Erika Carlos, most recently editor-in-chief of El Tecolote, shares four key lessons for building a thriving WhatsApp community from scratch and what newsrooms should consider before trying it themselves. rjionline.org/news/four-le...

Four lessons for building a WhatsApp community from scratch

What one community newsroom learned about growth, retention and trust on WhatsApp.

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The RJI Innovation Team is now accepting applications to collaborate on building programs, tools, and resources for journalists in Spring 2027. Have an idea that tackles a current need, gap or challenge in journalism? Apply today: bit.ly/RJIPartnership.

The industry constantly asks: “How do we save journalism?” A better starting point is asking what people actually need from journalism. Get that right, and the rest follows. By Shirish Kulkarni. rjionline.org/news/journal...

Journalism keeps asking the wrong question

What happens when you stop asking, “How do we save journalism?” and start asking what people actually need from it.

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"Analytics might give you an idea of the size and scale of these questions, but can’t tell you why something is happening or how to make it better," write Patrick Boehler and Madison Karas. "That’s where sitting down and talking with your ... subscribers comes in." rjionline.org/news/how-aud...

How audience interviews surface opportunities for service-oriented journalism

Talking to people gets you the answers that analytics don’t: the ‘How?’ and ‘Why?’ behind your audience’s motivations.

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Planet Detroit has a tool that helps readers take action. For their RJI fellowship, Planet Detroit's Nina Ignaczak and Ashley Woods Branch are testing how to make this work for other newsrooms. rjionline.org/resources/to...

Journalism tells people what’s happening. This tool helps them take action.

The Civic Action Toolbox connects local reporting to public meetings, comment periods and the officials who make decisions.

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Four master’s students from @mujschool.bsky.social spent 12 weeks in community newsrooms as RJI Student Innovation Fellows. They launched new audience engagement strategies, created data visualizations, and built automated info-tracking tools. rjionline.org/news/rji-stu....

RJI Student Innovation Fellows unveil tools and strategies for community newsrooms in public webinar

This summer, four international master’s students at the Missouri School of Journalism each spent 12 weeks stationed in a community newsroom, where they helped bring to life everything from new…

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For-profit local newspapers are adding reader donations as a "third leg" alongside ads and subscriptions. A new study by Maya Dawson reveals that while this shift brings ethical and operational hurdles, it offers a promising future for local news. rjionline.org/news/donatio...

Donations are becoming a lifeline for local newspapers, but not without tension

Some for-profit newsroom leaders believe reader support is a chance to keep pace with rising costs while keeping their publications available to the public.

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Thinking about Google Ad Grants for your newsroom? Mizzou J-School's RJI Innovation in Focus team breaks down the Columbia Missourian's first campaign, covering what worked, what failed, and providing downloadable templates for your own test. rjionline.org/news/testing...

Testing Google Ads Grant program to grow local audiences

Exploring how free search advertising may increase readership and newsletter subscriptions

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Want to try something new in your newsroom but lack the time or support? Each month, Innovation in Focus partners with a newsroom on a short-term experiment, publishing the results as an industry case study. Join us on Aug. 11 to learn more. To register, visit bit.ly/IIF-QandA.

“We’re not just putting prompts into Claude or ChatGPT and then, voila, we have a story.” About a year and a half since Axios signed a three-year licensing deal with OpenAI, we look at how the partnership is going for the news teams working on Axios Local newsletters.

Axios partnered with OpenAI to expand its local newsrooms and test tools. Here’s how it’s going.

About a year and a half into Axios' partnership with OpenAI, take a look at what the collaboration has meant for the local newsrooms Axios created.

newsmediahelpdesk.org

The opening segment of the 2025 RJI Student Innovation Competition Awards Show won a bronze Telly Award for Best Show Opening Segment from The Telly Awards Judging Council. Watch the opening segment: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PulZ....

2025 RJI Student Innovation Competition Awards Show

YouTube video by Reynolds Journalism Institute

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Our Science Reporting Navigator, created with @rjionline.bsky.social, is designed to meet reporters where they are. Not sure where to start? Navigate lessons through course-style learning paths and let the journey unfold. 🧵 www.theopennotebook.com/science-repo...

Science Reporting Navigator - The Open Notebook

Bring Scientific Evidence into Any Beat Every story is a science story. From education and public health to transportation and local policy, science intersects with every beat journalists cover. The…

theopennotebook.com

The Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism has selected the 2026 class of RJI Professional Innovation Fellows, who'll work to build free, open-source resources for journalists. lnkd.in/gRSAuYir.

The Maine Monitor team wanted to experiment with their vertical video strategy to increase reach and gain new viewers. The Innovation in Focus team measured analytics and audience feedback on three different styles of vertical videos to see what works best for the Monitor.

Quick experiments to find what resonates with your audience

The Maine Monitor wanted to experiment with their vertical video strategy to increase reach and gain new viewers. They tried three different options. Here’s what they discovered.

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This legislative session, more states are introducing and passing policies aimed at supporting local newsrooms, from direct funding to workforce programs. One approach is emerging more frequently: tax credits. rjionline.org/news/more-st...

More states back local journalism with tax credits this session

In New Mexico, a local journalism tax credit was years in the making.

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SURVEY: When audiences see "no comment" in a story, one in five trust the reporting less, while nearly 40% assume the source is hiding something. Dig deeper: rjionline.org/news/journal.... #NoComment

Is vertical video an easily accessible way for journalists to tell stories? Innovation in Focus student staffers Ishrat Madiha and Annie Goodykoontz spoke with Alexa Stone, vertical video creator at the Kansas City Star, to discuss strategies for launching vertical content in the newsroom

How to get started creating vertical videos

A conversation with creator journalist Alexa Stone.

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Nicole Lewis and @lamthuyvo.bsky.social built a resource to help local journalists boost civic engagement by developing and implementing a theory of change for their work. Learn more about their CJS session: summit.collaborativejournalism.org/sessions/ses....

Attending #CJS2026 on May 14-15? Wish to learn more about RJI and partnerships? Set up a one-on-one with Kat Duncan, RJI director of innovation.

Spread, a new method for connecting newsrooms and social media creators, won the grand prize in the 2026 RJI Student Innovation Competition. Meet the top three teams, which includes the Fan Favorite Award winner: rjionline.org/news/spread-....

Spread, a new method for connecting newsrooms and social media creators, wins grand prize in Student Innovation Competition

The Reynolds Journalism Institute awarded $13,500 in prizes Thursday to the top three teams in its annual Student Innovation Competition.

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Join us to learn who won the top prize of $10,000. This year’s challenge: meet an information need in the community while building a collaborative relationship between trusted ‘influencer’ individuals and a newsroom. The reveal will be streamed live on Facebook: www.facebook.com/reynoldsjour....

RJI and Wordslaw are seeking newsrooms to pilot storytelling events with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These events can help build relationships with IDD communities and inform more inclusive reporting on education, healthcare, and more. Apply now: bit.ly/IDDstorytell....

Randy Picht discusses the challenges and solutions for rural news sustainability with Corinne Colbert of the Athens County Independent, John Montgomery of Issue Media Group, and Tim Stauffer of The Iola Register. Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbBk....

RJI Insight at Rural Revenue Workshop w/ guests Tim Stauffer, Corinne Colbert and John Montgomery

YouTube video by Reynolds Journalism Institute

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This replicable program teaches journalists how to build genuine relationships with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, providing a structured way to listen and share stories in their own words. rjionline.org/news/put-the...

Put the stories of people with intellectual disabilities on stage

RJI and WORDSLAW are partnering to help newsrooms try a different method of connecting with their under-covered communities — public storytelling.

rjionline.org

Learn how digital journalists are using the Wayback Machine to uncover content that has been deleted, corrected, banned, hacked or even left unchanged. Via JournalismUK.

Follow the changes: Nine ways web archives are used in digital investigations

Learn how to use the Wayback Machine to uncover content that has been deleted, corrected, banned, hacked or even left unchanged

journalism.co.uk

According to Zach Toombs, @evidentmedia.org’s executive director and founder, the ICEtracking.org database is designed to make investigative reporting on mass detentions a more efficient and user-friendly process, even when it comes to the presentation of the final product.

Tracking the Toll of Mass Detention

An investigative database documenting ICE detention incidents, deaths in custody, wrongful detentions, and family separations.

icetracking.org

"Write a postcard to someone you know who loves Eudora, even if they may no longer live there," writes RJI student innovation staffer Annie Goodykoontz. "We then mailed them out with the hope of reaching new readers across the nation." rjionline.org/news/driving...

Driving newsletter subscriptions through postcards

A community engagement project, analog style Covering everything from school district events to sports in a Kansas town of about 6,000 residents, reporters at the Eudora Times are well connected with…

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Job opening: The Innovation in Focus Editor at RJI leads short-term experiments and projects with news partners across the country to test innovative ideas, tech and methods of storytelling. To learn more, visit hr.missouri.edu/job-openings and scroll to Staff Positions. Search for job ID 59029.

The Innovation in Focus team will share key takeaways from engagement experiments conducted with @comissourian.bsky.social and Eudora Times. These projects explored creative methods to foster deeper connections between local newsrooms and their communities. Join us: umsystem.zoom.us/meeting/regi....

Join @theopennotebook.bsky.social's Rachel Zamzow and Kate Fishman for hands-on training on how to use the Science Reporting Navigator to bring science into your everyday reporting. 6 p.m. ET Friday, March 27. Registration is free and open to all: go.spj.org/event-regist....