Hello! Here’s what’s in this week’s issue:

» INN releases DIY fundraising guide

» Are AI opinion ratings a bad idea?

» Local journalists using AI to listen in on public meetings

» Lee launches AI suite for local businesses

🛠 INN releases DIY fundraising guide

​The Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) has introduced the Nonprofit Collective Fundraising DIY Guide, which simplifies fundraising into actionable steps to help news orgs in conducting joint campaigns. The guide includes case studies, tools and step by step instructions. Read more from Editor & Publisher.

💡 Are AI opinion ratings a bad idea?

This piece argues that the AI generated political ratings rolled out by the L.A. Times for its opinion pieces is a flawed idea. The article points out that adding a left-right rating oversimplifies complex topics and potentially discourages readers from engaging with diverse perspectives thereby reinforcing polarization.

👂 Local journalists using AI to listen in on public meetings

This piece from Nieman Lab shows how local newsrooms are using AI transcription tools like LocalLens to help reporters sift through public hearings to aid in their reporting. Outlets like Chalkbeat and Midcoast Villager have already published stories using these tools, although journalists point out that the stories still very much require human oversight.

🤖 Lee launches AI suite for local businesses

Lee Enterprises has launched a “suite of AI-powered solutions” to support and empower local businesses. AmplifiedDigitalAI, a part of Lee’s marketing agency Amplified Digital, offer tools for content creation, distribution to Lee properties, “AI visibility” and more.

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Small Press, Big Ideas

A podcast about the business of local news

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AI, News Agents, and Local Media

AI is a topic that’s not easy to escape in 2025, especially in the local media world. Is it going to replace local news with AI slop, usher in a new golden era for publishers, end humanity as we know it, or just keep producing obvious forgeries for 11th grade English assignments?

My guests on the podcast this week are what you could probably define as ‘techno-optimists’ who are building the prototype of a tool that could potentially be harnessed by local publishers to gain massive efficiencies in their workflow.

Mark Riley is the Founder of Mathison.ai, an AI R&D consultancy that he founded after working on AI innovation for Dow Jones. Ed Daniels is an AI scientist who came to work for Mathison after catching Mark’s attention by developing an AI tool that detects ChatGPT-generated content in student essays.

Mark and Ed have built a tool called HANA (Hyper-Personalized Autonomous News Agents), which is essentially an AI powered news aggregator that helps organizations streamline operations while putting together newsletters.

We talked about the challenges facing local journalism, and how AI can enhance efficiency and personalization in news delivery. The conversation also touches on the future of local journalism, the role of AI in media, and the potential for new business models in the industry.

Have a listen on my website with a full summary: AI, News Agents, and Local Media

Local Stories

⏩ Unionized journalists at three Gannett newspapers in NJ win contract deals

⏩ Racine, Kenosha, Madison newspapers may get new owner

⏩ Local news coverage in Canada in steep decline, inviting misinformation: report

⏩ Gov. Murphy’s budget is bad for local news

⏩ Alameda Post Editor Named Tomorrow’s News Trailblazer by Editor and Publisher Magazine

⏩ Keystone News Summit set to address challenges facing local journalism

⏩ Idaho Legislature unanimously passes media shield law bill protecting journalists’ sources

⏩ King Charles pays tribute to ‘vital’ role of local journalists - but says they ‘don’t always get it right’

⏩ Greenpeace accuses Dakota Access Pipeline's owner of using a direct mailer, stylized as a local newspaper called Central ND News, to sway the jury in a lawsuit