Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media

We're excited to partner with Cierra Brown Hinton & Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media on a day-long, Anti-Racist Table Stakes training for NC-based news and info orgs. The Anti-Racist Table Stakes is a framework and set of tools to support news organizations working to bridge editorial and business needs for more equitable, community-focused newsrooms. ???When:?Friday January 24, 2025, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm (coffee and a light breakfast, and lunch will be provided) ??Where:?UNC Chapel Hill ???Cost:?None. Please contact?us if you need help with travel/lodging stipends. ???Who:?10-12 NC news and info organizations (teams of 3-4 staff members, with at least one person having decision-making power) ???Application deadline:?Friday December 13th at 5:00 pm ET. More details & an application here: https://lnkd.in/eRQ8Ccpr Both Table Stakes alum and those new to TS are welcome to apply!

?? A recent Pew Research Center study reveals that about 20% of Americans regularly get their news from social media influencers, with this trend being particularly pronounced among younger adults. The study, which is an?in-depth examination of a sample of 500 popular news influencers, also highlights that about three-quarters of those have no current or former affiliation with the news industry. Additionally, more news influencers explicitly present a politically right-leaning orientation than a left-leaning one?(27% vs. 21%) in their account bios, posts, websites or media coverage. However, a closer look at five major social media sites — Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube — finds that news influencers on TikTok stand out from those on other sites. #Influencers #Newspapers #LocalNews

?? Exciting news: Our former director Erica Perel is using her expert knowledge to help support news startups and their founders at Tiny News Collective! We're thrilled to see her leading the charge in this important role ?? Be sure to follow Tiny News to keep up with her work ??

Local journalism and healthy communities are inextricably linked. Now we can see how. Introducing the Civic Information Index - a new tool that helps us see how news and information, civic engagement, opportunity and equity shape community wellbeing across America. Created by Listening Post Collective and the Brown Information Futures Lab, this first-of-its-kind county-level Index includes: ??? A county-level map that visualizes the strength of civic health indicators across the country. ?? A comprehensive indicator dashboard that tracks metrics like local media presence, broadband access, voter turnout, and more. ??Insights for news outlets, which can use it to better understand their community's information needs, and funders, to help them make strategic investments in local media. We’re proud to support the Index’s development. Drill down into county-level data now and explore the Index: https://lnkd.in/ga8Wf68R #CivicHealth #LocalNews #CommunityEngagement #DataDriven #Research #PressForward

??? "I think that anyone in the research community can clearly see that local news is in trouble. Without research to support those assertions, action to address the problem can’t be taken." Tyler Nagel?is a journalism instructor at the?Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)?in Calgary, Alberta. He is also an associate faculty member at?Royal Roads University in Victoria, B.C.?who studies how local news works,?especially in rural and remote areas. Nagel is currently pursuing a PhD in Media Studies at the?University of Groningen?in The Netherlands. As part of our series on local news researchers and their latest work, CISLM Student Employee Kathryn DeHart spoke with Nagel about what inspires him, key findings and more. Dive into the entire Q&A series: https://lnkd.in/d_JG6Cqv ? #LocalNews #Research #PublicPolicy

In college media, where turnover rates are naturally high, understanding the business structure and operations is essential to continue telling stories and providing high-quality journalism. UNC Hussman's Erica Perel and Marisa Porto, MBA led a workshop on strategic planning and goal setting with 10 teams of student journalists from HBCUs at the INDABA: Student Press Leadership and Innovation Conference, held in collaboration with the Center for Journalism & Democracy at Howard University. Learn more about the workshop below. ?? Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media #UNCHussman #StrategicPlanning #StudentNewsrooms

??? "I think (the election guide quiz), with the zine, helps ingrain into your memory, and it’ll really help us vote." Election Day spotlight: The News & Observer Publishing Company partnered with The Daily Tar Heel and NC State's Technician to engage college students through zine-making — creating mini-magazines that, in this case, are personalized voter guides. “It’s very explorative,” Laura Brache said. “We’re trying to figure out ways to engage that college-age demographic. What interests them? How can we meet them in the middle? And this all stems from a program through CISLM.” By Sachi Akmal, how this collaboration has inspired civic engagement among young voters. #LocalNews #Democracy #Newspapers

??? "For the most part, what we’ve heard from the nonprofits is that the January 1 bump is really going to be the one where they have to make some changes." The second round of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations take effect on January 1, 2025, bringing potential changes to newsroom staffing, budget planning and employee classifications. The regulations impact for-profit and nonprofit organizations alike, and local news outlets could be impacted, especially if salaried, exempt employees are making under the new salary threshold of $58,665 per year. In this Q&A, North Carolina Center for Nonprofits Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy David Heinen breaks down key changes in FLSA regulations, including: ??? How these updates might impact local journalism orgs ?? Steps newsrooms can take to comply and adapt ??? How the upcoming election could impact implementation ? Are you a newsroom manager or publisher who is adjusting to this change? Where are you struggling and how could you use support? If you’d like to chat, email us at cislm at unc dot edu. #FairLaborStandardsAct #LocalNews #Newspapers

Spending time with these smart student journalists was definitely the highlight of my October. (Also I am grateful for any opportunity to spend time with Marisa Porto, MBA and Kali-Ahset Amen, PhD)

How are student news organizations at some #HBCUs working on sustainability? This story explains it. Great to work with Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media's Erica Perel on this business training. Thanks to UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media student Kathryn DeHart for the story.