LION Publishers

29/08/2025

💙 Sponsor support makes the 2025 Independent News Sustainability Summit possible, and this year, we’ve added new features and improved existing ones that attendees can enjoy throughout the conference, thanks to our À la Carte sponsors Reynolds Journalism Institute, BlueLena, Democracy Fund, Lenfest Institute for Journalism, Spot-On, and Flying Comet Games.

From evening receptions and an early-morning wellness activity to a custom digital game, these additions will enhance our attendees’ experience and make our three days together unforgettable. Thank you, sponsors, and see you next week!

P.S. If you still haven't snagged a ticket yet, we sold out and added 10 more. Don't miss your chance to join us: https://lionpublishers.com/summit-2025/

26/08/2025

💫 We can't wait to be in St. Louis next week for the 2025 Independent News Sustainability Summit. And we’re thrilled to have the support of some incredible Vanguard sponsors, including the AP Fund for Journalism, Broadstreet, Jobcase, Nextdoor, Newspack, Press Forward, and Creative Circle Media Solutions.

Most will be on site with us, so attendees can book 1:1 meetings, stop by their booth, or catch up with them during and in between sessions! Last call to join us: https://lionpublishers.com/summit-2025/

13/08/2025

✨ Knight Foundation is a leading funder of journalism projects in the U.S. and has been a stalwart supporter of the Independent News Sustainability Summit since its inception.

We’re thrilled to welcome Knight back as a sponsor of our Summit, and this week, we spoke with Marisa Kwiatkowski, director for the journalism program, to learn more about how they make essential tools more accessible to independent publishers.

💡“Knight works to shore up the core of local journalism by focusing on what keeps newsrooms strong and independent. That starts with helping publishers find reliable ways to make money, whether through new revenue models, smarter business strategies, or by scaling ideas that already work in one community to others.”

A few members of Knight’s team will be with us at the Summit, but for now, read the full Q&A:

Knight invests in organizations, ideas, and products that help publishers create sustainable, tech-savvy, and audience-focused newsrooms.

07/08/2025

⭐️ With less than a month to go, fewer than 85 tickets remain for the 2025 Independent News Sustainability Summit, and only about 50 are still up for grabs for the LION Awards.

And now...🥁 🥁 🥁... we’re excited to reveal our impressive conference lineup and full schedule. Check it out: https://lionpublishers.com/summit-2025/sessions/

If you don't have your ticket(s) yet, let the FOMO set in; you won't want to miss this one!

Independent News Sustainability Summit September 3-5, 2025 • St. Louis, MO Buy Tickets Sessions & Schedule About Register News Awards Sessions & Schedule Speakers Sponsors Travel & FAQ Our Summit sessions cover a variety of topics, and our goal is for independent news leaders and their teams to wa...

05/08/2025

🎤 ✨ Ever considered taking a LION Sustainability Audit? (If you’re a LION member and haven’t had one yet, quick reminder that this tool is now available to you anytime!)

In this 2025 Independent News Sustainability Summit session, “A sustainability roadmap for your news business: How the Sustainability Audit drives growth for LIONs,” The Berkeley Scanner's Emilie Raguso, Johnson County Post's Jay Senter, and Shoresides.org's Rend Smith will discuss how the assessment prompted new priorities and action for their organizations.

Alongside LION’s own Andrew Rockway and Google's Chrissy Towle, they'll share the specific steps they've taken after the Audit, what they've learned, and how they've strengthened their news businesses while moving closer to sustainability. Don’t miss it: https://lionpublishers.com/summit-2025/

30/07/2025

💸 It’s no secret that independent news publishers are often pressed for time. With only so many hours in a day, it can be difficult to juggle all the demands that come with running a local newsroom.

That’s why we love to see organizations, like Newspack, that make it easier for news leaders to publish impactful journalism, grow their audiences, and ultimately, boost their revenue.

We’re happy to have them on board as a sponsor of the 2025 Independent News Sustainability Summit. Check out our Q&A with Kinsey Wilson, founder and head of Newspack, and discover how they helped The Journal, part of the Kansas Leadership Center, increase their weekly average revenue by 235% and their paid supporter revenue by 107%.

Newspack makes it easier for local news leaders to publish impactful journalism, grow their audiences, and ultimately, boost their revenue.

28/07/2025

🎤 ✨ Moving beyond founder leadership is an important milestone in the life of a news outlet. Doing it poorly is easy. Doing it well requires intentionality, humility, and self-awareness.

In this 2025 Independent News Sustainability Summit session, "What it takes to transition (successfully!) from a founder-led news outlet to next-gen leadership," you'll learn firsthand from founders and the leaders who came after them about how to make the transition, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to set up a successor and an outlet for continued success. We can't wait to hear from The Haitian Times's Vania André and Garry Pierre-Pierre, LkldNow's Trinity Laurino and Barry Friedman, and Tiny News Collective's Amy Kovac-Ashley.

Attendees will leave with practical tips about how to know when it’s time for a change and ideas for laying the groundwork to make it happen. Register now: https://lionpublishers.com/summit-2025/

24/07/2025

🎤 ✨ Every publisher could put a major grant or financial gift to good use, but new funding also offers an opportunity to align those dollars with organizational goals that can help move your organization toward sustainability.

In our 2025 Independent News Sustainability Summit opening keynote, "Leveraging transformational funding," you’ll hear firsthand how LION members used Press Forward grants to strategically grow their businesses, featuring Athens County Independent's Corinne Colbert, Conecta Arizona's Maritza L. Félix, ኢትዮጲክ - Ethiopique's Henok Mengistu, Baltimore Beat's Lisa Snowden, and Press Forward's Graham Watson-Ringo.

Join us in St. Louis this September 3-5: https://lionpublishers.com/summit-2025/

21/07/2025

🎤 ✨ In this 2025 Independent News Sustainability Summit session, “Four practical ways to amplify joy and impact through community engagement,” we’ll hear from Reynolds Journalism Institute's Emily Lytle, Dallas Free Press's Keri Mitchell, The Riverside Record's Alicia Ramirez, and Planeta Venus's Claudia Yaujar-Amaro about how they experimented with innovative approaches to center their communities and involve them in news creation or distribution.

From walking tours and election zines to contests and maps, these projects helped build stronger community bonds and expanded each newsroom's reach. Plus, they were ✨ fun ✨, an element not to be underestimated!

Attendees will leave with key lessons from each short-term project and ideas for replicating these projects in their own newsrooms. Join us in St. Louis: https://lionpublishers.com/summit-2025/

17/07/2025

🚀 If there’s one thing we know that interests most of our members, it’s sustained audience and revenue growth. And this week, we had a blast reconnecting with 2025 Independent News Sustainability Summit sponsor BlueLena to learn more about how they help publishers turn readers into loyal, long-term supporters.

Here's one impressive success story: As a participant in the BlueLena Academy, in less than a year, LION member Fredericksburg Free Press...

🔹 Grew their email list from 4,000 to over 10,000 subscribers
🔹 Achieved open rates above 46% on their welcome series
🔹 Secured nearly 1,000 individual donations, 80% of which were recurring monthly gifts

Read the Q&A with publisher success manager Mariangela Salmeron to discover how they did it, and get excited to meet members of the BlueLena team in St. Louis this September:

Want to boost your audience strategy? BlueLena’s Mariangela Salmeron shares how they’ve helped LION members master the funnel.

17/07/2025

🚀 If there’s one thing we know that interests most of our members, it’s sustained audience and revenue growth. And this week, we had a blast reconnecting with 2025 Independent News Sustainability Summit sponsor BlueLena to learn more about how they help publishers turn readers into loyal, long-term supporters.

Here's one impressive success story: As a participant in the BlueLena Academy, in less than a year, LION member Fredericksburg Free Press...

🔹 Grew their email list from 4,000 to over 10,000 subscribers
🔹 Achieved open rates above 46% on their welcome series
🔹 Secured nearly 1,000 individual donations, 80% of which were recurring monthly gifts

Read the Q&A with publisher success manager Mariangela Salmeron to discover how they did it, and get excited to meet members of the BlueLena team in St. Louis this September:

Want to boost your audience strategy? BlueLena’s Mariangela Salmeron shares how they’ve helped LION members master the funnel.