American Journalism Project

Congratulations to AJP grantee Connecticut Mirror, which received 18 awards in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists’ 2023 Excellence in Journalism contest! Honors include the Theodore Driscoll Award for Investigative Reporting and the Stephen A. Collins Public Service Award. Read more:

Last week we wrapped the first-ever American Journalism Project Audience Accelerator, in which 14 AJP grantee teams set out to grow newsletter subscribers and deepen this community of shared practice among peers. The focus on newsletter subscribers was incredibly important for two reasons: there’s an ever-more important need for publishers to have direct “known” relationships with audiences and being good at driving email newsletters subs allows teams to test and share good practices in audience development more broadly, from reach and awareness through conversion. ✨How’d they do? • The cohort collectively added more than 36,000 newsletter subscribers during the Accelerator, more than 10% growth over the cohort’s baseline. Together, they demonstrated their ability to meaningfully grow an important audience segment through targeted actions. • They also tracked a crucial leading metric: new monthly newsletter starts, where the median growth was 27% over the cohort’s baseline. • Indicative of their ability to guide audiences to a specific page or piece of content, landing page sessions improved by an average of 64%; median performance more than doubled vs. the cohort’s baseline. • And average monthly site visitors referred by newsletters jumped by 40%. ↗️ Driving their success: • A narrow and specific goal (growing newsletter subscribers) helped teams focus their discussions, meetings and test ideas. They were able to align around a singular focus, all in the same canoe and rowing in the same direction. • Most of the teams were cross functional, including members from editorial/audience, product, revenue and operations. This “all hands on deck” approach reinforced that audience growth and engagement are everyone’s responsibility, encouraging ideas and ownership from across the organization. • Better articulation of their newsletters’ audience value propositions, often by challenging themselves to define the value they provide and seeking audience feedback to improve their offerings. • Improved user experience (UX) by adopting frictionless signup good practices, like implementing “squeeze pages” and reducing form fields. 👏Congratulations to the teams at Connecticut Mirror, El Paso Matters, Enlace Latino NC, Flatwater Free Press, Fort Worth Report, Montana Free Press, Outlier Media , San José Spotlight, Signal Cleveland, Spotlight PA, The Nevada Independent, Votebeat Texas, VTDigger and WyoFile! Thank you to our friends at the AJP – especially Sarabeth Berman, Michael Ouimette, Darrin Kerr, Zainab Shah, Trei Brundrett, and the newest member of the team, Lisa Heyamoto – for supporting programs and interventions that help local news organizations survive and thrive. And always grateful to our Blue Engine Fam, including coaches and program leads in this Accelerator: Idalmy Carrera-Colucci, Claudia L. Cruz, Colin McMahon, and Liz Tenety.

Through a new collaboration between AJP and JPMorganChase, eight #localnews organizations will receive ongoing support to meet information needs in their communities. JPMorganChase is the first financial services firm to collaborate with the American Journalism Project. The company will work directly with AJP grantees THE CITY, Block Club Chicago NFP, Mississippi Today , Cityside, Montana Free Press, Signal Ohio, Fort Worth Report and Spotlight Delaware.

🚨 #JobOpportunity: The American Journalism Project is looking for an exceptional coalition-builder and strategist to lead transformative efforts in #localnews across the country through our Local Philanthropy Partnerships program. The Head of Emerging Markets will: 🤝 Build a coalition of local partners in news markets across the U.S. 📝 Design of strategic, sustainable philanthropic interventions. 🌟 Rally philanthropists, foundations and civic leaders to invest in local news. Apply now and join us in shaping the future of local news:

From growing our team to supporting AI experimentation in local newsrooms, we’ve made progress since launching our Product & AI Studio in 2023. Our Chief Investment Officer Michael Ouimette shares early insights and what’s next for AJP and its grantees. #localnews #localnewsmatters #journalismandai

Richmondside, the third local newsroom from Cityside, launches today! 🎉 We're proud to support this effort to bring more #localnews to Bay Area residents.

When planning for leadership transitions in #localnews, it’s critical to understand your board’s role and maintain strong communication. Nieman Journalism Lab shares insights from Sahan Journal CEO Mukhtar M. Ibrahim and other industry leaders at #INNDays24.

We’re #hiring! The Director, Philanthropic Partnerships will steward a portfolio of supporters and funders and forge new relationships to build AJP’s impact and financial resources. Learn more and apply below. #localnews #localnewsmatters #nonprofitjobs #philanthropyjobs

Sahan Journal won three awards from the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists, including first place for best beat reporting and best website! Becky Dernbach was honored for her exceptional education coverage, and Katelyn Vue was named Young Journalist of the Year. Read more:

Congratulations to Spotlight PA for earning six statewide awards from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association (PNA)! 🎉 The news organization received the Public Service Award for the fourth year in a row. Through dozens of stories, explainers and virtual events, the “Why Judges Matter” series helped Pennsylvanians understand how court decisions affect their daily lives. The investigation, “Richest Little City,” which uncovered major political corruption in a small Pennsylvania city, earned Spotlight PA its third John V.R. Bull Freedom of Information Award. #localnews #localnewsmatters