Our Summit sessions cover a variety of topics, and our goal is for independent news leaders and their teams to walk away with actionable insights and lessons that they can use to strengthen their businesses.
Please note: The official day/time information for the Summit sessions will not be available until early August. Summit programming will run from September 5 to September 7. The LION Awards Ceremony & Dinner will take place on the evening of September 5.
Session Details
Description: Learn how news organizations have invested in building more transparent, accountable, and caring work cultures. This session will identify key organizational, team, and individual needs, demonstrate how newsrooms at different stages of growth have addressed them in the workplace, and give you clear takeaways to improve your own workplace.
Speakers:
- Yukari Kane, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Prison Journalism Project
- Irene Fischler McKisson, Co-Founder and Principal Executive, Arizona Luminaria
- Jennifer Mizgata, Founder, Little Key
- Amanda Zamora, Founder and Principal, Agencia Media | Co-Founder and former Publisher of The 19th
Description: This session will explore how three news organizations have built worker-led, cooperative, and non-hierarchical leadership models to redefine how decisions are made, how work is accomplished, and how newsrooms make a difference.
Speakers:
- Luke Baumgarten, Founder, RANGE Media
- Tara Francis Chan, Managing Editor and Operations Director, The Appeal
- Mariann Martin, Co-Founder, Operations and Development Director, Canopy Atlanta
Description: This session explains the practical differences and expectations of running a donation, membership, or subscription program for reader revenue, including how much time you should expect to commit, the resources required to succeed, and how much money you can expect to earn. It is for publishers looking to launch a reader revenue model or transition to a different model.
Speakers:
- Jay Allred, CEO, Source Media Properties (Richland Source)
- Ned Berke, Chief Strategy Officer, BlueLena
- Oseye Boyd, Editor-in-Chief, Mirror Indy
- Liz George, Publisher, Montclair Local Nonprofit News
Description: A wave of consolidation is washing over the independent news industry, leading many news leaders to question whether it's best to stay independent, form alliances, sell, buy, or merge. This session will explore how this trend is playing out across the industry, what it means, and take a look under the hood of CalMatters' acquisition of The Markup.
Speakers:
- Neil Chase, CEO, CalMatters
- Sisi Wei, Editor-in-Chief, The Markup
Description: Burnout is the scourge of the journalism world, and we can't continue to "do more with less" or self-care our way to healthy workloads. This hands-on session will help news leaders create a Stop Doing List to identify the best use of their time, money, and energy - and what to let go of.
Speakers:
- Brittany Harlow, Director, Verified News Network (VNN)
- AX Mina, Coach and Consultant, AX Mina Coaching | Board Member, News Product Alliance
Description: This registration-only, hands-on session will explore your leadership style to surface strengths and growth areas while outlining strategies for shifting your mindset from executor to visionary.
Speaker:
- Charo Henríquez, Editor, Newsroom Development and Support, The New York Times
Description: You've been growing your reader revenue in fits and starts over time, but you know you could be taking a more efficient and effective approach. How do you find time to launch a planned campaign? How do you get started? In this session, two organizations that recently celebrated their first successful campaigns will walk participants through the process step by step.
Speakers:
- Melanie Jongsma, Owner, The Lansing Journal
- Emma Restrepo, Founder, 2PuntosPlatform
Description: To effectively reach Spanish-speaking communities, publishers need to understand the complexity of this growing demographic. In this session, you’ll gain insights from publishers with real-world experience serving the diverse Hispanic, Latino, and LatinX audiences in the U.S. Panelists will explore migration patterns, political and economic disparities, passions around sports, food and family, and the myriad ways publishers connect with them.
Speakers:
- Paola Jaramillo, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Enlace Latino NC
- Janine Warner, Co-Founder and Executive Director, SembraMedia
- Claudia Yaujar-Amaro, Editor-in-Chief, Planeta Venus Online
Description: This session will focus on how understanding user feedback, implementing product improvements, and sizing the total addressable market will help you grow your newsletter.
Speaker:
- Tim Huelskamp, CEO, 1440
Description: Advertising sales can be a major source of revenue, but it can feel daunting. It doesn't have to be. This hands-on session will cover a simple system for handling inbound sales requests, "hunting" down sales, and a perspective that will make you want to sell more. Takeaways will include a media kit template, a sales conversation agenda, a simple agreement template, and recordings of Kenny's real-life sales calls with local businesses. A true, "no ghosting" system.
Speaker:
- Kenny Katzgrau, Publisher, Red Bank Green
Description: Philanthropic funding has been a fairly recent and high-impact revenue stream for journalism, but a durable revenue strategy doesn't start and end with grant funding. This session will explore how to leverage philanthropic dollars to diversify your revenue streams and build a strong foundation for the future.
Speakers:
- Lizzy Hazeltine, Director, North Carolina Local News Lab Fund
- Christina Shih, Associate Director, Press Forward
Description: Journalism is a public good, but an increasing number of organizations are thinking more broadly about how to meet and measure impact. This session explores how news businesses are using the tools of education, community organizing, events, and engagement to meet community information needs.
Speakers:
- Nicci Kadilak, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Burlington Buzz
- Lela Savic, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, La Converse
- Mia Warren, Managing Director, Feet in 2 Worlds
- Richard Young, Founder and Executive Director, CivicLex
Description: This session will focus on leveraging events to not only generate revenue but also to foster a deeper connection with your community. Learn innovative strategies for planning and executing events that attract both financial support and community participation.
Speakers:
- Simon Galperin, Executive Editor, The Jersey Bee
- Brittany Harlow, Director, Verified News Network (VNN)
- Todd Stauffer, Executive Director, Association of Alternative Newsmedia
Description: This lightning talk will explore how to reach new audiences in different places through various ways.
Speakers:
- Makeda Easter, Founder, the art rebellion
- Simon Galperin, Executive Editor, The Jersey Bee
- Lela Savic, Founding Editor, La Converse
- Libbie Sparadeo, Director of Membership and Engagement, VTDigger
Description: Join us for "Product Table Talks," a dynamic series of roundtable discussions featuring experts on key topics in local news product thinking. Facilitated by Shannan Bowen from NC Local News Workshop and AX Mina, independent coach and board member of the News Product Alliance, this workshop will delve into essential skills for modern newsrooms.
Starting with an introduction to product thinking and the concept of "jobs to be done," participants will rotate through tables to learn about revenue and product strategies, user research and audience segmentation, vendor management, and securing team and leadership buy-in. The session will conclude with a wrap-up of key takeaways, which will be shared with the broader local news and news product communities.
Speakers:
- Shannan Bowen, Executive Director, North Carolina Local News Workshop
- AX Mina, Coach and Consultant, AX Mina Coaching | Board Member, News Product Alliance
Description: Conveying why your news business is valuable to the community can be challenging - especially when you're trying to change the expectations of what a news outlet does, and for whom. This session will explore how to find and communicate your niche and your audience when you're not the only (or biggest) game in town.
Speakers:
- Lisa Snowden, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Baltimore Beat
- Ryan Sorrell, Founder and Executive Editor, The Kansas City Defender
- Richard Young, Founder and Executive Director, CivicLex
Description: You’re underwater running payroll, sourcing business insurance, researching CRMs, and, oh yes, also publishing news. You know you need operational support, but where, how much, and when? This workshop will dive into your business model and financial position to help you identify your specific operational needs and outline a process for either choosing a vendor/contractor or hiring an in-house team member to do the critical work that moves your news business forward.
Speakers:
- Anne Galloway, Co-Founder, NewzOps | Founder and Editor-at-Large, VTDigger
- Stacey L. Peters, Co-Founder and Tech Lead, NewzOps | former CTO at VTDigger
- Andrew Rockway, Associate Director of Sustainability Audits, LION Publishers
- Kristin Tessman, Business Planning Lead, NewzOps | former Deputy Director of Montana Free Press
Description: Strategic planning takes time, energy, and vision — attributes that are often in short supply in a lean organization. And yet, it's critical to identify where you are now, where you want to be down the road, and how to get there. This hands-on workshop will introduce strategic planning tools and exercises tailored to the needs of very small newsrooms and will provide a set of frameworks you can use to set goals and create strategies to grow revenue, increase impact, and achieve better work-life balance.
Speakers:
- Ashley Woods Branch, Executive Director, Fund for Equity in Local News | Program Manager, Transformation Tech
- Bene Cipolla, Organizational Consultant and Coach, Allium Partners | former Editor and Publisher, Chalkbeat
Description: Organizational leadership transitions are inevitable, but they don't have to be painful. As the independent news industry matures, we're seeing a greater emphasis on and examples of thoughtful succession planning at all levels of leadership. This session will explore how three high-profile founders managed this change by approaching it from a position of intention, trust, and strength.
Speakers:
- Mukhtar M. Ibrahim, CEO, Sahan Journal
- Wendi Thomas, Editor and Publisher, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
- Amanda Zamora, Founder and Principal, Agencia Media | Co-Founder and former Publisher of The 19th
Description: These newsroom leaders will share their experiments, one thing you can steal, and what the future holds for AI and local news.
Speakers:
- Dana Amihere, Founder and Executive Director, AfroLA
- Scott Brodbeck, Founder and CEO, Local News Now LLC
- Jay Allred, CEO, Richland Source
- Dorrine Mendoza, Product and Partnerships Lead, AJP Product & AI Studio, American Journalism Project