Poynter

(plays air guitar)

Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves attend the premiere of "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey" on July 18, 1991 at the Mann Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California (Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch/IPX)

For my 43rd birthday, which is still weeks away but who’s counting, my family ordered me a neon sign with my favorite quote ever. It’s from “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” which I forced my children to watch this summer (they loved it.)

It says: “Be excellent to each other.”

In my home, that’s a reminder for my kids to be excellent to each other, for me to be more excellent with them, and for my husband and I to slow down a little and appreciate the excellent lives we’re working really hard to cultivate.

In my job, it’s reminding me how much excellent work is out there about local news itself, and today I want to share some of that.

What newsletters about journalism do you love?

Here are some of my favorites that are specifically about local news or the ideas and tools that can help local news:

LION Publishers: This weekly newsletter always includes great resources and news about the accomplishments of local independent online newsrooms.

CJR’s The Journalism Crisis Project: This weekly newsletter from CJR’s Lauren Harris asks big questions about the critical issues facing journalism.

NewStart Alliance: This weekly newsletter from West Virginia University’s Reed College of Media and the West Virginia Press Association’s NewStart program includes a personal touch from NewStart’s Jim Iovino and lots of news about local news.

Solutions Journalism Network: The Solutions Journalism Network actually has lots of newsletters to choose from, including the bi-weekly Above the Fold and the weekly Solutions Journalism Exchange, which offers stories newsrooms can republish.

IRE’s Local Matters: I wrote about the journalists who started this newsletter that spotlights local investigative work years ago. Now it’s hosted by IRE and comes out weekly.

Gather: The Gather community, a collaborative project for engagement from the University of Oregon’s Agora Journalism Center, has a weekly newsletter that shares case studies, updates and opportunities.

Lenfest Institute’s Solution Set: Like Local Edition, Solution Set has grown and changed since Joseph Lichterman launched it in 2018. It offers case studies you can skim or dive into, and the recent Women in Journalism series was full of insights, and I’m not just saying that because I’m in it.

Trusting News’ Trust Tips: This weekly newsletter from API and RJI’s Trusting News is a snackable way to learn how to rebuild trust with our audiences.

Democracy Fund’s Local Fix: Local Fix, from Christine Schmidt, Teresa Gorman and Josh Stearns,, is a weekly curation of topics that need our attention, including burnout, ownership models and protecting yourself from online harassment.

INN: The weekly newsletter from the Institute for Nonprofit News shares stories from member newsrooms, opportunities and resources.

Local Media Association’s Accelerate Local: LMA’s weekly newsletter offers success stories from local newsrooms, things to read and resources for local journalists.

Knight Cronkite News Lab: This weekly newsletter, out of Arizona State University, highlights innovations in local TV news.

(This is not my neon sign, it will be much smaller, but a mockup of what it will look like. I also don’t have a nice leather couch like this because I have children who produce stains and crumbs.)

From our Sponsor:

The Higher Education Media Fellowship supports journalists interested in reporting on postsecondary career and technical education with $10,000 in funding and professional development. Applications are open through May 28.

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While you’re here:

In memory of a bright journalist with a promising career ahead of her, here’s more about Aviva Okeson-Haberman, who died at 24 after being struck in her home by a stray bullet.
Congrats to the newest grantees from the American Journalism Project, Outlier Media, The Nevada Independent, Louisville Public Media and WFAE. And please read this Twitter thread from Outlier’s executive director, Candice Fortman. “The only way forward is together.”
Read my colleague Angela Fu on a pay study of 14 Gannett newsrooms. “The median salary for women of color was $15,727 less than the median salary for white men.”
Then read Fu on three newsrooms one year after they unionized.
Join Poynter’s Joie Chen next week for another OnPoynt on diverse voices and the future newsroom.
And if you haven’t already, subscribe to Doris Truong’s newsletter for Poynter, The Collective.
One more Poynter thing to share: Read this story from Amaris Castillo about an IWMF program that sent women, including her, to tell stories from and about Latin America.
This is a great opportunity for local journalists: The Washington Post Magazine is looking for pitches for an upcoming issue on local journalism “to show what the American public misses when thousands of stories are not told.”
Check out this API report on how newsrooms can do less work and have more impact.
Congrats to the newest Report for America corps members!
Read INN’s open letter to Substack.
And in my obits newsletter this week, I wrote about sweet pet obits.