In many organizations, and certainly within organizations of size, a role arises out of necessity: the fix-it guy. This person has a particular talent for getting things done without planning. So when a problem suddenly arises or things get stuck, they’re the one that everyone rushes to. But, is the fix-it guy actually good for the overall health of an organization?

Since its founding in 2012, LION Publishers has proactively provided a comprehensive offering of training programs, hands-on advice and other resources for its members, which now total more than 480. Most are small and local, and approximately 90% operate a digital news platform. Sixty-five percent of the members are for-profit newsrooms, and the other 35% are nonprofits.

West Virginia’s newspaper history begins not long after the Revolutionary War. The first three newspapers were established in the “Eastern Panhandle,” according to the West Virginia Encyclopedia, published by the West Virginia Humanities Council. The Berkeley Advertiser, founded in Shepherdstown, was the first; it debuted in 1790. There are currently 63 news media publishers in West Virginia, representing 23 owners or ownership groups, according to the West Virginia Press Association.

Puzzles and games have always been central to the newspaper experience, but no media company has had as much success mining that obsession digitally as The New York Times. Games are so popular at the Times they’ve become one of four main pillars bundled to keep subscribers paying each month, along with The Athletic, Cooking and Wirecutter, their consumer review website.

CTV represents an enormous opportunity for newspaper publishers struggling with declining print revenue and stagnant digital revenue. CTV advertising represents the future, but publishers still face some challenges in execution. Here are some best practices local papers should keep in mind.

For the past 37 years, Kent Porter has been a staff photographer for The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa, California. Photographing fires wasn’t meant to be his beat, but he is now an expert. He recounted to E&P how he’s seen whipping winds, leaping flames, falling branches from burning trees, and the horrors of communities charred and disintegrated.

News outlets are constantly challenged to counter purposeful disinformation with journalistic integrity and verified facts. In response to the increasing falsehoods about the 2020 election results, NPR created a small team in early 2021 to report on the epidemic of disinformation. When their stories received positive feedback, management made the group permanent as the NPR Disinformation Team.

In early June, Houston Landing formally launched under the direction of CEO Peter Bhatia. A former editor, Bhatia is now at the helm of the business model — nonprofit, purely digital and expressly focused on Houston’s underserved communities. They solicit donations and members, but the journalism is free.

A journalist’s job can be exciting: uncovering a critical lead for a new story or elbowing aside a gaggle of other media pros to question a government official. Many journalists must also attend city council, school board or other local meetings — often for hours, waiting for a newsworthy decision or statement. Reading the minutes can require even more precious time to find the kernel of the story or determine who best to interview. Making that process easier is the goal of Agenda Watch

The circus is coming to town — to every city in America. And only the donkeys and elephants will be performing in the center ring. It’s America’s quintessential, quadrennial big show — the 2024 presidential, congressional, state and local elections. Despite how little attention and money print media and newspapers receive from many political campaigns, there are still opportunities to generate additional revenues — especially suburban and small-market newspapers with hyper-local reporting.

The "NewsMedia Revenue Summit" is programmed to be an information packed, fast-paced event designed to deliver actionable, take-to-market ideas and strategies that will grow "top line" revenue, now! Plus attendees will be able to submit their biggest revenue challenges in advance, so E&P can assess the latest research and industry knowledge available to present customized solutions, during a special session hosted by Mike Blinder.

As a manager, you must balance the things that need to get done and the time available. Are you spending your time wisely? Or are you wasting this resource on things that other people could be doing? That kind of examination is absolutely crucial to getting the most value out of your time.

Too often, the media focuses on the demise of newspapers and the expanding news deserts nationwide. It is certainly a transition of note, but another transition that deserves more coverage is the effort to recruit and train the next generation of journalists. How news is delivered is changing, but the journalist's role will remain critical to gathering, writing and providing editorial commentary about the news.

One of the dilemmas newsrooms face in the age of AI is whether and how to use generative AI technologies, and then how to create some structure and define ethics and policy around their use. The other dilemma is how to protect news publishers' interests through regulatory and fair-compensation advocacy.

In the wake of the Revolutionary War and the birth of the United States, founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison agreed that securing and growing a free press was essential to the country’s future. So in 1792, then-President George Washington signed into law a sweeping act that created the postal service and subsidized the delivery of newspapers. This lesson of government support of the news industry is extremely relevant today, as communities across the country continue to lose local news sources at an alarming rate.

You may have noticed the #AAJAFamily hashtag trending on social media this summer. That's how members of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) describe the organization and its annual conference to E&P, “like a family.” E&P reached out to AAJA officers and members to hear about their experiences at AAJA23 and what this organization has meant to them professionally and personally.

Nowadays, everyone is talking about how third-party cookies are fading away. For publishers, this landscape shift is both a challenge and an opportunity. Programmatic ad revenue may dip without micro-targeted audiences. But the good news? First-party data strategies let publishers regain control of their customer data, improve user experiences and tap new income streams.

In each of the last two years, E&P has announced our “15 Over 50” salute. However, again this year, the nominees have been so deserving that we expanded the group to include “20 Over 50.” We were excited about our robust response and the stellar individuals we salute. They range in age from 51 to 75. Some have spent most of their career in news with one organization, and others have progressed through several positions across organizations.

We are seeking your assistance in recognizing a leader with business acumen, technical savvy and a deep understanding of what needs to be done to stay successful — along with the fortitude and tenacity to implement change. “Publisher of the Year” recognition is open to all news media publishers worldwide.

September 15 is International Democracy Day, but in the month leading up to the holiday, democracy itself seemed under attack — acutely in the small town of Marion, Kansas. On Friday, Aug. 11, the full arm of the law came down on the local newspaper, The Marion County Record, and its family owners. Publisher Eric Meyer had the support, ears and eyes of news outlets worldwide.

In the ever-evolving media landscape, driven by technology and shifts in consumer behavior, the concept of sustainability within news media has gained profound significance. In pursuing sustainability, news leaders must embrace the complexity of their roles, engaging in a constant assessment of finances, an unwavering commitment to the community and the capability to reinvent — guided by consistent principles and practices.

Patrick Merlihan, who runs digital strategy for the Woolwich Observer in Elmira, Ontario, thought he was about to tackle a monumental task in a quest to make the website fully accessible for the 15,000-circulation newspaper in September 2021. “I thought I was going to have a lot of challenges to make our site accessible, and then it was, like, 10 minutes,” he said.

The people and communities of southwest Colorado and northwest New Mexico embrace the spirit and history of the Old West while proactively developing the social, cultural and economic diversity of their part of the New West. Having recently celebrated its 70th year, Ballantine Communications has been a leading partner in that development as a primary news and information outlet and a multimedia resource to support local business growth.

A year into his role as NPR's audience editor, Latino audiences, Pablo Valdivia reflects about his job and what he’s discovered about NPR’s Latino listeners. He notes that he consults with the newsroom, introducing them to stories of interest to Latino listeners and steering them away from stories that speak about Latinos without hearing from Latinos.

The buzz was electric as over 200 media executives packed into the Gleacher Center in downtown Chicago on Aug. 2, eager to hear insights on the future of local news from industry leaders at the opening keynote of LMA Fest. Moderator Tracy Brown of WBEZ/Chicago Public Media welcomed a star-studded panel featuring Catherine Badalamente, CEO of Graham Media Group, Mike Reed, CEO of Gannett, and Evan Smith, senior advisor at Emerson Collective and former CEO of The Texas Tribune.

E&P spoke with engagement editors this summer to hear firsthand about their career paths, how closely they work with newsrooms today and their thoughts on how the quality of the content is vital to engagement. Learn from the engagement editors at The Star Tribune in Minneapolis, The Marshall Project and the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

The International Center for Journalists empowers journalists to follow the money behind disinformation in the Americas. ICFJ President Sharon Moshavi says it is critical to expose the sources of disinformation and find who is funding the intentional dissemination of false information.