By Ha Ta
The 2025 Index introduces a new section on timely topics, in which we survey INN members1 on emerging topics such as impact measurement, collaboration, policy engagement related to revenue for news organizations, and the use of artificial intelligence.
We added these questions to benchmark how nonprofit newsrooms are navigating emerging forces that could shape their sustainability and operations and found that across the board, INN members are responding strategically to external forces that could change, disrupt or strengthen their newsrooms. From new technology integration to policy and civic engagement, they are not only adapting but beginning to assert agency.
A roundup of important statistics
AI usage is accelerating, and its applications remain concentrated on business operations and speeding up tasks such as transcription and data analysis
In 2024, 63% of INN members reported using AI in their operations, a sharp increase from 34% in 2023. Usage seems evenly distributed across outlets of different geographic scope and coverage priority (outlets focusing on investigative, deep analysis or general news).
Most are using AI tools for more automated, back-office functions such as transcription or data analysis rather than newer generative uses like creating or repurposing text or images. That said, some newsroom leaders remain skeptical of AI, expressing concern that its growing focus in the nonprofit news space may divert attention and resources from urgent day-to-day needs.
About two-thirds of respondents use AI for interview transcription. Editorial applications remain more limited: 16% of outlets use AI to edit stories, and fewer than 10% are experimenting with drafting interview questions, stories, or other editorial content.
Nearly half of INN members using AI apply it to fundraising and donor outreach efforts
Fundraising, traditionally a rigorous and resource-intensive endeavor for nonprofits, is an area where outlets are often employing AI tools. Roughly 47% of outlets that use AI reported using it to draft grant applications, personalize outreach to funders or stakeholders, or identify prospective donors.
Conversations with practitioners suggest that AI is being used in fundraising primarily as a time-saving assistant rather than a transformative force. AI tools are often described as supportive, helping carry out brainstorming tasks, but not fundamentally changing the nature of the work. AI is mostly helpful in early-stage research and drafting, with potential to assist in pulling specified information from large amounts of written materials. However, AI output must eventually be reviewed by humans for accuracy. Practitioners’ responses also indicate they see AI as a “first draft” generator that helps save time and organize ideas, but is not yet fully reliable.
One fundraising professional shared that their team uses AI-driven tools like iWave to research potential donors and Perplexity AI to generate lists of foundations based on geographic areas and funding priorities. The respondent said these tools were a “helpful starting point,” but inaccurate results curbed their utility. In another example, a respondent used ChatGPT to extract relevant information from past grant applications for use in a new proposal. The results, the practitioner said, were limited and ultimately not reliable enough for continued use in that context. Respondents also used AI tools for email fundraising efforts. A fundraising practitioner described using ChatGPT to break an existing appeal letter into a series of fundraising emails.
For one executive, their most useful experience involved using ChatGPT to prepare for a major donor call — a type of fundraising they don’t engage in often. The tool helped them sketch out a lightweight strategy and gather publicly available background information on the prospect. While they could have found the information on their own, they said, ChatGPT was faster and felt more like having a “buddy” to think through the task with them.
Practitioners expressed willingness to continue experimenting with AI in limited ways, particularly for repetitive tasks, but with careful supervision and reviews.
Outlets demonstrate a strong level of engagement in media policy-related work and discussions
Nearly half (45%) of INN members participated in some form of policy-related work or discussions pertaining to revenue for news organizations in 2024. While many began with exploratory activities like attending a webinar or an event, a notable one-third of those involved took a more active role by reaching out to legislators about media policy. Nearly a quarter reported having signed a petition related to a media policy.
Our data indicate that member outlets at the local or state and regional levels are more likely to participate in media policy-related activities than their national and global counterparts.
Three of the most populous U.S. states — California, New York and Illinois — plus Massachusetts report the highest number of organizations participating in policy-related work or discussions. Together, these four account for more than a third of outlets that reported engagement in policy-related work.
Notably, two other populous states, Texas and Florida, report far less media policy-related activity than Massachusetts and Illinois despite having a comparable number of outlets in our sample.
While state outlets were the most likely to engage in policy discussions, 60% of them report that the engagement did not correlate strongly to whether they offered statehouse coverage. In comparison, the engagement rate for overall membership is 45%, 48% for local outlets, and 33% for national outlets. But more organizations (42) that provide statehouse coverage engaged in policy discussions than did not (28).
Looking at geographic scope of coverage, state outlets were the most likely to engage in policy discussions, 60% of state outlets report engagement, in comparison, the engagement rate for overall membership is 45%, 48% for local outlets, and 33% for national outlets. While state outlets were the most likely to engage in policy discussions, activity did not correlate strongly to whether the organization offered statehouse coverage or not. Among outlets that provide statehouse coverage, 60% report engagement in policy discussions and 40% did not.
Predictably, there is a strong correlation to staff size. Organizations engaged in policy discussions had a median of 22 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees compared to five FTEs for those that did not engage.
Outlets look beyond page views to measure their success
Many INN members are working to understand and deepen their impact, with nearly half (46%) using impact trackers to assess the outcomes of their reporting. Around 1 in 5 has also articulated a theory of change2 — a sign that a substantial portion of members are thinking strategically about how their work leads to changes within their communities. INN’s work in the field suggests that nonprofit news outlets’ interest in naming theories of change is often in response to funder inquiries, since more grant applications now require them. Outlets are also using impact trackers to assess the outcomes of their work. Member outlets’ use of impact trackers appears consistent across different geographic scopes — local, state/regional, and national/global — with usage rates ranging from around 40% to 50%.
The commitment to civic impact shows up in INN members’ work. Beyond providing news and coverage, in 2024, nearly half (46%) of INN member outlets produced guides to help people register to vote and participate in civic life. About 40% said they have encouraged their audience’s participation in local government meetings or public hearings, while 39% indicated they have hosted or facilitated public discussions on political issues.
Wisconsin Watch and Montana Free Press are two examples of the numerous INN members that published comprehensive 2024 voter guides to help residents navigate registration, ballot measures, and polling locations. In another example, CalMatters’ inaugural 2024 Ideas Festival brought together about 1,000 people—thought leaders, policymakers and residents—for conversations about pressing state issues such as climate change, reparations, workforce development and homelessness. San José Spotlight’s political festival, PolitiBeat, gathered leaders in government, education, media and sports to discuss the successes and challenges facing San Jose and Silicon Valley.
Outlets continue to collaborate to increase capacity and reach
In 2024, 4 in 10 organizations participated in four or more editorial collaborations. Nearly 80% partnered at least once — an increase from 75% in 2022. The steady rise in collaboration reflects a durable trend of resource-sharing across the field. The most common topics for collaboration include government, the environment, politics, equity and justice, elections, health, housing and unhoused communities. Outlets at the state/regional or national/global levels are more likely to have participated in editorial collaborations than those covering local issues, likely because collaborations are resource intensive, requiring staffing capacity and broader networks that larger outlets are more likely to have.
Each year since 2018, ProPublica has partnered with about 20 newsrooms on investigative projects via the Local Reporting Network, connecting community newsrooms to the national investigative outlet’s funding, reporting and editing help, and visual and audience support. Partners have included INN members such as CT Mirror, Arizona Luminaria, BridgeDetroit, The Connecticut Mirror, Honolulu Civil Beat and Invisible Institute. The reporting produced through these partnerships has won national journalism awards, including the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for public service.
Last year, two INN members, Grist and Deep South Today, launched a partnership in which they share reporters. As part of the collaboration, Grist placed its fifth local reporter in Deep South Today’s Louisiana newsroom, and the two organizations reported they would be developing a new reporting position in Mississippi.
In northeast Wisconsin, six news organizations — Wisconsin Watch, FoxValley365, The Post-Crescent, Green Bay Press-Gazette, The Press Times and Wisconsin Public Radio — collaborate via the NEW News Lab to produce in-depth local journalism. They report on critical issues like racism as a public health crisis, affordable housing shortages, school funding, and the workings of the local justice system.
In May, the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor, two statewide investigative journalism outlets, announced their new editorial partnership that aims to deepen statewide coverage of Maine through content sharing, joint investigations and coordinated public service journalism.
To expand reach of our members, INN also facilitated collaborations via the Rural News Network in 2024 through projects like “Bridging Access,” which connected five local, regional and national outlets to explore rural healthcare solutions in communities of color; “Falling Short,” a cross-state, data-driven effort in partnership with Big Local News at Stanford University that documented how new federal staffing requirements affected rural nursing homes across the country; and “Rural Realities,” which brought centered lived experiences in stories about rural life and post-secondary educational opportunities.
1 This report draws on data from 376 of the 407 news organizations that completed the INN Index survey. We excluded data from 27 public media members because of systematic differences in how they report revenue and expenses, as well as four outlets that are not primarily publishers. See more in Methodology.
2 A theory of change is a method that explains how a given intervention or set of interventions are expected to lead to a specific change.
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