In Local Journalism, Collaboration is Queen 👑

I’m freshly energized from the 2024 Knight Infrastructure Summit, a fantastic collaborative meeting with news industry leaders, hosted by the Knight Foundation. A common theme was how all publishers entering the local news space have different goals and aspirations, and they need guidance and infrastructure that supports them. While out of respect for the confidential nature of the gathering I can’t go into details at this time, I am excited there will be more regular gatherings of industry thought leaders to explore collaboration opportunities in the future.  

I’ve been thinking a lot about collaboration and investments in efforts we see working across the industry. Collaborations come in many forms: with other news outlets, with funders or sponsors, and within the business itself. Sometimes it can be hard to get past just how we can collaborate, though we know doing so will improve content quality, reach a greater audience and enhance business sustainability.

This month, I make the case that collaboration should be a royal standard for local journalism outlets, and also share exciting updates from TAPinto and beyond. 

In Local Journalism, Collaboration is Queen 👑

Forever we’ve heard “Content is King.” 

Lately, for me, this evokes the image of the Mad King from Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Not all kings are good. There’s an overabundance of low-quality content (true madness) while news deserts persist across the country. In New Jersey alone, more than 100 communities lack a local news source — an issue I’m proud to help address on a personal level through my involvement with the new Foundation for Local News. 

Collaboration can help solve not only news deserts, but the challenge of reaching more diverse audiences within a sustainable business model. I’ve started to think of collaboration as queen: the hope for the future of our industry. 

Our network approach at TAPinto and the Hyperlocal News Network is rooted in the principle that local news sites can achieve more together than they can alone. We see this time and again in our industry across technology, journalism and strategy: collaboration among focused publishers leads to audience and revenue growth. 

In June, the The Knight x LMA BloomLab , a collaborative effort at digital transformation among 26 Black-owned media organizations, announced publishers in all three cohorts combined saw 30% year-over-year growth in digital revenue. Through collaboration and shared resources, the lab has helped publishers with more than 200 implementations of new or upgraded technologies and led more than 100 trainings — a true powerhouse of collaboration. 

In TAPinto’s home state of New Jersey, the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University has long championed collaborative journalism. A significant takeaway from CCM’s rich resources is the importance of including readers in our idea of collaboration in news, finding ways to actively listen and publish reporting with — not about — our readers. 

Over the years, the Knight Foundation has hosted a slew of public and private conversations to address sustainable growth in our industry. Leaders from high-impact, future-minded organizations are all focused on sustaining a healthy journalism ecosystem as the bedrock of our democracy. Through these events, I’ve learned so much and seen some of the same collaborative principles that drive TAPinto work for other news outlets. 

At TAPinto and HNN, we streamline operations with a robust suite of tools that reduce costs and enhance productivity. The network effect of our revenue programs creates maximum impact for advertisers and publishers. Our sites can seamlessly share content, and local businesses and organizations can submit their own content through our award-winning DIY Marketing Platform, amplifying the everyday voices in our communities. Just last month, our annual franchise meeting gathered TAPinto publishers to collectively strategize new revenue and audience growth. 

Collaboration has been a guiding force at TAPinto since its inception in 2008. It’s our shield against the jarring downturns of the media industry. Content as a Mad King isn’t the future of local journalism. 

Maybe it’s time we let Queen Collaboration rule.

News Insights About the News Industry

• Partisan-backed outlets now outnumber genuine local newspapers in the U.S., threatening our democracy by influencing political outcomes in swing states. We have to make it simpler for objective journalism to succeed if we want a truly informed citizenry. There’s no one path, but collaboration for sustainability can be powerful against dark money and “pink slime.”
• I was pleased (but not surprised) to read that Time magazine’s decision to drop its paywall has bolstered advertising revenue. Over the past year, Time has seen its ad revenue increase by 14% without an influx in traffic — showing that an ad-focused business model for news organizations works. 

• The Foundation for Local News launched in June with the mission to improve the local news ecosystem in New Jersey. With a multi-pronged approach, the foundation will address news deserts through educational opportunities and original state-level news reporting. As an enthusiastic board member of the foundation, I must share that we’re aiming to raise $250,000 in the first year to support high school journalism programs and the Statehouse news bureau, with additional plans to help to expand local news to 50 communities that are currently news deserts over three years. I believe this will be truly transformational for journalism in New Jersey.

ICYMI: TAPinto Highlights

• Media industry journalist Simon Owens recently gave me a chance to share how the TAPinto model is a thriving example of sustainability in the future of local news. You can find the interview here and subscribe to Simon's newsletter to get insightful conversations about the media industry.

• TAPinto Summit has a new publisher: Christopher P. Wightman, a media veteran with a lifelong passion for local journalism. Welcome, Chris! 

• The Hyperlocal News Network recently launched to provide a comprehensive licensed CMS platform and a huge suite of efficient and powerful tools for publishers. We developed this offering with feedback from stakeholders and would love to share more about it and get your feedback. 

That Was Fun 

What an incredible gathering at our annual TAPinto Franchisee Meeting! With so much talent in one place, it was the best time for collaborative learning and networking. I always look forward to these events, catching up with everyone, and focusing on the future. 

See You Soon

If you’re interested in learning what it means to own a TAPinto franchise, I invite you to check out our no-pressure webinar on July 10th. Joining our reputable network comes with many benefits beyond collaboration, though that is a major perk. 

If you’re an existing publisher looking for operational services like billing or graphic design, or searching for the perfect CMS to host your content and ads, you’ll be interested in the Hyperlocal News Network licensee webinar on July 17th. We can connect you with details and answer questions about our suite of solutions. 

In the spirit of collaboration, drop me a comment or message to share how you hope to collaborate more as a business now that we’re in the second half of 2024. I’d love to hear your ideas!