Welcome to the Local Fix. Each week we look at key questions in journalism sustainability and community engagement through the lens of local news. But first, we always begin with one good idea…

One Good Idea: Is it Time for Your Newsletter Tune-Up?

We’ve been working on rethinking the Local Fix lately, and we so appreciate the 77(!) people who responded to our survey last month. While our five cookie winners have been notified, here’s another kind of sweet treat to consider: Take a peek at these tips from News Revenue Hub about how you can make the most of your own newsletter, including a newsletter scorecard template. You can also adapt many of these tips to other parts of the work that you do, like introducing an experimental culture. 

School’s Out, and Conferences are In

As we move through year two of virtual conferences, a big shout out to the people behind the scenes making these complicated Zoom learning parties happen. There are several coming up over the next few months that we’ve highlighted below. We’ve enjoyed these opportunities to connect remotely (sans flight delays and long coffee bar lines!) and are excited to attend throughout the summer. Are there any that you’re looking forward to that we missed? Hit respond and let us know.

• INN Days, hosted by the Institute for Nonprofit News, June 9 and 10 [now free thanks to sponsors!]: Check out conversations on proposals for government support of local news and new data on the nonprofit news field. 
• IRE 2021, hosted by the Investigative Reporters and Editors, June 14-18: Get ready for more than 200 panels, labs and networking sessions.
• ONA21, hosted by the Online News Association, June 22-25: This year’s conference begins with a career day on June 21 and will focus on fostering deeper connections with your audience, developing the next generation of news leadership, and more.  
• NNPA, hosted by the National Newspaper Publishers Association, June 23-26: With the theme “Black Press Matters: Trusted Voice, Resilient Vitality, Transformative Vision,” the conference will include NNPA’s annual exhibit of the Black press along with panels and speakers.
• NAHJ, hosted by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, July 12-17: Take a look at the pre-training offered for three weeks before the main conference week, with topics like community engagement, investigative reporting, and rising into leadership. 
• SRCCON, hosted by OpenNews, August 11-13: SRCCON’s call for proposals opens June 30, so get your thinking cap on for what you want to talk about with a community dedicated to fostering inclusive change in the journalism industry. Last year, SRCCON and The Pudding introduced a speaker rider that others can use to organize meaningfully inclusive events, and attendees can use to hold organizers accountable.  
• NABJ, hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists, August 18-21: Nearly 4,000 people joined NABJ for its first virtual conference last year, and this convention/career fair is still taking suggestions for speakers and spotlights.  

Have a good weekend,
Christine, Teresa and Areeba
@heres_christine,@gteresa, @areebashah_

The Local Fix is a project of the Democracy Fund’s Public Square Program, which supports promising new experiments redefining the public square in ways that make it more digital, participatory, and inclusive. The Fix was started by Josh Stearns and Molly de Aguiar. Disclosure: Some projects mentioned in this newsletter may be funded by Democracy Fund. You can find a full list of the organizations here. Follow us on Twitter at @TheLocalNewsLab.