Network News

INN adds nonprofit news Startup Guide, updates “Learn” resource site

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The Institute for Nonprofit News is launching an updated INN Learn site with new resources for people starting and running nonprofit sites. The biggest addition is the Startup Guide, where INN has collected answers to thousands of questions INN fields from folks exploring how to start a news organization. INN will continue to build these resources and collect new questions from founders during free monthly startup info sessions. The guide walks news site planners through key steps in starting a nonprofit news outlet. From building a mission to creating a board of directors, the Startup Guide is a resource for those asking the questions: Should I start a news outlet?

Introducing the journalism awards Google Calendar

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Every day, I send out a newsletter with the best of nonprofit journalism from the Midwest, with an audience mostly comprised of nonprofit news editors. As the audience development specialist for INN’s Amplify News Project, I try to include other links that I’m seeing from the journalism industry that could be helpful for smaller outlets trying to grow their audience—events, trainings, guides, etc. The links for journalism award submissions are among the most clicked-on resources I share. Consistently. It’s no secret that journalists love awards.

Announcements

INN Emma Bowen Foundation fellows return to nonprofit news organizations

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Twenty nonprofit news media outlets, including INN, welcomed back Emma Bowen Foundation Fellows into their organizations for a second summer. The program is part of INN’s strategic initiative to cultivate a diverse talent pipeline essential in propelling the nonprofit sector’s innovation and growth, with generous support from Democracy Fund.  

All but one fellow returned to the same nonprofit news organization. Fellows, who are college students, are placed inside nonprofit news organizations for eight-week internships focused on news media business, technology and editorial. The list of participating INN members and fellows are:

BenitoLink
Francisco Romero
San Jose State University, Software Engineering

CALmatters
Adria Watson
Sacramento State University, Journalism

The Center for Public Integrity
Laura Zornosa
Northwestern University, Journalism and International Studies

Chalkbeat
Zipporah Osei
Northeastern University, Journalism

Chalkbeat - Detroit
Imani Harris
Northwestern University, Journalism

Chalkbeat - New York
Camille Respess
University of Florida, Journalism

Charlottesville Tomorrow
Norah Mulinda
University of Virginia, Media Studies and Psychology

The Chicago Reporter
Elly Rivera
Northwestern University, Journalism

The Connecticut Mirror
Maya Moore
University of Connecticut, Journalism

The GroundTruth Project
Milan Polk
Northwestern University, Journalism

Institute for Nonprofit News
Nikita Advani
University of Southern California, Business Administration

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
Zshekinah Collier
American University, Justice and Law

Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting (Louisville Public Media)
Jewél Jackson
Syracuse University, Newspaper & Online Journalism with a minor in Communication & Rhetorical Studies

MinnPost
Tiffany Bui
University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Professional Journalism

The New Food Economy
Kamari Stewart
Pace University, Digital Journalism

Next City
Natalia Rommen
University of Pennsylvania, Communications and Political Science

Politifact
Sophie Austin
American University, Journalism

Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
Domonique Green
Howard University, Graphic Design

Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting
Simmone Shah
Barnard College of Columbia University, English with a Writing Concentration

The Texas Tribune
Troy Closson
Northwestern University, Journalism

The fellows are already making an impact inside INN member organizations. For Jewél Jackson, a junior majoring in newspaper and online journalism with a minor in communication and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University and an editorial intern with the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, this is her first experience inside a nonprofit newsroom.

Announcements

INN’s LEAD group talks nonprofit news leadership challenges ahead of INN Days 2019

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A new leadership development cohort, serving senior leaders from INN members across the country, held its first meeting before INN Days 2019 in Houston, where group members participated in design thinking training and discussed common leadership challenges. Six people were chosen for the LEAD cohort after INN received feedback that people who were outside the group targeted by its Emerging Leadership Council could also be served by mentorship and training. Five of them were able to come together at the conference. “The group was formed because there were additional leaders further along in their careers that needed leadership and product development training when we announced the nomination for INN’s Emerging Leaders Council,” said INN’s Chief Knowledge Officer Fran Scarlett. All of the participants were nominated by their INN member organizations for their strength in nonprofit news leadership.

Announcements

Missouri’s Mark Horvit named INN director; three board member representatives re-elected

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LOS ANGELES, July 17 — Investigative journalist Mark Horvit is joining the board of directors of the Institute for Nonprofit News, along with three member representatives elected to the board. Horvit is an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism with deep experience in investigative and nonprofit journalism. He directs Missouri’s State Government Reporting Program, where he is focused on creating a new model for statehouse coverage. He previously served as executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors and guided IRE through significant expansion. Three member representatives were re-elected at INN’s annual meeting in Houston on Thursday: Laura Frank, vice president of journalism at Rocky Mountain PBS; Anne Galloway, executive director of VTDigger; and Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics.

Announcements

INN welcomes nonprofit development leader Larry Horne

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Larry Horne joins the Institute for Nonprofit News on June 10 in a new role as development director, based in New York. Horne will lead INN’s revenue strategy with a focus on establishing a major gifts program and diversifying the grant funding portfolio that supports services, programs and growth for a network of more than 210 member newsrooms.

Horne brings more than 30 years of experience in fundraising and nonprofit management to INN, including senior roles at the National Coalition Against Censorship, The Public Theater, the Trust for Public Land, AIDS Service Center NYC and the Hedrick-Martin Institute. In addition to his work with the National Coalition Against Censorship, Horne's media involvement has included programming consulting work for KCET, a Los Angeles PBS station, the Independent Television Service, and documentary film production. Horne began his nonprofit and fundraising career as the founder and executive director of Outfest, an Los Angeles LGBTQ film festival, which he grew into a leading film festival during his 15-year tenure. Most recently, he was the senior capital campaign director at the Green-Wood Historic Fund, and prior to that, executive director of the American Friends of Blérancourt supporting the Franco-American Museum, Château de Blérancourt in Picardy, France.

Board of Directors

Nine nonprofit news leaders running for INN’s Board of Directors

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Meet the Candidates
INN members, please meet the candidates seeking to represent you in three open seats on INN's Board of Directors. These seats are currently held by Anne Galloway of VTDigger, Sheila Krumholz of the Center for Responsive Politics and Laura Frank of Rocky Mountain PBS. Their two-year terms are up for renewal. All three are running for re-election. Frank was one of the founders of INN in 2009 and has served on the board since 2013.

Announcements

INN launches new diversity and talent development initiative; creates four graduate internships with Missouri School of Journalism

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The Institute for Nonprofit News is partnering with the Missouri School of Journalism to create four graduate internships with support from the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation as part of a new diversity initiative this summer called the Knight Nonprofit News Internship Program. The internships are part of an INN initiative to develop a diverse workforce and advance the fast growth of nonprofit newsrooms.

Four graduate students will work in small newsrooms, which will position students to learn more about the business side of news and the emerging business models in journalism. The four INN member newsrooms who will be hosting the interns include VTDigger in Vermont, The Conversation in Boston, radio station KCUR in Kansas City, and inewsource in San Diego. Meet the students who will be interning inside INN member news organizations this summer:

Peng Chen, who is studying data journalism, will help with a variety of tasks, including data collection, reporting and studying analytics at VTDigger. Samuel Manas, who is studying investigative journalism, will help grow newsletter subscriptions and audience engagement at The Conversation.

Announcements

Eleven named to the INN Emerging Leaders Council 2019

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LOS ANGELES, April 23, 2019 — Eleven mid-career professionals from nonprofit newsrooms have been selected for the second INN Emerging Leaders Council, a peer group nominated by their organizations for their potential to lead the growing nonprofit news sector. Council members meet for a year to work on news industry challenges using design thinking, expand their support and mentorship networks, and develop professional skills in product development, business and leadership. This is the second council formed since the program began in 2017. “There are growing opportunities and needs for a new generation of news leaders, and the Emerging Leaders Council creates a network supporting top talent for the field,” said Sue Cross, INN’s executive director and CEO. “This year's applicant pool and cohort are the most diverse we’ve seen — racially, ethnically, and also by the type of news outlet, reflecting the growth and variety in public service journalism.”

The Emerging Leaders Council is funded by the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation as part of a broader INN initiative to build business, strategy and leadership skills in nonprofit news organizations.

Announcements

Josh Darby joins INN Labs as senior developer

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LOS ANGELES — Josh Darby has joined INN Labs as a senior developer, and will be serving as a lead solutions architect of INN Labs’ publishing tools, WordPress framework, and large-scale projects to ensure they reflect and meet industry and client goals. Darby previously held senior developer positions at The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites in the country, and at web development agencies where he worked on high-traffic projects for nonprofits, universities, and companies such as Disney, FOX, and Cisco. Darby's full-stack expertise includes WordPress development, PHP, MySQL, Javascript, and Python and is experienced in understanding client needs and implementing development best practices. Darby is certified in Google Analytics and HubSpot development. He looks forward to applying his skills to advancing innovative solutions in media.