Building beyond the building****

The real estate publication CoStar this week published a story about the uncertain fate of landmark news buildings in light of disruption in the industry. The piece by Katie Burke tells the story of the former headquarters of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, saying it echoes struggles in other cities.

The real estate angle is real enough for downtowns like Richmond. But for local news organizations, the reality is that what anchors them to their audiences isn’t a building but rather the personal connections that journalists are forging with the people out in their communities.

This need to build connections is a topic we’ve discussed a lot at API, including at our most recent Local News Summit in Washington, D.C. In a retrospective of that event, API senior vice president Samantha Ragland writes that we are successful in making those connections when we shift from a mindset of journalism “for” the community to journalism “with” the community.

As for the real estate? Many journalists love those old news buildings — the noise, the energy, the collaboration, the sense of pride when you walk through the door. But those things might matter less to audiences. In other words, for them the magic is more likely to happen out in the community where journalists are, as Sam puts it, tending to the garden of the “local information commons” we all share.

News In Focus Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.**

Civic Discourse & Democracy****

>> Data journalists start news site to track extremist movements (Semafor)****

Former Bellingcat journalist Tristan Lee and open-source researcher Jennefer Harper are launching Decoherence Media, writes Max Tani. The new publication will cover “authoritarian and anti-democratic movements with a particular focus on the far right.”

>> Watch those texts! Smartphones emerging as a new way for public figures to get into hot water (AP)****

News stories about text messages have gotten politicians and others into trouble in recent weeks, writes David Bauder. Leaks about these texts can also pose a challenge for journalists seeking to confirm their authenticity, he writes.

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Culture & Inclusion****

**>> New from API: ****3 ways news organizations can collaborate with youth, schools (Better News) ******

Here’s an idea to steal and adapt: Work with local schools to help students develop journalistic skills. API was a partner organization for the Global Youth & News Media’s 2025 Prize for Journalism, and community manager Jan Ross Sakian served on the jury for the awards. Afterwards, she asked three award winners how they successfully managed projects with local schools and educators. Here’s what they told her.

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Community Engagement & Trust****

**>> How credible is that person on TikTok? Here’s a checklist. (Trusting News) ******

Trusting News has partnered with The Lenfest Institute’s Knight Communities Network and Project C to put together a Creator Journalism Trust and Credibility Toolkit. It includes an ethics checklist to help assess whether creator journalists and influencers “are working to be fair and accurate,” writes Mollie Muchna.

• **Link: **Access the toolkit (Lenfest Institute)
• **Plus: **The state of creator journalism 2025 (Muck Rack)
• **Also: **With news creators and influencers on the rise, what’s next for local news? (Medill Local News Initiative)
• **And this: **How our social connections shape the information we encounter (News Creator Corps)

>> NBC News addresses low trust in media with “Reporting For America” marketing campaign highlighting “Facts. Clarity. Calm” (Deadline)****

The network’s 60-second spot includes voices from ordinary Americans expressing frustration with the news environment, writes Ted Johnson.

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Revenue & Resilience****

>> Campbell Brown co-launches Forum AI (Axios)****

The veteran news anchor and former head of news at Meta is starting a company aimed at evaluating AI models for bias and making “judgment calls about high-stakes topics,” writes Sara Fischer. The company already has several experts on board, she writes.

• The worst thing about AI is that people can’t shut up about it (Wired)

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What else you need to know****

👀 ‘Washington Post’ editorials omit a key disclosure: Bezos’ financial ties (NPR)

🔏 Atlanta journalist says he ‘won’t be the only’ one deported by Trump officials (The Guardian)

🎙️ NPR and WBUR name Indira Lakshmanan new ‘Here & Now’ co-host (WBUR)

💵 American Journalism Project invests $3.5 million in the growth of three local news organizations (AJP)