Weekly update from the Institute for Nonprofit News

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How people see journalism and why it matters

It's rare that we repost an entire compilation of links here in the newsletter, but this collection by Josh Stearns and Teresa Gorman from Democracy Fund's Local News Lab newsletter The Fix merits your time and thought. I hope it frames your work with your readers and community in the months ahead. Explaining what we do as journalists and why is especially important for nonprofit newsrooms, which exist as a trust between the public and public service journalists. Most of you embrace this in your work, and this collection is likely to be helpful to those efforts. It's a great reminder that we need to understand public perceptions of our work, and meet them where they are — it's on us to share not just the news but help people understand how we report it the way we do, and why.

Sue Cross
Executive Director and CEO
Institute for Nonprofit News

From Democracy Fund's The Fix from the Local News Lab

The latest edition of the Columbia Journalism Review includes a major new poll on public perceptions of journalism and the journalistic process. There is a lot to unpack in this study, but one finding stood out as a symbol of how much the public misunderstands how reporting works: 60 percent of respondents believe reporters are paid by their sources sometimes or very often. This is only the most recent in a series of surveys on public perceptions that together should deeply worry newsrooms.

Poll: How does the public think journalism happens? - Columbia Journalism Review
How the public, news sources, and journalists think about news in three communities - News Co/Lab
Americans and the News Media: What they do — and don't — understand about each other - American Press Institute
Journalists: We need you as guides in the information wilderness - News Co/Lab
"Explain your process " box improves perceptions of news organization - Trusting News Project

INN NEWS & NOTES

SAVE THE DATE AND RESERVE YOUR ROOM FOR INN DAYS 2019

Because of INN's tremendous membership growth over the last year, INN Days (INN's biggest event of the year) will be held at its own hotel for the first time, just two short blocks from the IRE hotel and $50 less than the IRE hotel room rate. Mark your calendars now to attend INN Days 2019 on June 12 and 13 at The Four Seasons Houston. V isit the INN Days page and click the "hotel" tab for instructions on how to secure hotel room reservations. Conference speakers, themes and link to register for the event will be announced shortly.

INN EMERGING LEADERS CALL FOR NOMINATIONS 2019 ENDS FRIDAY

INN is now accepting nominations for its 2019 INN Emerging Leaders Council, an initiative to identify and support current and future leaders in nonprofit news. Generous support for the 2019 program is being provided by the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation. The nomination deadline is this Friday. This program is intended for full-time staff at INN member organizations who have the potential to lead the nonprofit news sector throughout the next 20 years. Tran Ha of Tiny Collaborative, LLC will lead a design thinking training program, which is new this year. Interested participants should be nominated by their Executive Director/CEO, or if they themselves are the director of a small organization, nominated by their board chair. Read more and make your nomination.

PARTICIPATE IN INN INDEX BY FRIDAY FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A GIFT CARD

All INN members received the INN Index survey last Thursday in their email. The deadline to participate is this Friday. It is important for every INN member who published in 2018 to participate. Your organization's information helps INN and others build support for your organization and every other nonprofit news organization. Plus, there will be prizes: For every 10 responses we receive, we will be holding a drawing for a $100 gift card. That's a one in 10 chance of winning $100. And, ALL organizations that participate before March 15 will be entered into a drawing for a pizza party at their news organization, courtesy of INN. Need help with your survey? We're here! Email index@inn.org with questions or join office hours with us.

NOW AVAILABLE FOR INN MEMBERS: PRO BONO LEGAL ADVICE THROUGH TRUSTLAW

The Institute for Nonprofit News and TrustLaw are partnering to provide TrustLaw pro bono legal services for INN member news organizations. TrustLaw is the Thomson Reuters Foundation's global pro bono legal program. It links high-impact NGOs and social enterprises organizations such as INN members with top law firms that provide pro bono legal advice in 175 countries. INN has become a referral partner, so any member news organization can tap these resources even if it's not directly registered with TrustLaw. To get started, visit the TrustLaw page on the new INN Services portal and fill out the form. Please note that requests must be made on behalf of the organization, not the individual. To receive an expedited review of your application, you then will be sent a TrustLaw application form, which should include INN on that as your referral partner.

NATIONAL PRESS FOUNDATION JOURNALISM AWARDS DEADLINE

The deadline to apply for this year's National Press Foundation Journalism Awards is this Friday. The awards include the Carolyn C. Mattingly Award for Mental Health Reporting, a $10,000 prize, and the Thomas L. Stokes Award for Best Energy and Environmental Writing, a $2,000 prize. All INN members are invited to apply.

I WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FUTURE OF NONPROFIT NEWS

FROM OUR MEMBERS

A sampling of the best nonprofit journalism from INN members each week.

Resisting history?
FROM SCALAWAG »

U.S. gun makers send weapons South as migrants flee North
FROM THE TRACE »

Coastal flooding is erasing billions in property value as sea level rises. That's bad news for cities.
FROM INSIDECLIMATE NEWS »

Hospital withdrawal
FROM BELT MAGAZINE »

Tijuana is overwhelmed by a rush of asylum-seekers — many of them women with children
FROM MOTHER JONES »

INN MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Impact: Senators call for an investigation into sexual abuse at immigrant children's shelters after ProPublica started reporting on the abuse last summer. Learn more.

Congrats to the MuckRock Foundation for becoming a winner of Knight Foundation's AI and the News Open Challenge. Learn more.

PBS NewsHour is expanding with its first Western bureau in Arizona. Read more.

It is Sunshine Week, the nationwide celebration of access to public information. Carolina Public Press, Center for Responsive Politics, The Center for Public Integrity, InDepthNH, inewsource, MuckRock and ProPublica are among nonprofit newsrooms making the week. Read more.

City Bureau hosted its 100th community workshop this month on March 21. It launched the Public Newsroom project in November 2016 and has since held public workshops nearly every week on a range of topics.

Congrats to Chalkbeat and The Connecticut Mirror. Thanks to Knight Foundation support, they'll be using American Press Institute's Metrics for News analytics. Read the full release and list of recipients.

The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism is one of three 2018 Citizen Diplomat Award recipients announced last week by the Council for International Visitors to Iowa Cities, known as CIVIC. The center, which runs IowaWatch.org, is being cited for its work as a nonprofit organization. The center’s journalists meet with international journalists on U.S. visits that bring them to Iowa, to talk about journalism in Iowa and the United States. Read more.

Congrats to Wausau Pilot and Review, which won four statewide newspaper association awards last week, including three first-place prizes. Learn more.

Do you have news to share or want to submit a profile of your nonprofit news organization?
Tell us at news@inn.org.