E&P Reports with Mike Blinder
By Michael Blinder
Conversations Shaping the Future of Journalism E&P Reports is the weekly interview program from E&P Magazine (Editor & Publisher), the authoritative voice of the news media since 1884. Hosted by publisher Mike Blinder, each episode features in-depth conversations with the journalists, editors, broadcasters, publishers, innovators, educators and media leaders shaping the future of journalism. Topics include local news, investigative reporting, artificial intelligence, audience growth, revenue innovation, press freedom, public policy, digital transformation and the business of news. Watch the full video editions on YouTube or at: EditorandPublisher.com/vodcasts
36 episodes
All Episodes
Leveraging Local Trust to Overcome Declining Subscription Models
Local news outlets struggle with a gap between how much people consume their content and how much they are willing to pay for it. High demand does not automatically translate into revenue. To stay viable, these organizations need to move away from traditional broadcast models and instead lean into the trust they have built with their communities by adopting transparent, digital-first strategies.
View Episode Notes →
Restoring Institutional Integrity Through Independent Open-Source Journalism
Journalism has damaged its credibility by trading independent verification for quick access to government sources. To rebuild trust, news organizations must move away from this dependency and return to rigorous, ground-truth reporting. They should use open-source intelligence to challenge official narratives rather than simply repeating them.
View Episode Notes →
Regulating Journalism as Essential Democratic Infrastructure Instead of Trade
Journalism funding is moving away from a market-based model toward a regulated utility. As platform monopolies grow, governments are beginning to treat news as essential democratic infrastructure instead of a product governed by voluntary trade negotiations.
View Episode Notes →
Prioritizing Franchise Strength Over Short-Term EBITDA in News Ownership
Formulaic valuation no longer works for local news. To maximize long-term value, publishers should stop prioritizing short-term cost-cutting. Instead, they need to build franchise resilience by clustering regional assets, diversifying revenue streams, and investing in the retention of their core teams.
View Episode Notes →
Prioritizing Verification and Resilience in Local Crisis Journalism
Journalists covering disasters should prioritize verification over speed to maintain public trust. By slowing down to debunk rumors and tracking long-term economic impacts, newsrooms serve as essential anchors for communities in crisis.
View Episode Notes →
Transitioning Local News From Content Providers To Civic Infrastructure
Local news organizations survive by moving away from redundant competition and toward civic infrastructure. When publishers treat information as a public utility and build tools that solve local business problems, they create sustainable, high-value ecosystems.
View Episode Notes →
Reclaiming Editorial Authority to Restore Local News Trust
Newsrooms lose authority when they treat opinion pages as open forums for unverified noise. Reclaiming editorial control through active curation and a focus on local issues rebuilds public trust and restores the relevance of the institution.
View Episode Notes →
Newspaper Industry Shifts to Unified Advocacy for Economic Survival
Newspapers are moving away from their traditional hands-off approach to form a unified lobbying front. By framing automated content scraping as an economic crisis, publishers are shifting from defensive observers to active architects of market regulation.
View Episode Notes →
Prioritizing Reach and Community Identity Over Subscription Models
Subscription-first models are shrinking local news audiences. By moving away from paywalls and toward reach-based, community-integrated ecosystems, publishers can build more profitable and resilient businesses that serve the entire community.
View Episode Notes →
Transitioning From Order--Taker to Strategic Consultant in Media Sales
Modern media sales no longer reward those who simply take orders. To survive in a self-service world, professionals must move away from transactional outreach. Instead, they should adopt a consultative model that uses deep research and persistent engagement to become a trusted advisor.
View Episode Notes →
Journalism Must Replace Industrial Habits With Curated Friction
Journalism needs to move past 20th-century industrial habits if it wants to survive. By adopting oral-style communication, interaction loops inspired by gaming, and intentional friction, media leaders can turn AI into a tool for creating human-centric value.
View Episode Notes →
Aligning Newsroom Operations With Audience Data For Sustainability
Newsrooms often struggle because they isolate journalists from audience data, choosing to prioritize raw reach instead of actual relevance. To remain viable, these organizations need to stop chasing fleeting page views and start treating data informed community building as a central part of their editorial work.
View Episode Notes →
AI Amplifies Sales Skill--Not Fixes Weakness
AI doesn't fix bad sales--it magnifies it. Top performers use AI to deepen relevance and timing, while weak ones automate generic outreach, widening the performance gap. The future belongs to those who fuel thinking, not replace it.
View Episode Notes →
Journalism's Purpose: Deeper Connection Over Content Volume
Journalism's future hinges on deeper connection, not more content. Discover how shifting from volume to community-centric relevance rebuilds trust and secures sustainable funding.
View Episode Notes →
Public Policy Emerges as Fourth Pillar Supporting Local Journalism
Public policy is now a fourth pillar supporting local journalism, injecting over $129 million into newsrooms and reframing news as a public good, not just a business.
View Episode Notes →
Journalism's Civic Role Reclaimed Through Human-Centric Cultural Initiatives
Genuine connection and civic participation are forged through human-centric initiatives, not algorithmic optimization, re-establishing journalism's role as a civic cornerstone.
View Episode Notes →
Diversified Revenue and Business Fundamentals Drive Sustainable Local Journalism
Local news thrives by treating journalism as a business with distinct, interconnected arms, building durable models through diversified revenue, community embedding, and strategic leadership investment.
View Episode Notes →
The 2026 Oxford Declaration: Rebuilding Journalistic Integrity and Public Trust
Journalism faces an existential crisis, demanding radical transparency and accountability in how news is made and consumed, especially with AI's rise.
View Episode Notes →
When Speed Undermines Journalism's Trust and Depth
Newsrooms chase page views with speed, risking credibility. Discover how to balance immediate engagement with in-depth reporting to build lasting trust.
View Episode Notes →
Nonprofit Acquisition of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Offers Journalism Blueprint
Local journalism's fragility is now a public concern, creating an opportunity to build sustainable nonprofit models. Learn how a newspaper's near-death experience can forge a path to future viability.
View Episode Notes →
Transitioning Local Media Sales From Transactional Sellers To Advisors
Local media companies are failing. This is not because advertisers stopped spending money, but because their outdated sales strategies ignore the shift toward service-based economies. To capture ignored market share, companies must pivot from being transactional sellers to becoming trusted advisors.
View Episode Notes →
Transitioning Investigative Journalism Toward Collaborative and Networked Models
Investigative journalism is moving from a luxury to a basic survival tool. Newsrooms are moving away from isolated models and toward collaborative networks to bypass bureaucratic hurdles and ensure their future through unique, high-impact reporting.
View Episode Notes →
Distribution-First Newswire Model for Accountability Reporting
A distribution-first newswire fills the accountability reporting gap, empowering local media with essential statehouse news and reaching millions daily.
View Episode Notes →
Pentagon Narrative Control Threatens Stars and Stripes Journalistic Independence
Efforts to control narrative within large organizations erode trust and create unforeseen consequences, undermining essential independent reporting and public accountability.
View Episode Notes →
Australia's News Bargaining Code: Rebalancing Digital Economy for Journalism
Australia's News Bargaining Code reveals how collective action and regulation can force platforms to pay for journalism, a vital lesson for publishers facing AI-driven disintermediation and news deserts.
View Episode Notes →
Local Media Recalibrates Through Diversification and Community Reconnection
Local media's future hinges on diversification beyond subscriptions, embracing AI content licensing, and unifying audience identity for premium ad rates.
View Episode Notes →
Hearst's Diversified Ecosystem: Information Business Over Journalism Subsidy
Media thrives by building diversified, information-centric businesses, not just saving journalism. This ecosystem approach offers resilience and competitive strength in a shifting landscape.
View Episode Notes →
Housing Affordability Crisis Threatens Local Journalism's Core
Journalists can't afford to live where they report, a crisis eroding local news. A unique solution: purchasing housing to keep reporters embedded in their communities.
View Episode Notes →
Local News Redesign: Relevance, Direct Relationships, and Sustainable Revenue
Local news thrives by prioritizing deep community relevance and direct audience relationships over broad reach. This shift builds trust, drives engagement, and secures long-term sustainability.
View Episode Notes →
Local Journalism's Global Stage: Strategy Amidst Intense Scrutiny
Local newsrooms are essential when national outlets leave, providing verified facts and long-term coverage that grounds communities amidst global scrutiny and misinformation.
View Episode Notes →
Empowering Journalists Drives Local News Innovation Beyond Executive Theory
Local news innovation shifts from top-down to front-line reporters, unlocking creativity and community connection through urgent, practitioner-led sprints.
View Episode Notes →
Journalism's Existential Battle Against Weaponized Disinformation
Disinformation weaponizes truth by overwhelming audiences into apathy, not persuasion. Learn pre-bunking strategies and collective defense to fight this escalating assault on reality.
View Episode Notes →
The Baltimore Banner's Strategy for Scalable, Sustainable Local Journalism
Local journalism thrives through scale and a non-profit heart with a for-profit brain, proving impactful news can be sustainable and influential.
View Episode Notes →
News Consumers Demand Human Oversight and Transparency in AI Journalism
Audiences demand human oversight in AI-generated news, prioritizing trust and transparency over automation. AI serves best as a support tool, not a primary author, in journalism.
View Episode Notes →
Local News Reinvention: Embrace Collaboration, Community Service, and AI
Local news must abandon print, embrace AI, and prioritize community service over content to rebuild trust and find new revenue streams in a disrupted media landscape.
View Episode Notes →
Quiet Erosion of Free Expression Requires Immediate Civic Action
Free expression is quietly eroding due to political pressure, platform power, and public misunderstanding. Rebuilding trust requires understanding the First Amendment and empowering local journalism.
View Episode Notes →