The Knight Foundation has announced a $1 million investment in LION, the Local Independent Online News publishers association, of which CTNewsJunkie, CT Mirror and eight other Connecticut news publications are members (along with more than 250 nationwide in 45 states).
LION is an educational nonprofit with a goal of helping locally owned, independent, online news publishers grow sustainable digital news operations. LION members are all entrepreneurs (both for-profit and nonprofit) who are building news businesses in communities of all sizes, including many that have been abandoned by out-of-state, legacy news corporations driven by venture capital.
Since 2012, LION members have been sharing best practices and business models in an effort to reduce the need to reinvent the wheel in every news desert around the country. The grant will allow LION to expand its staff with experts in business coaching, revenue development, peer learning, advertising, membership programs, and shared technology services.
CTNewsJunkie was the first Connecticut member of LION and Doug Hardy, the site’s business manager, is a member of the LION board of directors.
Other Connecticut LIONs include:
C-HIT.org (the Connecticut Health Investigation Team)
GoodMorningWilton.com
LymeLine.com
ValleyNewsNow.com
NancyOnNorwalk.org
NewHavenIndependent.org
ValleyIndependentSentinel.org
We-Ha.com
WestportNow.com
