ONA Weekly #313: Join Us June 24-25 For A Masterclass In Audience Development

By on June 17, 2020

Join us June 24-25 for a masterclass in audience development 

Registration is now open for Insights: Audience Development & Analytics, happening June 24-25. We’re gathering experts from The New York Times, BuzzFeed News, NowThis, Reddit and more to lead in-depth conversations on using analytics to drive strategic decisions and achieve your audience development goals. Join us for an exciting deep dive into the latest trends for newsletters, automation, audience research and social media — and walk away with fresh ideas for engaging new communities. We will convene over two half-days from 12-3 p.m. EDT/16:00-19:00 GMT.

Welcome Liz Leith, Director of Finance and Administration

Please give a warm welcome to Liz Leith, ONA’s new Director of Finance and Administration, responsible for all accounting, human resources and administrative functions of our organization. Liz was previously at the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative, and has more than 10 years of experience managing the finance and operations departments of both local and national nonprofit organizations, plus more than 15 years of public accounting experience. She’s lived in Washington, D.C., for over 25 years and is a big local sports fan.

ONA worked with Marshall Brown & Associates, LLC to identify talented candidates for this new role. We are grateful for the expertise and diligence they invested during the recruitment process.

Best practices for converting paid subscribers

Coming June 23: Our Newsroom Playbook Series for senior managers and executives launches with a workshop focused on best practices for converting readers into paying subscribers. Nicco Mele, co-author of the Digital Pay-Meter Playbook, will walk through strategies based on surveys of more than 500 for-profit newsrooms for measuring engagement and crafting your strategy. Registration for the three-part series is free. We welcome donations to support more ONA programming tailored to immediate needs in the industry; the suggested value for each training is $49.

Maria Ressa’s case tests press freedom in the Philippines

ONA is concerned and disappointed over the recent cyber libel conviction of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and former researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr. Press freedom and the ability to hold those in power accountable is critical to maintaining a democracy. Maria discussed the investigative work she’s spearheaded at Rappler during ONA19: “We need to push back, push forward … The world your kids live in, we live in, will depend on your actions.”

ONA joins more calls to protect journalists at U.S. protests

As of June 16, the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has documented over 430 aggressions towards press during the Black Lives Matter protests, many of them by police. ONA continues to add our voice to the chorus of journalism organizations calling for a halt to these violations. Most recently, we joined a coalition of 57 organizations led by PEN America in sending letters to every U.S. governor and the mayor of Washington, D.C. demanding that they affirm their commitments to press freedom and hold law enforcement accountable for their actions.

Upcoming events

Career opportunities

ONA’s Career Center is an excellent resource for jobs, fellowships and internships in digital journalism. Recent postings include:

On our radar