Journalism Needs Brands’ Support: #GivingNewsDay and Beyond

Last week we held the first Good for Business livestream and dedicated it to the news economy, a crucial part of the overall purpose economy. According to The Democracy Fund, fewer newsrooms mean fewer people vote and run for office, government corruption and waste expand, and our neighborhoods grow more polarized. Newsrooms support the more equitable and sustainable economy purpose-driven organizations are building.

Kindred CEO and Co-founder Ian Schafer sat down with Craig Forman, CEO of McClatchy; Karen Rundlet, Director at Knight Foundation; Kerry Flynn, Media Reporter at CNN; and Matt Rivitz, Co-founder at Sleeping Giants to discuss how exactly brands can play an important role in boosting local news from surviving to thriving.

Karen Rundlet shared one of the most startling stats of the session: in 15 years the United States has lost more than 1800 newspapers. The expansion of starkly-named news deserts is leaving more and more Americans disconnected from local happenings and reliant on national news and social media for the news. Even as news outlets rapidly adapt their sponsorship and advertising models and big funders step up to fund diverse, nonprofit newsrooms, hundreds of newsrooms remain understaffed and under immense earnings pressure.

Our guests had clear ideas and case studies of what a brand-backed effort to support the news economy entails. Conscientious media spend and smart giving.

A new approach to blacklisting

The protective phase of whittling the entire internet or span of news content down to a “safe” list has gone on a little too long (See Craig Forman’s take at 12:14). In the early days of keyword blocking, there were mishaps not dissimilar from the same brand safety challenges associated with programmatic advertising. But, with almost every category of news, there is also an opportunity. If you’ve shifted your messaging to focus on supporting communities, why wouldn’t that run up against COVID-19 news? Careful consideration on a campaign-by-campaign basis of what to blacklist beyond bigotry and sexism could be a boon to performance and will certainly serve your local outlets.

Addressing the advertising duopoly

Platforms like Facebook have created compelling opportunities for legacy outlets and new, digital-first media properties. However, leveraging the opportunity has left a trail of “digitally transformed” newsrooms and workforce reductions without the payoff. Incorporating engagement into the content algorithms that power our news feeds has increasingly bumped facts and multi-source journalism out of the picture in favor of viral news, regardless of its credibility (Matt Rivitz talks platforms at 39:02). For marketing and agency teams, the ease of use of these platforms and programmatic advertising is undeniable. But, especially as consumers get increasingly savvy about data privacy, the infodemic and its factors, now is a great time to add direct site buys to your experimentation budget. Spend time now to find a media mix that powers your performance will put you ahead of the pack and support the journalism that serves your stakeholders.

Give in service of stakeholders

There is an opportunity for brands to form big bold partnerships and take a real stance beyond making one of those ubiquitous TV ads and demonstrating a commitment to news as a whole (Kerry calls for strong support at 56:38). Authentic efforts could include sponsoring taking down the paywall in cities where an organization has offices, petitioning your foundations to support funds that back the news economy (links below), or supporting policies that value journalism’s contribution.

Objective, two-source journalism is how stakeholders stay informed, maintain accountable government, and feel connected to their community. Every evening people are celebrating the essential workers manning the ICUs, the tills, and the delivery trucks. Please add a cheer for the journalists, editors, and printers who are delivering crucial, fact-checked information every day.

Additional Resources

• Learn more about the annual NewsMatch.org campaign with the Knight Foundation, a vehicle for companies and brands who care about local news and civic information to support journalism at scale.
• Follow and support organizations getting involved in #GivingNewsDay