The average household income in Montgomery County is the 20th-highest among U.S. counties. The county has the highest percentage (29.2%) of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate degrees. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/nonp...

“If there’s an idea here that you like, you are welcome to it, just take it — do it in your town." www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/the-...

This story — which asks what happened to all of those newsroom DEI jobs, committees, and promises from 2020 — is the hardest one I've ever worked on. I hope you'll spend some time with it today. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/from...

One thing that struck me about my conversation with @davejorgenson.bsky.social: I think he's having...fun? With journalism? In this economy? www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/with...

In France, reporters are getting a cut of revenue from AI licensing deals. Among others, Le Monde has agreed to redistribute 25% of its deals with OpenAI and Perplexity. I took a closer look at these union agreements and asked why they haven't crossed the Atlantic. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/in-f...

“Especially now, we need strong regional infrastructure that can connect smaller stations to larger entities and help them continue to provide essential local news and information to their communities.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/with...

"We are really active in watching how things have shook out at other news organizations, including Houston Landing,“ reporter Amy Morona said. "We are just trying to make it for the long haul, and we think unionizing is the best way for us to do that together.”

“These stations are not just media outlets, they are cultural infrastructure.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/how-...

“This is a nut that no one else in the country has cracked — how to translate what nonprofit newsrooms are doing for commercial TV.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/can-...

well this absolutely rules www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/miss...

A beloved bookstore about to close; a determined volunteer; a local news nonprofit that got creative. Got to write about a Kansas City icon named Willa Robinson and what @kcdefender.bsky.social is doing to preserve her remarkable book collection and legacy. www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/miss...

absolutely loved this piece about @kcdefender.bsky.social and a bookstore called Willa's by @speppered.bsky.social www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/miss...

New by me —> These are the 25 largest nonprofit news sites in the U.S. by web traffic. Some you’d expect (like @propublica.org), others you might not (@ncronline.bsky.social, @sciencenews.bsky.social, @lapublicpress.bsky.social, @notusreports.bsky.social) www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/nonp...

Colleges and universities can be good places to produce these kinds of state-based media newsletters. If you want to try and start one, get in touch. I’ll help! theconversation.com/i-teach-coll... #academicsky

In January, I uncovered a network of AI-generated newsletters, called Good Daily, that was targeting hundreds of small towns and cities across the U.S. This week, the newsletter company 6AM City announced it had bought Good Daily and brought its founder on board. www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/good...

New by me —> From now on, I’ll tell you every month which 25 local U.S. newspapers are having the most traffic success on the web. Any guesses what (often forgotten) newspaper company owns a shocking 7 of the top 11, beating out far larger peers? www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/how-...

New feature alert @niemanlab.org: Traffic rankings for the top U.S. news outlets in three categories — local newspapers, nonprofit news sites, and public radio stations. First up, local newspapers by @joshuabenton.com

The New York Times Company and the owner of The Wall Street Journal, News Corp, are also publicly traded newspaper companies. But unlike those papers, the L.A. Times — purchased by Soon-Shiong in 2018 — stands on shakier financial ground. www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/patr...

Local stations — from New York City to Indigenous communities — will be the most impacted by the rescission and will likely have to lay off staff, reduce programming, and more if they don't find ways to replace government funds. www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/publ...

If you are involved in trying to make nonprofit news sustainable, I wrote and reported this story for you! So much news that deserves our attention right now, but I hope you'll spend some time with my Houston Landing retrospective for @niemanlab.org (1/3) www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/what...

This is well worth reading, even if limited, as we always are, by who would talk. It underlines, at least for me, the missed opportunity of a more comprehensive after-action report that could have been commissioned by the institutional funders. www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/what...

“I appreciate your interest, however the leadership at Houston Landing has basically moved on, and there is no interest in a wrap up story.” @speppered.bsky.social said not so fast. the result of her dogged reporting is leading @niemanlab.org today. www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/what...

Read the story of how this essay came together from our editor in chief:

“I don’t know how long it took—ten seconds, maybe fifteen—for the house to come apart." During the early-morning hours of July 4, the Guadalupe River pulled senior editor Aaron Parsley and six members of his family into its waters. Read his firsthand account:

A New report maps a “severe” shortage of local journalists in the U.S.: www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/new-... I looked at the details for @niemanlab.org The report "finds that more than 1,000 counties — one out of three in the nation — do not have the equivalent of even one full-time local journalist."

Whatever you think of NewsGuard’s approach or the usefulness of its labels, the decision speaks to how the internet, political landscape, and notions of collective truth have polarized beyond recognition since 2018. www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/lang...

Beyond pageviews: Small news nonprofits are developing their own metrics to measure impact www.niemanlab.org/2025/06/beyo...

Cuts and layoffs at local newspapers are, unfortunately, not rare. A newspaper owner willing to defend the decisions on the record is. www.niemanlab.org/2025/05/this...

Here is the cover of this week’s @NYTmag. If you haven’t read my story, I hope you’ll make time for it. (Gift link) www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/m...

I was in Eugene right as Lookout launched there and stopped by their downtown newsroom. They had a monster first month and local news industry veterans seem genuinely excited about what they've built. Three more local newsrooms will launch by end of 2026. www.niemanlab.org/2025/05/the-...

Wesley Lowery rose to prominence as a reporter and media thinker. Women in journalism say he engaged in sexual harassment and assault. www.cjr.org/feature-2/we...

A nonprofit founded to save community news sold off most of its Colorado newspapers to an out-of-state, for-profit media company. I looked at past Times Media Group's acquisitions. I don't expect Coloradans to be encouraged by what I found. www.niemanlab.org/2025/05/nati...

“The No. 1 thing we want to do is help produce journalism that wouldn’t otherwise get done." www.niemanlab.org/2025/05/the-...

The nonprofit National Trust for Local News has just offloaded most of its Colorado newspapers to a for-profit, out-of-state company: coloradocommunitymedia.com/2025/05/13/n... I reported on troubles at the National Trust & its Colorado papers in February: coloradomedia.substack.com/p/very-unfor...

The decline of local news has eroded high school sports coverage. The Globe, a rare profitable metro daily, is well positioned to pick up that slack. www.niemanlab.org/2025/05/by-d...

"If you’re going to have the principal as editor of the paper, it’s simply an extension of the district’s PR office. It’s absolutely not a student newspaper." www.niemanlab.org/2025/05/insi...

What a wonderful writeup by @speppered.bsky.social on this project by @outliermedia.org, @detdocumenters.bsky.social and so many caring Detroiters. ❤️

“Public outreach efforts like this are in Outlier’s DNA" www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/how-...

Spoke to incoming National Trust for Local News CEO Tom Wiley, board chair Keith Mestrich, and journalists who've worked with Wiley in the past. He's seen as an experienced news exec and a "revenue guy" — but a sincere and well-liked one. www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/the-...

News outlets large & small are launching grocery price trackers. cool stuff here from @bostonglobe.com @mainepublic.org @washingtonpost.com

New by me —> It turns out watching reality TV — specifically, competition shows like The Voice, Top Chef, and Shark Tank — changes people’s opinions about economic inequality in America. Just one item from my chat with the very interesting @eunjikim.bsky.social www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/the-...

A growing number of nonprofit newsrooms and local public radio stations, supported by big investments, are pursuing some kind of network model as one of the best hopes of sustainability for delivering more local news to more communities.

I'm working on a story about what’s come of media companies' 2020 DEI promises: Do you know of newsrooms that have or have not followed through on them? Send me a tip via email ([email protected]) or on Signal (@hanaatameez.01): signal.me#eu/SQFmfpneR... Please RT for reach!

The Houston Landing is shutting down. The site will stop publishing by mid-May, CEO Peter Bhatia announced earlier today. buff.ly/RR56xv2

The Houston Landing Is Closing, and Laying Off 43 Employees. The nonprofit startup struggled to identify a business model, an editorial strategy, and a large audience, by @sewell.bsky.social. www.cjr.org/news/houston...

Öztürk also says that in two-plus weeks, despite her requests, she hasn't been given access to a prayer rug, a Quran, or a Muslim chaplain

Last month, Patch announced it was publishing AI-generated local newsletters in 30,000 communities across the U.S. I spoke to former Patch workers about the precursor to its AI program and the decision to leave human newsletter writers across the country behind. www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/the-...

NEW: Gannett will stop publishing company diversity/demographic data, citing Trump's January executive order to eliminate DEI initiatives. If other news companies taking similar actions, you can find the info to securely send me a tip at the bottom of this story. www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/gann...

Lawyer for U-M protester detained at airport after spring break trip with family