Newsletter evolutions
The New York Times last week talked to people about the amount they pay for newsletters, how they decide what to pay for and, in some cases, how the subscription costs can sneak up on them. In the last few years, writes Logan Sachon, more people are spending “significant amounts” on newsletters. Substack, the biggest of the newsletter platforms, has more than five million paid subscribers.
But like everything in the world of media, the newsletter business is also changing. Adweek’s Mark Stenberg writes about how Substack is becoming more than a newsletter platform. It’s also now “a destination for creators seeking to build smaller, more intentional audiences.” (Adweek’s CEO interviewed executives from Substack and Discord for a recent panel on how niche communities are developing around platforms.)
“We see big influencers from TikTok or Instagram come to Substack to ‘paywall the personal,’” Substack’s head of lifestyle partnerships Christina Loff told the group. “They want to get more real with superfans in a space they control.”
For those looking to start or migrate their own newsletters, Press Gazette this week has a detailed comparison of Substack, Ghost, Beehiiv and Kit.
>> Related: A journalist walks into a newsletter conference… (Liz Kelly Nelson, Project C)
News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.
Civic Discourse & Democracy
>> Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ buries a threat to free speech on page 380 (Popular Information)
Budget and tax legislation being considered in Congress includes a provision that would give the Trump administration “a powerful new tool to silence dissent,” write Judd Legum and Noel Sims. It would give the Treasury Secretary the power to end the tax-exempt status of nonprofit groups deemed a “terrorist supporting organization.” And it is “not hard to imagine this new power being abused by Trump,” Legum and Sims write.
- Related: Trump attacks the press not just as an authoritarian but as a business rival (Freedom of the Press Foundation)
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Culture & Inclusion
>> A voice that never wavered (Editor & Publisher)
More than 40 years after its founding, the Dallas Voice remains financially stable and steadfast in its mission of serving the LGBTQ community in northern Texas, writes Bob Sillick. One of its strengths is stability. The publication has had the same owner publisher, Leo Cusimano, since 2013. The managing editor, Tammye Nash, has returned to the paper twice since first being hired in 1988 and expects to stay until she retires.
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Community Engagement & Trust
>> Come again? How to steer scientist sources away from jargon (The Open Notebook)
For journalists, getting scientists to avoid jargon “can be tricky at best,” writes Katherine J. Wu. She talks to journalists about their techniques for getting experts to talk more plainly. Among them is Regina G. Barber, a co-host of NPR’s science podcast Short Wave. She holds a PhD in physics and has reported on a number of complex scientific topics. Yet sometimes she has to ask scientists she’s interviewing to break things down.
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Revenue & Resilience
>> Join us: Steal this idea: Revenue successes with Table Stakes alumni
Looking for ways to get inspired about revenue? Table Stakes alumni (including employees of companies that have participated in the program) are invited to join our “steal this idea” session Thursday, May 29 at 1 pm ET to share your successes and hear how fellow alumni are innovating revenue tactics and strategies to boost the bottom line for community media and local news organizations. Learn more and register here.
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What else you need to know
🔮 AP introduces new customer program on the future of news (Associated Press)
🙌 Democrat-Gazette Managing Editor Alyson Hoge to retire after 46 years (Arkansas Times)
🎙️ New York increases public radio support amid CPB funding threat (Current)
🤖 Business Insider is tracking employees’ ChatGPT usage as part of a new AI push (Nieman Lab)
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Weekend reads
+ What news is (and isn’t) according to Americans (Pew Research Center)
+ Justice on demand? The true crime podcasts serving up Erin Patterson’s mushroom murder trial (The Conversation)
+ A new report takes on the future of news and search (CJR)
+ The chilling effect of DEI crackdowns in scientific publishing (Undark)
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