Sophie Culpepper
@speppered.bsky.social
Staff writer @niemanlab.org, sophie@niemanlab.org. Local news enthusiast, midnights become my afternoons
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
The Southern Utah Tribune is not intended to be [an offshoot] of Salt Lake City’s newsroom...this is a local news product for Washington County; its form and content are rooted in what residents told the Tribune they wanted, and it has two full-time reporters living in the county. buff.ly/4v5EaSu
The Salt Lake Tribune, preparing to drop its paywall, launches a free, monthly print newspaper for Southern Utah
“We believe that the first thing we have to do is build something that people want.”
www.niemanlab.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The Southern Utah Tribune is not intended to be [an offshoot] of Salt Lake City’s newsroom...this is a local news product for Washington County; its form and content are rooted in what residents told the Tribune they wanted, and it has two full-time reporters living in the county. buff.ly/4v5EaSu
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
"Digital news sites don’t come close to replacing the number of newspapers and journalism jobs being lost. And the digital news providers are almost entirely concentrated in metro areas, leaving vast swaths of the country with little to no access to local news.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/in-m...
In Medill’s latest State of Local News report, a “festering, 20-year-old problem” looms larger than ever
“Digital news sites don’t come close to replacing the number of newspapers and journalism jobs being lost. And the digital news providers are almost entirely concentrated in metro areas, leaving vast…
www.niemanlab.org
October 22, 2025 at 7:41 PM
"Digital news sites don’t come close to replacing the number of newspapers and journalism jobs being lost. And the digital news providers are almost entirely concentrated in metro areas, leaving vast swaths of the country with little to no access to local news.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/in-m...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
NEW: @andrewdeck.bsky.social and I found the @waybackmachine.bsky.social has been archiving news homepages less frequently for the past 5 months.
The result: an 87% drop in homepage snapshots across 100 news outlets during a very newsy year. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/the-...
The result: an 87% drop in homepage snapshots across 100 news outlets during a very newsy year. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/the-...
The Wayback Machine’s snapshots of news homepages plummet after a “breakdown” in archiving projects
Between May and October 2025, homepage snapshots fell by 87% across 100 news publications.
www.niemanlab.org
October 22, 2025 at 3:05 PM
NEW: @andrewdeck.bsky.social and I found the @waybackmachine.bsky.social has been archiving news homepages less frequently for the past 5 months.
The result: an 87% drop in homepage snapshots across 100 news outlets during a very newsy year. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/the-...
The result: an 87% drop in homepage snapshots across 100 news outlets during a very newsy year. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/the-...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
For the past few months, the Wayback Machine has been showing many fewer snapshots of news publishers' homepages than it used to. Something happened on May 16, but what?
@hanaatameez.bsky.social and @andrewdeck.bsky.social investigate
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/the-...
@hanaatameez.bsky.social and @andrewdeck.bsky.social investigate
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/the-...
The Wayback Machine’s snapshots of news homepages plummet after a “breakdown” in archiving projects
Between May and October 2025, homepage snapshots fell by 87% across 100 news publications.
www.niemanlab.org
October 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
For the past few months, the Wayback Machine has been showing many fewer snapshots of news publishers' homepages than it used to. Something happened on May 16, but what?
@hanaatameez.bsky.social and @andrewdeck.bsky.social investigate
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/the-...
@hanaatameez.bsky.social and @andrewdeck.bsky.social investigate
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/the-...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
The variety in these newsletters, and their creators, is an indicator of the ever-blurrier lines around what counts as news and who counts as a journalist.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/are-...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/are-...
Are these local newsletters local <em>news</em>? (And does it matter?)
Meet a few of the entrepreneurs and hobbyists building community — and sometimes, making real ad money — from newsletters aggregating local events.
www.niemanlab.org
October 14, 2025 at 9:32 PM
The variety in these newsletters, and their creators, is an indicator of the ever-blurrier lines around what counts as news and who counts as a journalist.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/are-...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/are-...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
"While we heard throughout the research that people value the role of local news, the word 'journalism' can evoke partisanship or elitism for some audiences, while 'media' sounds like entertainment to many people." www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/dont...
Don’t dwell on “democracy,” and other new findings about how to market local news
"Here’s the paradox: 93% of people believe reliable local news is necessary for democracy, yet many of these same people react negatively to explicit 'democracy' messaging."
www.niemanlab.org
October 2, 2025 at 8:24 PM
"While we heard throughout the research that people value the role of local news, the word 'journalism' can evoke partisanship or elitism for some audiences, while 'media' sounds like entertainment to many people." www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/dont...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
The Banner (@thebaltimorebanner.com) is one of the most promising local news nonprofits out there. I talked to the incoming editor-in-chief, CEO, and founder-backer for @niemanlab.org
The Baltimore Banner names WNYC’s Audrey Cooper as its next editor-in-chief www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/the-...
The Baltimore Banner names WNYC’s Audrey Cooper as its next editor-in-chief
The nonprofit newsroom won a Pulitzer Prize before its third birthday but is still pursuing financial sustainability. Banner news executives said to expect "an evolution, not a revolution” under the…
www.niemanlab.org
September 25, 2025 at 3:13 PM
The Banner (@thebaltimorebanner.com) is one of the most promising local news nonprofits out there. I talked to the incoming editor-in-chief, CEO, and founder-backer for @niemanlab.org
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
New by me yesterday —>
How about some good news? Could you use some good news today?
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/dall...
How about some good news? Could you use some good news today?
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/dall...
Dallas Morning News shareholders vote to deny the hedge fund Alden Global Capital
Is a newspaper a financial asset or a community trust? This particular standoff ended with an increasingly uncommon answer.
www.niemanlab.org
September 24, 2025 at 1:26 PM
New by me yesterday —>
How about some good news? Could you use some good news today?
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/dall...
How about some good news? Could you use some good news today?
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/dall...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
The average household income in Montgomery County is the 20th-highest among U.S. counties.
The county has the highest percentage (29.2%) of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate degrees. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/nonp...
The county has the highest percentage (29.2%) of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate degrees. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/nonp...
Nonprofit news site The Banner expands beyond Baltimore
The Banner, the three-year-old Maryland news nonprofit that earned national recognition with a Pulitzer win this year, is launching a news bureau in Montgomery County. The expansion into Maryland's mo...
www.niemanlab.org
September 15, 2025 at 7:51 PM
The average household income in Montgomery County is the 20th-highest among U.S. counties.
The county has the highest percentage (29.2%) of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate degrees. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/nonp...
The county has the highest percentage (29.2%) of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate degrees. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/nonp...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
“If there’s an idea here that you like, you are welcome to it, just take it — do it in your town." www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/the-...
The Current wants other local publishers to steal its event ideas
“We started as an agency thinking of ourselves as feisty investigative journalists, and now we’re just feisty investigative journalists who also produce two events.”
www.niemanlab.org
September 17, 2025 at 6:48 PM
“If there’s an idea here that you like, you are welcome to it, just take it — do it in your town." www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/the-...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
This story — which asks what happened to all of those newsroom DEI jobs, committees, and promises from 2020 — is the hardest one I've ever worked on. I hope you'll spend some time with it today.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/from...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/from...
From reckoning to retreat: Journalism’s DEI efforts are in decline
Diversity-related newsroom jobs haven't totally disappeared — but they also haven't stuck.
www.niemanlab.org
September 11, 2025 at 2:41 PM
This story — which asks what happened to all of those newsroom DEI jobs, committees, and promises from 2020 — is the hardest one I've ever worked on. I hope you'll spend some time with it today.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/from...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/from...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
One thing that struck me about my conversation with @davejorgenson.bsky.social: I think he's having...fun? With journalism? In this economy?
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/with...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/with...
With Local News International, Dave Jorgenson becomes his own TikTok guy
The former Washington Post video star talks about launching a new company with old colleagues, the importance of media literacy, and building a Daily Show for the internet.
www.niemanlab.org
September 9, 2025 at 4:50 PM
One thing that struck me about my conversation with @davejorgenson.bsky.social: I think he's having...fun? With journalism? In this economy?
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/with...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/with...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
In France, reporters are getting a cut of revenue from AI licensing deals. Among others, Le Monde has agreed to redistribute 25% of its deals with OpenAI and Perplexity.
I took a closer look at these union agreements and asked why they haven't crossed the Atlantic. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/in-f...
I took a closer look at these union agreements and asked why they haven't crossed the Atlantic. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/in-f...
Some French publishers are giving AI revenue directly to journalists. Could that ever happen in the U.S.?
Le Monde agreed to give journalists 25% of revenue from licensing deals with OpenAI and Perplexity. Now, other French publishers are following suit.
www.niemanlab.org
September 5, 2025 at 4:08 PM
In France, reporters are getting a cut of revenue from AI licensing deals. Among others, Le Monde has agreed to redistribute 25% of its deals with OpenAI and Perplexity.
I took a closer look at these union agreements and asked why they haven't crossed the Atlantic. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/in-f...
I took a closer look at these union agreements and asked why they haven't crossed the Atlantic. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/in-f...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
“Especially now, we need strong regional infrastructure that can connect smaller stations to larger entities and help them continue to provide essential local news and information to their communities.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/with...
With public media under siege, High Plains Public Radio builds a blueprint to cover more rural news with fewer resources
To expand regional coverage while keeping costs down, HPPR aims to build out a “contributors network” of part-time and volunteer community members coordinated by a lean central editorial team.
www.niemanlab.org
September 2, 2025 at 6:41 PM
“Especially now, we need strong regional infrastructure that can connect smaller stations to larger entities and help them continue to provide essential local news and information to their communities.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/with...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
"We are really active in watching how things have shook out at other news organizations, including Houston Landing,“ reporter Amy Morona said.
"We are just trying to make it for the long haul, and we think unionizing is the best way for us to do that together.”
"We are just trying to make it for the long haul, and we think unionizing is the best way for us to do that together.”
Signal Ohio joins wave of nonprofit newsroom unionization
Journalists from Signal Cleveland, Signal Akron, and Signal Statewide are seeking voluntary recognition.
www.niemanlab.org
August 26, 2025 at 10:45 PM
"We are really active in watching how things have shook out at other news organizations, including Houston Landing,“ reporter Amy Morona said.
"We are just trying to make it for the long haul, and we think unionizing is the best way for us to do that together.”
"We are just trying to make it for the long haul, and we think unionizing is the best way for us to do that together.”
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
“These stations are not just media outlets, they are cultural infrastructure.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/how-...
How tribal radio stations are preparing for a future without the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
“These stations are not just media outlets, they are cultural infrastructure.”
www.niemanlab.org
August 16, 2025 at 10:37 PM
“These stations are not just media outlets, they are cultural infrastructure.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/how-...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
“This is a nut that no one else in the country has cracked — how to translate what nonprofit newsrooms are doing for commercial TV.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/can-...
Can nonprofit news mix with local TV? A Pennsylvania partnership aims to find out
“This is a nut that no one else in the country has cracked — how to translate what nonprofit newsrooms are doing for commercial TV.”
www.niemanlab.org
August 16, 2025 at 2:59 PM
“This is a nut that no one else in the country has cracked — how to translate what nonprofit newsrooms are doing for commercial TV.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/can-...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
well this absolutely rules www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/miss...
Missouri’s oldest Black bookstore just closed. The Kansas City Defender plans to reopen it as a newsroom and public archive.
“The thought of losing that history, particularly in this political moment, was devastating.”
www.niemanlab.org
July 31, 2025 at 4:40 PM
well this absolutely rules www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/miss...
A beloved bookstore about to close; a determined volunteer; a local news nonprofit that got creative.
Got to write about a Kansas City icon named Willa Robinson and what @kcdefender.bsky.social is doing to preserve her remarkable book collection and legacy.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/miss...
Got to write about a Kansas City icon named Willa Robinson and what @kcdefender.bsky.social is doing to preserve her remarkable book collection and legacy.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/miss...
Missouri’s oldest Black bookstore just closed. The Kansas City Defender plans to reopen it as a newsroom and public archive.
“The thought of losing that history, particularly in this political moment, was devastating.”
www.niemanlab.org
July 31, 2025 at 8:20 PM
A beloved bookstore about to close; a determined volunteer; a local news nonprofit that got creative.
Got to write about a Kansas City icon named Willa Robinson and what @kcdefender.bsky.social is doing to preserve her remarkable book collection and legacy.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/miss...
Got to write about a Kansas City icon named Willa Robinson and what @kcdefender.bsky.social is doing to preserve her remarkable book collection and legacy.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/miss...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
absolutely loved this piece about @kcdefender.bsky.social and a bookstore called Willa's by @speppered.bsky.social www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/miss...
Missouri’s oldest Black bookstore just closed. The Kansas City Defender plans to reopen it as a newsroom and public archive.
“The thought of losing that history, particularly in this political moment, was devastating.”
www.niemanlab.org
July 31, 2025 at 2:34 PM
absolutely loved this piece about @kcdefender.bsky.social and a bookstore called Willa's by @speppered.bsky.social www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/miss...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
New by me —>
These are the 25 largest nonprofit news sites in the U.S. by web traffic.
Some you’d expect (like @propublica.org), others you might not (@ncronline.bsky.social, @sciencenews.bsky.social, @lapublicpress.bsky.social, @notusreports.bsky.social)
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/nonp...
These are the 25 largest nonprofit news sites in the U.S. by web traffic.
Some you’d expect (like @propublica.org), others you might not (@ncronline.bsky.social, @sciencenews.bsky.social, @lapublicpress.bsky.social, @notusreports.bsky.social)
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/nonp...
Nonprofit news sites are built to generate impact — but these are also generating audiences
In markets large and small, these nonprofit news organizations are achieving traffic numbers that many commercial outlets would envy. Here's our first monthly ranking of the top 25 nonprofit news site...
www.niemanlab.org
July 29, 2025 at 8:38 PM
New by me —>
These are the 25 largest nonprofit news sites in the U.S. by web traffic.
Some you’d expect (like @propublica.org), others you might not (@ncronline.bsky.social, @sciencenews.bsky.social, @lapublicpress.bsky.social, @notusreports.bsky.social)
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/nonp...
These are the 25 largest nonprofit news sites in the U.S. by web traffic.
Some you’d expect (like @propublica.org), others you might not (@ncronline.bsky.social, @sciencenews.bsky.social, @lapublicpress.bsky.social, @notusreports.bsky.social)
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/nonp...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Colleges and universities can be good places to produce these kinds of state-based media newsletters. If you want to try and start one, get in touch. I’ll help! theconversation.com/i-teach-coll... #academicsky
I teach college and report on Colorado media — there should be more professors doing the same in other states
News about the news used to be commonplace, but as news organizations have vanished, so has this type of reporting.
theconversation.com
July 23, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Colleges and universities can be good places to produce these kinds of state-based media newsletters. If you want to try and start one, get in touch. I’ll help! theconversation.com/i-teach-coll... #academicsky
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
In January, I uncovered a network of AI-generated newsletters, called Good Daily, that was targeting hundreds of small towns and cities across the U.S.
This week, the newsletter company 6AM City announced it had bought Good Daily and brought its founder on board. www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/good...
This week, the newsletter company 6AM City announced it had bought Good Daily and brought its founder on board. www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/good...
6AM City acquires Good Daily’s network of more than 350 AI-generated local newsletters
6AM City will continue to operate its "core" newsletters with human editors, but will treat Good Daily’s AI-generated newsletters as "seed markets."
www.niemanlab.org
July 24, 2025 at 2:55 PM
In January, I uncovered a network of AI-generated newsletters, called Good Daily, that was targeting hundreds of small towns and cities across the U.S.
This week, the newsletter company 6AM City announced it had bought Good Daily and brought its founder on board. www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/good...
This week, the newsletter company 6AM City announced it had bought Good Daily and brought its founder on board. www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/good...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
New by me —>
From now on, I’ll tell you every month which 25 local U.S. newspapers are having the most traffic success on the web.
Any guesses what (often forgotten) newspaper company owns a shocking 7 of the top 11, beating out far larger peers?
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/how-...
From now on, I’ll tell you every month which 25 local U.S. newspapers are having the most traffic success on the web.
Any guesses what (often forgotten) newspaper company owns a shocking 7 of the top 11, beating out far larger peers?
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/how-...
How did newspapers in places like Harrisburg, Birmingham, and Syracuse become some of America’s most-read online?
They share an owner that sometimes gets forgotten — but which dominates much larger peers in web traffic. Here's our first monthly ranking of the top 25 local newspaper websites in the United States.
www.niemanlab.org
July 23, 2025 at 5:26 PM
New by me —>
From now on, I’ll tell you every month which 25 local U.S. newspapers are having the most traffic success on the web.
Any guesses what (often forgotten) newspaper company owns a shocking 7 of the top 11, beating out far larger peers?
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/how-...
From now on, I’ll tell you every month which 25 local U.S. newspapers are having the most traffic success on the web.
Any guesses what (often forgotten) newspaper company owns a shocking 7 of the top 11, beating out far larger peers?
www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/how-...
Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
New feature alert @niemanlab.org: Traffic rankings for the top U.S. news outlets in three categories — local newspapers, nonprofit news sites, and public radio stations. First up, local newspapers
by @joshuabenton.com
by @joshuabenton.com
How did newspapers in places like Harrisburg, Birmingham, and Syracuse become some of America’s most-read online?
They share an owner that sometimes gets forgotten — but which dominates much larger peers in web traffic. Here's our first monthly ranking of the top 25 local newspaper websites in the United States.
www.niemanlab.org
July 23, 2025 at 5:32 PM
New feature alert @niemanlab.org: Traffic rankings for the top U.S. news outlets in three categories — local newspapers, nonprofit news sites, and public radio stations. First up, local newspapers
by @joshuabenton.com
by @joshuabenton.com