When a resident called the Kokomo Tribune to see if the paper would donate a newspaper rack for a little free library that she wanted to put in front of her flower shop, the paper ended up donating 20 that were no longer in use. Today, three of those boxes have already been converted into little free libraries and have become a way for families to access books during the state’s stay-at-home order that has forced the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library branches to close. more

Axios reported Tuesday morning that it has obtained a draft of a letter being circulated by a bipartisan group of lawmakers from Michigan and Texas to be sent to the White House requesting additional relief targeted specifically at local newsrooms.

The report said that Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Bill Flores (R-Texas), Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Marc Veasey (D-Texas) are seeking support for a letter to President Trump that calls for federal advertising dollars to be prioritized to local outlets.

The need for assistance is evident in additional layoffs, furloughs, closures and other cutbacks announced over the past few days by newspapers across the country.
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Jim Brady, CEO of Spirited Media, says the time for local newsrooms to collaborate isn’t now. It was a decade ago. But now will do. In this article, he suggests five areas where collaboration can help.  more

Mary Kelli Palka, editor of The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, has also been named the paper’s market leader after Group Publisher Bill Offill announced his departure, effective May 5. more

Due to the Covid-19 need, Southern Lithoplate has redeployed a portion of its chemical manufacturing to supply hand sanitizer. more

Americans who get political and election news from two platforms — network television and print publications — are the most likely to say the news media are doing an excellent or good job responding to the coronavirus outbreak. more

Wick Communication has named Shanna Dickens as publisher of The Daily Iberian (New Iberia, Louisiana). more

The new guidance relaxes restrictions on employees who may have been exposed to COVID-19 but do not show symptoms. more

Newsroom employees at Hearst Corporation received great news this week:  there will be no layoffs, no furloughs and no pay cuts during the course of coronavirus coverage. more

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, traffic to U.S. news sites has been staggering. In the month of March, the TownNews network — made up of more than 2,000 newspaper, TV, radio and web-native news organizations — delivered more than one billion pageviews, a 51% increase over the prior 31-day period. During the same period, overall user sessions were up 59%, to more than 606 million, while first-time visitors rose 55%. more

“Just the FAQs LIVE: Conversations about Coronavirus” is hosted by Megan Finnerty, founder and director of the Storytellers Project and Storytellers Brand Studio at Gannett. The live episodes will run roughly 30 minutes and will include a round-robin report bringing together local Gannett journalists to share what is happening in their communities and an established thought leader or expert to share insights on COVID-19. more

A.H. Belo Corp., the parent company of The Dallas Morning News, announced across-the-board pay cuts at its properties and a 50% cut to its quarterly dividend while also saying it is tapping into its cash reserves to somewhat mitigate revenue losses attributable to the coronavirus pandemic. There will be no layoffs or furloughs for now, the company said in a regulatory filing. more

The free resource pulls in legislation, so journalists can easily track and monitor legislation in one spot, which is particularly helpful to those reporting on multiple states. more

America’s Newspapers is joining the News Media Alliance (the Alliance), the National Newspaper Association (NNA) and National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in asking Congress to take action on two measures that would help ensure newspapers, radio and television stations can continue to provide critical news and information during the COVID-19 pandemic. more

The COVID-19 crisis is pushing newspaper executives to take unprecedented measures to ensure their sustainability and relevance in a post-pandemic world, according to a survey conducted by Cribb, Greene & Cope. more

Just as communities generously support their restaurants and favorite stores by ordering take-out meals and gift cards, we hope you will also remember to support the staff of your local newspaper and the vital work newspapers do by subscribing in print or online. They are your neighbors — and they’ve got your back. more

A. H. Belo Corporation has promoted Katy Murray to executive vice president, reflecting a broader role she has taken on at the parent company of The Dallas Morning News. more

With the election of Paul Taylor, there are now 22 members of the Hearst board of directors, elected by the trustees of the Hearst Family Trust. more

Gannett Co., Inc. has announced the appointment of Douglas E. Horne as chief financial officer. He succeeds Alison “Ali” Engel, who stepped down at the end of the first quarter. more

Reacting to a collapse of local business, on Monday, April 6, the Duluth (Minnesota) News Tribune began to print and deliver a daily printed newspaper of 12 pages in a single section Monday through Saturday. more