Supporting independent digital journalism
through hyperlocal news.
Hi there!
We hope you’ve had a productive and positive July, as we move through busy tax time into a new financial year. Here at LINA we’ve been doing some serious work behind the scenes to bring you a new, exciting team of staff to increase our support for members – keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks as we introduce some new faces!
Thoughts from the State of Digital Publishing’s WordPress Publishers Performance Summit
LINA’s Operations Manager Claire Albrecht got up at 4am this morning to join the State of Digital Publishing’s summit, hearing about the latest developments in WordPress publishing tools for news organisations. Of particular interest were conversations around:
- Core Web Vitals and how to improve them
- Avoiding the dreaded content shift (where layout changes as elements of the page load) by always setting dimensions for images and their containers
- Regularly cleaning out your unused plugins to keep Javascript loading down
- Preparing for Gutenberg 3, which will include powerful editorial tools and a better revision experience to match rival platforms
- Moving away from ‘lazy loading’ images towards the new Fetch Priority API
LINA members can find further conversations around tools and tech on our Slack channel.
Shop-talk sessions
Our most recent shop-talk was focused EOFY activities. Next week we turn our attention to best practice search engine optimisation in conversation with the Audience Team at ABC News Digital. LINA members will find the invite to this session in the inbox/calendar.
Not a member yet?
LINA welcomes membership applications from digital news publishers any time. Head to our website to join. Meanwhile, we say a warm welcome to our newest members:
- Central Coast News
- Australian Rural & Regional News
- The Post
- Chinese Herald
- Solstice Media
We’re looking forward to meeting everyone at the LINA Summit in Port Douglas. Don’t forget to save the date: April 30 – 2 May, 2024. More info on that coming soon…
 walkleys.com Entries are open for the 68th Walkley Awards. There’s no time like to present, so don’t delay in submitting your best work from the past year. Stories published or broadcast between September 1, 2022 and August 31, 2023 are eligible. More than 1,400 entries are received each year across 30 categories. Entries close August 31. Read more. |
 meaa.org Entries are now open for 2023 WA Media Awards.Western Australia’s pre-eminent Awards for journalists are now open for entries.An initiative of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), the WA Media Awards support and encourage professional and ethical reporting, and celebrate excellence in West Australian journalism. All winners, including the coveted Western Australian Journalist of the Year, will be announced at a gala event at the the ANZAC Club, Perth on Saturday, October 7. Read more. |
 poynter.org The versatile ‘Newsroom Tracking Tools’ can organize contest entries, follow FOI requests and even serve as a portfolio manager and reminder app. Read more. |
 venturebeat.com AJP has ambitious plans for the money it is receiving from OpenAI: The nonprofit intends to stand up a new tech and AI studio. Read more. |
We were so excited to hear about the successful launch of Hyperlocal Media‘s new masthead, Launceston Lively. And they’re already kicking goals!
Congratulations to Sean Car and Hyperlocal News for the 100th issue of CBD News – a fantastic achievement, and it looks beautiful!
The team at Murray Bridge News keep going from stregth to strength! This month they’ve announced their new quarterly publication, Murraylands Life.
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