With Newpress, Iz and Johnny Harris Incubate Video Journalism for the Creator Era
Johnny and Iz Harris have launched Newpress, a production company and community platform designed to incubate creator‑journalists. The venture, built on the success of Johnny Harris’s 7.5 million‑subscriber YouTube channel, already backs three flagship shows that blend deep‑dive reporting with high‑production visuals. Newpress retains intellectual property, manages hiring, sponsorships and ad sales, and offers a $60‑per‑year membership tier for exclusive content. The founders plan to add up to eight more creator‑journalist channels, scaling a sustainable model for video news.
As AI Data Centers Scale, Investigating Their Impact Becomes Its Own Beat
The generative‑AI boom is driving hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta to earmark over $700 billion in capital spending for new AI‑focused data centers by 2026, a 60% jump from the previous year. These facilities dwarf traditional sites, consuming...
Traffic to Top Tech Publications Has Plummeted Since 2024, New Analysis Shows
Organic search traffic to the United States' leading tech publications has plunged 58% since 2024, according to Growtika’s Ahrefs‑based analysis. Combined visits fell from a 2024 peak of 112 million to just 47 million in January 2026. The Verge suffered the steepest...
AI-Powered Search Is Fueling a Wave of Epstein Files Transparency Projects
The DOJ’s Epstein Files release, mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, provides millions of pages, images, and videos but suffers from rudimentary search functionality. Volunteer engineers and newsrooms have deployed AI‑driven tools—such as Jmail’s Gmail‑style inbox and Google Pinpoint...
Newsonomics: Will National News Shrink Even Faster than Local News Did?
The article warns that national news outlets such as CBS News and CNN are rapidly shrinking under new ownership, echoing the earlier collapse of local journalism. Recent takeovers by the Ellison family and Warner Bros. Discovery have triggered newsroom cuts,...
New York Times Runs In-House Ad Asking Listeners to “Support Any News Organization Dedicated to Original Reporting”
The New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger aired his first-ever advertisement, urging listeners to support any news organization that produces original reporting, not just the Times. The spot debuted on the Times’ podcasts and frames the appeal as a response...
“Podcast” Meant Nothing and Everything at On Air Fest
On Air Fest in Brooklyn highlighted a seismic shift in podcasting from craft‑focused journalism to creator‑driven, celebrity‑centric formats. Panelists admitted the economics of audio remain murky, with only a handful of shows turning a profit. The rise of “chat‑casts” and...
The New York Times Is Adding Another Daily Crossword, because Why Not
The New York Times introduced a new subscriber‑only "Midi" crossword, a 9×9 puzzle that sits between its Mini (5×5) and Daily (15×15) offerings. The move expands the Times Games portfolio, which already serves over one million games‑only subscribers and generates roughly $50 million in...
“Same Values, Same Mission, Same Ethics”: How the Houston Chronicle Chooses Creators to Work With
The Houston Chronicle is testing creator collaborations, beginning with food‑video creator Shawn Singh, to drive newsletter sign‑ups, pay‑wall subscriptions and social follows. Success is measured both by hard metrics and by the willingness to experiment and adopt a creator mindset....
The Baltimore Beat Experiments with Pay-What-You-Can Ads
Baltimore Beat, a nonprofit news outlet, is introducing pay‑what‑you‑can advertising options. The tiered pricing lets mom‑and‑pop shops pay $50, brick‑and‑mortar stores $150, and larger investors $300 per ad. The paper, which distributes 20,000 free print copies twice a month and...
Why “Magic Links” And Passcodes Are Taking over News Logins
News publishers are increasingly replacing passwords with email‑based magic links or one‑time passcodes. Small‑scale outlets using platforms like Ghost, Substack, and Beehiiv cite reduced security overhead and faster onboarding as primary benefits. Industry voices argue that magic links combat password...
Is The New York Times a Games Company? A Familiar Debate Continues
The New York Times now has more bundle subscribers than those who pay for news‑only, reflecting a strategic shift toward ancillary products such as Wordle, cooking guides, and The Athletic. The company has stopped offering a pure news subscription to new customers,...
Bostopia’s Evan George Serves Boston Daily News From a Lefty Perspective
Boston native Evan George has built a daily news brand, Bostopia, delivering Boston headlines in 60‑second TikTok videos. Leveraging his background in political organizing and a graduate education in sociology, he walks the city, cites local journalists, and adds a...
Is It Hypocritical for News Publishers to Complain About Tech Companies’ Platforms — but Still Be on Them?
Academic research by Rasmus Kleis Nielsen argues that news publishers continue to rely on tech platforms despite vocal criticism because audience reach and incremental revenue outweigh the desire for platform independence. The study cites that only about 4 % of traffic...
Last Year, Illinois Started Giving Local News Outlets Tax Credits to Support Journalism Jobs. A New Report Looks at How...
Illinois launched the nation’s first refundable tax credit program for local journalism, awarding over $4 million in 2025 to sustain more than 260 journalist positions across 55 news outlets. The initiative split funding between an existing‑job credit of $15,000 per journalist...