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- š How a small newspaper group is thriving
š How a small newspaper group is thriving
Plus: Dallas Morning News successfully fends off Alden
Paul Gewuerz
September 25, 2025
Your weekly briefing of stories from around the local news space about business, policy, trends, and more
Hello! Hereās whatās in this weekās issue:
Ā» How a small newspaper group is thriving
Ā» Dallas Morning News successfully fends off Alden
Ā» Cloudflare announces new AI crawl tools for local news orgs
Ā» Clever headlines matter more than ever
Ā» Newsroom security in 2025
š How a small newspaper group is thriving
Small but resilient newspaper chain Hagadone Newspaper Media Group is defying industry decline by focusing on stewardship, localism, and sustainable operations. Hagadoneās success comes from long term ownership, no debt, and tight focus on community first journalism that resonates with local readers. Unlike chains chasing scale, theyāre thriving by staying small, nimble, and deeply rooted.
š„ Embracing social video for newsrooms
E&P examines a great example of how to use social media video for local newsrooms from nonprofit Spotlight Delaware. Some key takeaways: start your news video with a hook within the first few seconds to grab attention, use clear structure, strong visuals, captions, and optimize format for each platform.
š Dallas Morning News successfully fends off Alden
DallasNews Corporation shareholders overwhelmingly rejected a takeover bid from private equity firm Alden Global by approving a merger with Hearst, bringing The Dallas Morning News and related assets under Hearstās umbrella. The deal, approved with ~89.3% of votes, values the company at about $88.3 million ($16.50/share) and is expected to close this week. Read more
š”ļø Cloudflare announces new AI crawl tools for local news orgs
Cloudflare is extending its Project Galileo program to include Bot Management and AI Crawl Control tools, which will let journalists and local news organizations detect, monitor, and restrict AI crawlers on their websites for free. Project Galileo is Cloudflareās initiative to protect vulnerable public interest websites like independent journalism, human rights, and nonprofit sites from cyberattacks.
š° Clever headlines matter more than ever
A clever mix of wit and precision took center stage as ACES honored the best headlines of 2024ā2025, spotlighting standout work from The Washington Times, The LA Times, and others. The winners show how smart, punchy phrasing can elevate storytelling and grab readers fast
š Newsroom security in 2025
In 2025, newsroom security is under fresh threat as media organizations rely heavily on cloud tools that may be secure in transit but often lack strong privacy protections. To guard against leaks and hacks, experts recommend steps like using password managers, enabling multi factor authentication, switching to end to end encrypted tools like Signal or Proton Drive, and setting clear policies around which tools are appropriate for sensitive work.
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