlights, stats, top stories and lessons from the year.

In its annual report for 2025, the @coloradosun.com says it has 130k+ newsletter subscribers (though some are free); that it published nearly 2,000 stories; and that it raised $4.1m, more than 40% of that from members. And it's in the black. #journalism coloradosun.com/2025-annual-...

COVID-19 forever changed the Vermont media industry — and not just because it accelerated so many of the trends that were already eroding the revenues we relied on. Advertising dried up overnight as people traded in brick-and-mortar shopping for Amazon and streamed Netflix instead of going to movie theaters, clubs and performing arts venues. Even in Vermont, virtual life threatens to replace the real one.

The state of Vermont media is the subject of a massive project by @sevendaysvt.bsky.social. Publisher Paula Proutly lays out the challenges in her introduction. www.sevendaysvt.com/news/fromthe...

VTDigger’s Contract Negotiations Highlight Fears About AI | Seven Days A spat over the possible use of artificial intelligence has sown discord between workers and management in Vermont’s largest newsroom.

Contract negotiations at @vtdigger.bsky.social highlight fears over how management intends to use AI. #journalism www.sevendaysvt.com/news/media-n...

Cash-starved and censored, America’s student press is in crisis — CollegeJournalism.org The future of journalism is being decided in college newsrooms as students and educators try to fight back

Strong debut for Barbara Allen's Student Press Report newsletter: "Cash-starved and censored, America’s student press is in crisis." #journalism www.collegejournalism.org/student-pres...

Dale Anglin tells us how Press Forward is leveraging local news to build community On the latest “What Works” podcast, Ellen and Dan talk with Dale Anglin, the inaugural executive director of Press Forward, a philanthropic effort that is dedicated to funding local new…

On the latest "What Works" podcast, Dale Anglin tells @ellenclegg.bsky.social and @dankennedy.net how Press Forward is leveraging local news to build community. Plus our Quick Takes on The Baltimore Banner's expansion and a bill in NY State to regulate AI in news. whatworks.news/2026/02/25/d...

Black by God’s Folk Reporters are rebuilding rural civic coverage in West Virginia - The Pivot Fund Across West Virginia, public decisions are increasingly made without journalists or residents in the room. Legislative committees meet. Boards vote. Agencies set policies that shape daily life. In man...

Black by God’s Folk Reporters are rebuilding rural civic coverage in West Virginia. #journalism thepivotfund.org/f/black-by-g...

When journalists can’t afford rent, one newsroom buys them a home - Editor and Publisher When a newsroom can’t hire reporters, the problem isn’t always pay — sometimes it’s rent. In one coastal community, the cost of living got so high that journalists simply couldn’t afford to cover the ...

How the nonprofit Local Journalism Project is providing housing for young reporters at the for-profit Provincetown Independent. (Note: What Works' @dankennedy.net is on the nonprofit's advisory board.) #journalism www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/when...

News/Media Alliance applauds Supreme Court decision overruling IEPPA tariffs - Editor and Publisher The News/Media Alliance applauded the Supreme Court of the United States for its decision declaring the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEPPA) tariffs as unlawful.

Tariffs were hurting print newspapers. The News/Media Alliance hails SCOTUS's ruling overturning them. www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/news...

When newspapers cut book coverage, communities lose more than reviews - Poynter Authors, critics and booksellers say shrinking coverage weakens local arts, literary culture and the bond between readers and newsrooms

When newspapers cut book coverage, communities lose more than reviews. #journalism www.poynter.org/business-wor...

Thinking Through the Hardest Business Problem in American Journalism Today The missing element in many news deserts is money

The ongoing problem of bringing journalism to news deserts: They're concentrated in rural areas and urban communities of color, which is where the money isn't. @dicktofel.bsky.social's latest. #journalism dicktofel.substack.com/p/thinking-t...

Welcome to the Cambridge Somerville Independent, on Bluesky at @csindie.bsky.social. You can find it online right here: #journalism csindie.com

Ending our 34-year run The Richmond Free Press will cease publication this week, a bittersweet conclusion to a landmark publication that has served the Richmond community for 34 years.

The Richmond Free Press of Virginia, which has covered the Black community for 34 years, says farewell. richmondfreepress.com/news/2026/fe...

Lancaster Online’s transition to nonprofit newsroom model - Editor and Publisher Local news organizations across the country are searching for sustainable paths forward as traditional business models continue to erode. In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s oldest continu...

The awkwardly named LNP/Lancaster Online, in Pennsylvania, is going fully nonprofit. #journalism www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/lanc...

Most Americans don’t pay for news and don’t think they need to For a new report released Wednesday, the Pew Research Center surveyed 3,560 U.S. adults in December 2025 about their relationship to the news and how they perceive its value in everyday life. Pew…

“I don’t pay to go to church, to get a spiritual message, you know? And if you’re true, and your mission is to relay facts that are fundamentally important for people’s well-being, do I need to pay you for that?” www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/most...

Efforts to keep Pittsburgh Post-Gazette operating appear to stall In less than three months, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is scheduled to close up shop and go out of business.

Efforts to keep the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette operating appear to stall. #journalism www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/n...

A copyright expert’s big idea: Force Google and other AI companies to pay news publishers Journalism faces yet another tech-driven crisis: AI-powered Google search deprives news publishers of as much as 30% to 40% of their web traffic as users stay on Google rather than following the li…

A copyright expert's big idea: Force Google and other AI companies to pay news publishers on a recurring basis. New at Media Nation. #journalism dankennedy.net/2026/02/11/a...

“Terribly frustrating”: After USPS changes, more newspapers aren’t reaching subscribers on time Newspaper delays are just one consequence of cost cuts and changes to a fraying 250-year-old system.

Rural newspapers still depend on print and mail delivery. Now the USPS is letting them down. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/terr...

Study reveals Americans find it harder to get news about their neighborhood than about the world Civic Information Needs Census launches partner program to catalyze local information needs measurement in communities around the country.

Americans find it harder to stay informed about their neighborhoods, towns, and cities than about national and international news, according to a new study released today by the Civic Information Needs Census. chicago.suntimes.com/press-room/2...

How to build a newsroom plan for responding to First Amendment threats - Poynter A Poynter guide to the documents and policies you need to gather and communicate.

How to build a newsroom plan for responding to First Amendment threats. www.poynter.org/reporting-ed...

With no local news, those in news deserts turn to social media feeds, influencers and gossip

With no local news, those in news deserts turn to social media feeds, influencers and gossip. localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

Alden Global Capital makes push to buy Daily Herald in Chicago suburbs Alden Global Capital, the private equity fund that owns the Chicago Tribune and more than 160 other newspapers across the United States, wants to add the Daily Herald to its portfolio.

Let's hope that the Daily Herald, in Chicago's suburbs, can fight off an acquisition attempt by Alden Global Capital. The Herald is employee-owned, so the hedge fund is likely to face a "a skeptical audience." localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu/posts/2026/0...

Why vertical video is becoming essential for local news - Editor and Publisher As audiences drift away from print and traditional web traffic continues to erode, local news organizations are being forced to rethink how — and where — journalism shows up. In this month’s feature, ...

Why vertical video is becoming essential for local news. www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/why-...

As Jeff Bezos dismantles The Washington Post, 5 regional papers chart a course for survival Other billionaires who own newspapers are doing a better job, a journalism professor explains.

What Works' @dankennedy.net writes for @theconversation.com: As Jeff Bezos dismantles The Washington Post, 5 regional papers chart a course for survival. What could Bezos learn from The Boston Globe, The Minnesota Star Tribune, The Seattle Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Salt Lake Tribune?

‘A reporter in every county’: WSU, Report for America launch groundbreaking program to confront Washington’s local news crisis - Editor and Publisher Washington State University's Murrow College of Communication and Report for America have launched an ambitious partnership to cover every one of Washington’s counties by 2029, aiming to fill reportin...

Washington State University and @reportforamerica.bsky.social aim to place a reporter in every county in Washington State. www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/a-re...

The AJC to cut staff as it continues digital transformation The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Tuesday it will lay off staffers in the newsroom and other segments of the business.

The @ajc.com has been in expansion mode. Now it's making cuts, including about 25 journalists, but it claims that its expansion plans are on track. www.ajc.com/business/202...

Charles Sennott talks about his journey from global correspondent to local news entrepreneur On the latest “What Works” podcast, Ellen and Dan talk with Charles Sennott, a former foreign correspondent for The Boston Globe who left in 2008 to become a serial entrepreneur. He co-…

On our latest podcast, @ellenclegg.bsky.social and @dankennedy.net talk with Charles Sennott about his journey from global correspondent to local news entrepreneur. Plus, @alexisalgazy.bsky.social on politicians and digital storytelling, and our Quick Takes on developments in local news.