Before Friday, I have to help build a brown felt puppy dog out of an old box. It will have googly eyes, floppy ears, a fluffy tail, and, once finished, my third-grader’s classmates will insert their Valentines into this brown felt puppy dog’s mouth.
By Friday afternoon, that pup will hold a stack of stickers, tattoos and sweets, and my daughter will come home shaky from all the sugar.
Those Valentines aren’t big or expensive. (I spent less than $3 on a box of Fun Dip Valentines.)
But they’re meaningful because everybody took the time to participate.
If you’re in the mood to spread some love to local news this week, I have a few easy ways to do so. Fun Dip is optional.
Subscribe to newsletters that follow the industry
Here’s a list to get you started:
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Local Fix from Democracy Fund takes on big topics and pulls together resources each week. It’s from Josh Stearns, Teresa Gorman, Christine Schmidt and Dani Rosales.
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Solution Set from Lenfest Institute takes a deep dive each issue into an actual local news solution, with both short and in-depth ways to follow. It’s from Joseph Lichterman.
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Lion Publishers’ weekly newsletter shares resources, deadlines and news each week. It's from the LION team: Chris Krewson, Phayvanh Luekhamhan and Anika Anand.
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Local Matters, which is distributed by IRE, highlights local investigative journalism. It was created by (Charleston, South Carolina) Post & Courier reporter Joey Cranney, Politico Florida reporter Alexandra Glorioso and USA Today reporter Brett Murphy.
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Try This – Tools for Journalism, from my Poynter colleague Ren LaForme, doesn’t cover local news but has great tips, tools and trends to follow.
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The Cohort, edited by my colleague Mel Grau, features women in digital media, often in local.
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Journalism Jobs and a photo of my dog from journalist Mandy Hofmockel, is just what the name promises. Also Maggie, the dog, is very cute.
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The Lead highlights college media news and always features great local work, from former Poynter fellow and current Seattle Times journalist Taylor Blatchford.
What else should be on this list?
Become a member/subscriber/donor/cheerleader
You know you’ve been meaning to. You don’t have to wait for the best subscription deal or fundraising drive. Or just send your favorite newsroom pizza. Or a note. You can also support the many organizations that are supporting local news.
Email that reporter or photographer whose work you admire
I have a file in my email where I try to save these. They make tough days less tough.
Attend an event
That’s right, say hi! Some events have admission fees, some are free.
Spread the word
I’m really proud to be a subscriber to the Tampa Bay Times and a member of WUSF, my local public radio station. I’m not doing it for charity, though. The work of both newsrooms is stellar. I try to share it on Facebook and Instagram to let friends and neighbors know that paying for great news that directly impacts our lives is worth it.
Image via Shutterstock
While you’re here:
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Check out the latest for the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, which Cox sold, then bought back.
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In California, local public radio stations are teaming up with each other and NPR to create a regional newsroom.
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Also in California, meet the retiree who saved that state’s oldest weekly.
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Still in California, The Fresno Bee has a new project that will cover water, housing and other critical issues.
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I missed this last month, but here are eight tips from Solutions Journalism Network’s revenue summit.
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Bring your tech and digital publishing questions to INN Lab’s open office hours every Friday.
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Finally, Friday is the deadline to apply for Poynter’s Leadership Academy for Diversity in Digital Media. Here’s what you need to know. And here’s why it’s worth it.
Happy Valentine’s Day tomorrow, sending you digital love!
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