News
A LION Is born
Dylan Smith was skeptical when, in 2010, he received an invitation to the first Block by Block conference. Leaving his one-person newsroom for a weekend for a conference aimed at local, independent, online news operators seemed like a waste of time.
Small-town print goes big-time digital
Mark Nienhueser worked for Service Noodle, an online platform that made it easy for businesses to develop a website and a digital footprint. When he moved to the MPA, in 2013, he realized there were a lot of untapped digital opportunities for newspapers.
RJI: 10 years of innovating and more to come
The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute is celebrating 10 years of innovating and helping ensure that journalism has a long and bright future in the service of democracy. The institute’s doors opened in 2008.
Building trust one idea at a time
“One of the things I appreciated most about the Trusting News project is that Joy takes this big hairy topic of “trust in the media” and breaks it down into actionable steps,” says Sarah Binder, the former community engagement manager at the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Binder led the newsroom’s partnership with Trusting News in early 2018. The … Continued
Putting Mayer’s research to work
Around 2012, Jodi Gersh was traveling to various large Gannett newsrooms and running engagement workshops. She had recently pioneered the first social media position inside Gannett, and now she was helping the company figure out how it could meet its readers on these powerful platforms they were using. She used Joy Mayer’s Community Engagement: A Practical Conversation for Newsrooms as a kind … Continued
Getting engaged. No diamond ring required
Some folks might think it’s a bit unusual for a print design professor to segue to a career researching and improving the relationships journalists have with their communities. Joy Mayer never gave it a second thought.
Why it works
By 2017, it was clear to Janine York that she had to act. “Our newspaper is our core product, but we knew we needed to expand,” says York, the advertising director at the Missourian, a twice-weekly newspaper in the small town of Washington, Missouri.
Bots: Tips and Tools
How to use the Facebook ad archive for projects and tips on what to think about before you start!
Info District dispatch: On lobbying
To pass an ordinance or petition for a referendum you need to lobby someone. The Community Information Cooperative’s 501(c)(3) incorporation means that no more than 20 percent of our budget can be spent on lobbying. At first, we saw this as a limitation.
RJI video series on innovation is a finalist for EPPY Award
Innovation in Focus, which helps newsrooms navigate the numerous new emerging technologies and storytelling techniques, is a finalist for a 2018 Editor & Publisher EPPY Award. The series, which is produced by the Innovation and Futures Lab at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, was selected from more than 300 entries across 30 categories, according to … Continued