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

» Patch scales to 30,000 hyperlocal newsletters

» What are news unions concerned about with AI?

» L.A. Times introduces AI powered bias rating on opinion pieces

» AI isn’t great at citing news sources

» Can “volunteer journalism” help fill the gaps in local reporting?

📧 Patch scales to 30,000 hyperlocal newsletters

Formerly AOL-owned platform Patch has reportedly grown from 1,100 to 30,000 U.S. communities by deploying AI-generated newsletters that aggregate information from vetted sources, including Patch itself. The shift positions Patch as a hyperlocal information platform, enabling it to compete with services like Nextdoor.

❔ What are news unions concerned about with AI?

A recent study highlights six primary areas where news media unions are focusing their concerns regarding generative AI. These include the need for transparency from publishers, the preservation of human oversight in journalism, and a focus on intellectual property rights.

🗞 L.A. Times introduces AI powered bias rating on opinion pieces

The Los Angeles Times has introduced an AI-driven feature called "Insights" to analyze the political bias of its opinion pieces and present alternative viewpoints. The tool assigns labels such as "Left," "Center Left," "Center," "Center Right," or "Right" to opinion articles and generates summaries of differing perspectives without human editorial oversight. The tool has sparked concerns about the potential for AI to misinterpret context and the implications for journalistic integrity.

🤖 AI isn’t great at citing news sources

The Tow Center for Digital Journalism evaluated eight AI search engines and found that all struggled with accurately citing news sources. The research revealed that the AI tools often provided incorrect or fabricated citations, with some even bypassing website restrictions to access content. This raises concerns about the reliability of AI-generated information and its impact on web traffic to original news publishers.

🙋‍♀️ Can “volunteer journalism” help fill the gaps in local reporting?

A University of Missouri study reveals that "volunteer journalism," where individuals voluntarily create and share news as part of an organization, can help address the information void left by declining traditional news outlets.

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Small Press, Big Ideas

A podcast about the business of local news

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | RSS

Building a Beloved Local News Empire

According to some, local news is floundering and print is dead. Well, it turns out that no one told John Garrett. This week on the Small Press, Big Ideas podcast, I sat down with John, Founder and CEO of Community Impact, to hear his story and learn what sets Community Impact apart.

John and his wife, CI cofounder Jennifer Garrett, started their company in 2005 with a $39,000 credit card loan and a dream: to serve their community of Round Rock, Texas with reliable hyperlocal coverage that was lacking in the area.

In the two decades since launching, Community Impact has grown from one print edition in Round Rock to over 40 hyperlocal editions reaching 2.5 million households in Texas through both print and digital offerings, or as John calls it: the “phygital approach”.

In the episode, John has some great takeaways including the value of owner-operators in local media businesses, thoughts on leadership, the balance between mission and profit, tells the story of his company’s logo disarming a road rage incident, and even gives me a live tour of Community Impact’s $13 million print facility!

Listen wherever podcasts are found (links above) or listen and read my full summary on my website: Building a Beloved Local News Empire

And if you’d like to see a clip of John’s tour of CI’s print facility, here ya go:

Local Stories

⏩ Six Gannett newsrooms win big – together!

⏩ Local Gannett-owned websites are using AI to help write articles

⏩ Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association turns 100 years old

⏩ Knight Foundation invests $3 million in local news initiative

⏩ The Houston Landing Has Lost a Major Funder

⏩ Decline of student newspapers at public high schools impacts local journalism

⏩ Local journalism is essential in a time of national uncertainty

⏩ Maine Is Becoming a Laboratory for Nonprofit News