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“My heart’s in the right place.”
Earlier this month, Sarah published this story: “National Trust for Local News sells 21 newspapers to a company with a history of gutting local news outlets.” After the story ran, the owner of that company got in touch with her to elaborate on his side of the story. Sarah writes:
[Steve] Strickbine believes that local newspapers are worth saving, even if they’re no longer able to act as watchdogs or sustain a full newsroom. He is committed to a free, advertising-supported business model. You may not agree with Strickbine’s vision for local news. I do not. But I’ve never interviewed a newspaper owner so willing to defend his record and speak as plainly about what keeping the lights on actually looks like in many local communities.
When we ran “This owner thinks newspapers are better off diminished than dead,” we asked readers to weigh in.
Some respondents were skeptical, saying no thanks to the decimated paper even if nothing would exist in its absence.
Others were sympathetic, and appreciated that Strickbine wasn’t portrayed as “villainous.” One rural newspaper owner noted that he’s maintaining a paper in a county that doesn’t even have a grocery store, and wished Strickbine luck.
Have thoughts? Live someplace where the local newspaper is a shadow of its former self, but alive? Let us know by replying to this email.
— Laura Hazard Owen
From the weekProject Push creates an archive of news alerts from around the world“One of the most important people in the newsroom is the person who decides that they’re going to press a button that sends an immediate notification to millions of people’s phones.” By Neel Dhanesha. |
This owner thinks newspapers are better off diminished than dead“It’s just kind of the way it is. Do we have the watchdog role? Can we do that now in all these areas? No. I think that’s obvious.” By Sarah Scire. |
NPR sues the Trump administration, a wolf not in sheep’s clothing“In particular, ‘the First Amendment prohibits government officials from retaliating against individuals for engaging in protected speech.’ Yet retaliation is the Order’s plain purpose.” By Joshua Benton. |
How new, platform-driven news outlets are attracting young audiences“Journalism has been very sterile for awhile, from our perspective.” By Gretel Kahn. |
“The share of news influencers in our sample with a Bluesky account roughly doubled in the four months after Election Day 2024, from 21% beforehand to 43% by March 2025.”
Poynter / Rick EdmondsAt the nonprofit Salt Lake Tribune, a turnaround and now a big gamble →“If a special campaign being conducted this year raises $1 million, the Tribune’s digital site will flip from paywall-protected to free..” We reported on the Tribune’s goal to get rid of its paywall last year.
The Hollywood Reporter / Alex WeprinThe New York Times strikes AI licensing deal with Amazon →“The agreement will also allow Times content to be used to train Amazon’s proprietary foundation AI models. The agreement covers news editorial, cooking, and The Athletic, and would bring that content to devices such as Alexa.”
NOTUS / Emily Kennard and Margaret MantoThe Trump administration’s MAHA report cites studies that don’t exist →“Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says his ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Commission report harnesses ‘gold-standard’ science, citing more than 500 studies and other sources to back up its claims. Those citations, though, are rife with errors, from broken links to misstated conclusions.
Seven of the cited sources don’t appear to exist at all.”
Vulture / Nicholas QuahFame and frustration on the new media circuit →“Fifteen years ago, building national name recognition was a straight shot: a newspaper feature, a magazine cover, a morning show, a late-night hit, the trades, some local spots. Today, the New Media Circuit resembles a maddening sprawl: countless possible routes, none guaranteed.”
Talking Points Memo / Josh MarshallThe Trump White House and the great quieting →“When you step back it is remarkable how many big things are happening which we hear little or nothing about because people are being quiet…One consistent pattern I’ve seen in recent months is that this repressive dynamic has much more impact on elites.”
Politico / Christine Mui and Chase DeFeliciantonioCalifornia’s revamped Google journalism deal raises new questions →“Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom dialed back state support for a first-in-the-nation newsroom fund in the face of a $12 billion state deficit. Then on Wednesday, Google — the lone corporate backer of the initiative — decided to lower its own tab by a third, from $15 million to $10 million for this year.”
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