Registration opens for 2027 Mega-Conference, the local news industry’s largest gathering

Registration is now open for the 2027 Mega-Conference, April 19–21 at Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. The largest U.S. conference serving family-owned and independently owned news organizations, the event will bring together owners, publishers, sales leaders and content producers from across the country to explore the opportunities and challenges shaping the local news industry.

America’s Newspapers files amicus brief in OpenAI and Microsoft copyright litigation

America’s Newspapers filed an amicus brief Oct. 30 supporting news publishers in their copyright litigation against OpenAI and Microsoft, urging a federal court to consider the stakes for local newspapers and the communities that depend on them.

Meta pulls down controversial terms of service

Meta has indefinitely delayed its proposed commercial terms of service, which would have permitted the company to scrape the websites of Meta Business account users.

America’s Newspapers welcomes Newspack into membership

Newspack is a project of WordPress.com, with support from the Google News Initiative, the Knight Foundation and The Lenfest Institute. It is an open source technology and services platform that is home to more than 300 independent news organizations around the globe.

Paxton Media Group acquires Louisiana State Newspapers

Paxton Media Group has acquired the publishing and printing operations of Louisiana State Newspapers, bringing together two longstanding, family-owned newspaper companies. The transaction includes 14 community publications and a printing facility serving the Acadiana region of Louisiana.

Americans are more likely than they were a year ago to trust information from national and local news organizations, according to a new Pew Research Center survey conducted in September 2026. Trust has increased modestly among supporters of both major political parties and across age groups.

The new Fund from Social Finance, supported by anchor funders the MacArthur Foundation and Knight Foundation, along with Press Forward, will invest in local news organizations across the United States.

Veteran Montana journalist to lead Great Falls Tribune

Lee Enterprises has tapped an award-winning veteran journalist and news leader with deep ties to Montana to be publisher and editor of the Great Falls Tribune.

The Island News [Beaufort, South Carolina} has added another veteran reporter to its staff. This one has worked for The Island News previously. Tony Kukulich, most recently of The Post & Courier, will cover Beaufort County, with much of his focus, though not necessarily all, on the area south of the Broad River.

The Houston Chronicle has named Trevor Brown as its AI newsroom developer, a new position that combines technical know-how with journalistic judgment to help the newsroom innovate responsibly.