Lenfest Institute for Journalism

“We’ve been told, implicitly and explicitly, that fundraising requires us to become someone else: someone more polished, more strategic, more comfortable with transactions. And in trying to become that person, we abandon the thing that actually makes us good at building relationships in the first place.” At the Lenfest News Philanthropy Summit, hosted in partnership with Press Forward, Jake Hylton shared how the skills you already have — as a journalist, or simply as yourself — aren't obstacles to fundraising. They’re your strategy. https://lnkd.in/gRMCPie9

“Under President Donald Trump the FCC has become — unabashedly — a partisan attack dog rather than the guardian of the public interest.” A frontal attack on the First Amendment in Philadelphia, the city where it began. Public comments are due tomorrow on the FCC’s threat to de-license ABC stations in #NewYork, #LosAngeles, #Chicago, #Houston, #SanFrancisco, #RaleighDurham, and #Fresno, as well as #Philadelphia. Please read my OpEd in today’s The Philadelphia Inquirer. Gift 🎁 Article in Comments. Also included below the official FCC link to submit public comments. Lenfest Institute for Journalism Rebuild Local News Steven Waldman Brian Tierney

Still blown away by this research from Lenfest Institute for Journalism released last month. It's truly striking what the team at Mississippi Today has built in just over 10 years. The numbers speak for themselves: ✅ 36% of Mississippi residents reported getting news from Mississippi Today “often” or “sometimes,” the highest audience penetration among all the statewide nonprofit newsrooms included in the research. ✅ 81% of readers said they trust the outlet’s reporting, and 85% said Mississippi Today effectively addresses the most important issues facing the state. ✅ 75% of Mississippi Today readers said they feel informed about the major issues facing the state compared with 48% of non-readers. ✅ Mississippi Today readers demonstrated greater knowledge of public affairs and were substantially more likely than non-readers to correctly identify key state leaders. We certainly don't have all the answers and we can see room for improvement in each of those areas, but we at Deep South Today are working hard to serve Mississippians, Louisianans, and (very soon) Arkansans with quality, meaningful information that helps them better understand the places they live. The journalists across our network sense the impact of that work often, but it's awesome to see some data backing that up! https://lnkd.in/efmDvDPz

Across the country, AI tools are helping journalists cover more ground, streamline research processes, fuel business growth, and improve audience experiences. OpenAI shared its top experiments to watch in the journalism industry, including: ✍ Scribe, an AI-powered tool from The Philadelphia Inquirer that helps its journalists monitor public meetings across dozens of municipalities and school districts. 📱 An AI-first subscriber app from the The San Francisco Standard, which creates personalized, interactive briefings based on each reader’s interests, location, and reading habits. 📻 Chicago Public Media’s audio transcription project, turning 40 years of WBEZ Chicago reporting into a searchable archive. 🔎 An AI-powered prospecting agent from The Seattle Times, which uses ChatGPT Enterprise to help its advertising team more efficiently identify and evaluate potential customers. Read more about these projects, which were created as part of the Lenfest AI Collaborative and Fellowship Program in partnership with OpenAI and Microsoft. https://lnkd.in/e9V9enXc

Is your news organization ready for 2030 and beyond? The 2030 Newsroom Readiness Diagnostic, a free tool from the Lenfest Expert Network, has answers: Take the free quiz to see where your organization stands on audience engagement, revenue, technology, and workforce development and receive personalized recommendations to act on. Try it here: https://lnkd.in/eC8fiwcn #localnews #journalism

Houston-based creator Shawn Singh (@ShawnTheFoodSheep) and Jennifer Chang from the Houston Chronicle are joining the Lenfest Audience Community this week for a candid conversation on how the media and creator ecosystems are working together. Shawn will share how he’s experimenting with new ways to connect with audiences and build loyalty, while Jennifer will discuss how traditional newsrooms are thinking about creators, audience engagement, and the challenge of innovating without alienating editorial staff. Join us this Thursday at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT: https://lnkd.in/eMZhYcs2

Working at the crossroads of local journalism and philanthropy — especially in markets where fundraising for news is unheard of — can leave you feeling like you’ve landed from another planet. But after the Lenfest News Philanthropy Summit, Ruth Canahuati de Sabillón writes that the biggest takeaway was simpler than any single session: “the most important achievement of attending was discovering that I am not the only one who speaks Martian.” She shares how she's bringing lessons from the Summit home to her work supporting independent local media in Honduras: https://lnkd.in/eTEyhaDf

The Lenfest Institute is hiring a part time Media Ecosystem Coordinator to support a two-year initiative designed to strengthen local news organizations serving communities across Central Texas. This role serves as a locally embedded extension of the Lenfest Expert Network, helping participating organizations stay connected, engaged, and informed throughout the program. If you’re based in Central Texas and are active in local media, civic, nonprofit, or philanthropic spaces, apply by Sunday, Aug. 9: https://lnkd.in/eSpDDC_w

“In most news organizations, serving today’s audience and preparing tomorrow’s journalists are separate endeavors. At The Red & Black, they are one and the same. What has been built here over 133 years may offer something larger than a local success story: a model for how independent, student-led news organizations can strengthen their communities today while ensuring there will be a free press to serve them tomorrow.” Charlotte Norsworthy Varnum shares how the Lenfest News Philanthropy Summit, hosted in partnership with Press Forward, helped The Red & Black Publishing Co. find clarity around its mission to provide a training ground for the next generation of journalists. https://lnkd.in/eEXTjSDe

"For years, journalism has relied on 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, asking the public to recognize that it is essential, endangered, and worthy of rescue. Yet people do not need to be persuaded that something matters when they are given the opportunity to experience its value firsthand." - Ruby J., in a new essay on what she learned at the News Philanthropy Summit, presented by Lenfest Institute for Journalism and Press Forward. Switching the narrative from the local news crisis to its community benefit will bring in more supporters, Jones says. Check out her insights: https://lnkd.in/gj6nusZC And dive into our research on messaging that resonates local news: https://lnkd.in/ga6RjUuh