Table of Contents
The International Press Institute (IPI) launches its Local News Accelerator. The program seeks to help local media organizations take meaningful steps toward financial and editorial sustainability.
Successful applicants will participate in intensive training, one-on-one and group coaching, speaker sessions, networking and gain access to an e-learning platform.
Why apply?
The accelerator is designed to support local newsrooms getting started or pivoting their business. From our work with local, regional and niche publishers, we understand the key challenges you’re facing. We provide structure and support to identify and help deliver solutions that will advance their projects toward financial and editorial sustainability. IPI’s in-house experts will conduct a comprehensive one-on-one needs assessment and provide guidance and personalized advisory services to maximize successful applicants’ benefits from the programme. In addition, you will gain access to a community of local news innovators from around the world.
How does it work?
The format is based on IPI’s innovation learning journey, piloted during the 2023 Local News Accelerator, in which publishers from around the world achieved measurable impacts such as growth in readership, doubling of subscribers, building new onboarding tools and engagement channels and launching membership models and crowdfunding campaigns.
Our cohorts regularly point out peer connections among the cohort as a key benefit, which allows them to build a community with media in similar situations and share ideas. Learn about our previous Local News Accelerator participants and their success stories here and here.
Key activities
- One month of direct needs assessments to identify your pain points, problem statements and map solutions.
- Intensive training focused on tools and skills that can be transferred to your newsroom well beyond the duration of the accelerator, focused on problem solving and identifying solutions, audience research, strategic planning, journalism formats – audio, video, newsletters – built for user engagement, digital business models and diversifying revenue models.
- One-on-one personalized advisory services bespoke to the needs of your newsroom, with flexible, on-demand industry experts as coaches during the accelerator.
Selection Criteria and Eligibility
- You should be a legally registered media organization from anywhere in the world.
- Demonstrate a clear focus on serving local audiences, with news tailored to the specific needs of the local community.
- Your organization should demonstrate a commitment to producing quality original journalism, adherence to ethical journalism practices and commitment to press freedom.
- Your organization must have a team of at least two individuals who are willing to commit to accelerator activities throughout the four months ( four hours per week, divided between the team of two).
- Your media should have a solid business case and understanding of your audience, backed up by audience or market research.
- Your media should demonstrate a willingness to explore and implement new ideas, tools and technologies to enhance storytelling and audience engagement, while learning from experts and each other.
- Your media should have a clear vision for the future of their media organization, including plans for how they will grow, expand and/or adapt.
- You must submit a proposal outlining a specific need and solution (Note: it is anticipated that this project will change or evolve during the accelerator period).
To apply, applicants must submit a brief project proposal about a specific project they would like to work on with the help of the accelerator.
The application deadline is Aug. 24.
