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.

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

Small-town print goes big-time digital

In the early 2010s, Mark Nienhueser was the sales director for Service Noodle, an online platform that made it easy for small, local service businesses to develop a website and gain a digital footprint. When he moved to the Missouri Press Association, in 2013, he realized there were a lot of untapped digital opportunities for … Continued

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. By 2017, it was clear to Janine York that she had … Continued

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 to fly across the country for a conference aimed at local, independent, online news operators seemed like a waste of time. Smith ran a nonprofit site in a major metro, … Continued

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.

Seven lessons for immersive storytellers from the RJI Innovation Series

Creating content for the leading edge of the immersive video world — virtual reality, augmented reality, 360-degree — can be challenging for many newsrooms both in terms of how to master the technology and what projects to try it on.  RJI invited a handful of innovative folks who either use the technologies or write about … Continued