I attended the 2025 Collaborative Journalism Summit in Denver last week, where the theme was clear: “Partnerships with a purpose.”

In an era where newsrooms face dwindling resources and growing public distrust, collaboration isn't just beneficial — it's essential. The summit showcased how cross-sector partnerships are not only enhancing storytelling but also driving tangible community impact.

It's evident that when we join forces, we amplify our reach and relevance.

I distilled some of my favourite learnings and case studies below. 

Read on and tell me what you think: amalie.nash@inma.org. 

Amalie

P.S.: My newest report is now out: Beyond the Dashboard: 14 Case Studies in Newsroom Metrics. It details how 14 global news media organisations have evolved their use of data to strengthen journalism, grow audience relationships, and drive business results. Download your copy today!

Text messaging service leads to trust, higher engagement

There’s a gap between an article — and what people want and what’s useful.

So said Ellery Jones, audience engagement specialist for the Chicago Sun-Times, at the Collaborative Journalism Summit, hosted by the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University in New Jersey.

That quote stuck with me. It’s true: Too often, we’re feeding our audiences traditional story formats when they’re looking for more easily distilled content. 

Jones spoke during a session on “Rapid, radical transparency: building trust with unconventional apps and tools.” This session delved into two experiments — both involving direct engagement via SMS — designed to improve trust with audiences.

The Texas Tribune aimed for radical transparency with 123 participants across Texas in a chat group, comparing that cohort’s trust and engagement against a control group. Matt Adams, director of audience engagement and growth for the Tribune, said the participants asked many questions — which couldn’t easily be answered in traditional stories. 

At the end of the experiment, the cohort showed a notable change in its trust of the organisation, said Benjamin Toff, director of the Minnesota Journalism Center at the University of Minnesota.

“This helped us understand what our audience actually wanted,” said Brian Fleming, director of product at Meedan, a not-for-profit that builds software and programmatic initiatives to strengthen journalism, digital literacy, and accessibility of information. “What they want is a conversation and answers.”

Chicago Sun-Times recruited about 2,000 people for a text messaging group centered on the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last year. The group then morphed and remained active through other notable news stories. 

Participants surveyed had an overwhelmingly positive experience with the group, run by Jones, and called her authentic and professional. 

News avoiders want to connect with a person more than a brand, Toff said.

“People want that kind of relationship,” Jones said. “Our attachment to the article form can blind us to what they are asking for.”

Amen. 

Bonus: People who came to articles via the SMS text group spent more time with the articles. 

What stands out to you about this approach? E-mail me: amalie.nash@inma.org.

5 keys of successful journalism collaborations

Five key learnings stood out amid the case studies at the Collaborative Journalism Summit on how to ensure successful collaborations. 

These learnings permeated discussions on everything from coaching middle managers to lead collaborations to real-world examples including how the Center for Community News is filling statehouse coverage gaps with students and how civic media organisations like Charlottesville Tomorrow and the Jersey Bee are effectively partnering with the communities they serve.

“Collaboration is incredibly important for media today because partnership can help news organisations efficiently scale their audience, reach, and trust,” said Stefanie Murray, director of the Center for Cooperative Media at the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. 

“We have seen from years of researching collaborative journalism that journalists working together with other journalists and non-news entities also brings a diversity of thought and skill to newsgathering that would not be possible otherwise. Many of the most impactful journalism projects around the world in the last decade have been collaborations.”

Here’s the advice the speakers gave, along with my thoughts:

1. Develop impact metrics from the start: More journalistic organisations are honing in on how they impact their communities — an essential component of being relevant. This:

• Ensures the partnership is purpose-driven, not just resource-sharing.

• Provides a shared definition of success across organisations.

• Helps demonstrate value to funders, stakeholders, and communities.

• Enables meaningful post-project reflection and accountability.

2. Establish clear lines of authority: Several speakers noted experiences where collaborations weren’t successful — or were harder — because the organisations hadn’t clearly established authority from the outset. This:

• Prevents confusion over roles, responsibilities, and decision-making.

• Builds trust and efficiency, especially in high-pressure moments.

• Clarifies who leads editorial direction, publication timing, or fact-checking.

3. Set goals and parameters for each partnership: Similar to impact metrics, it’s important to be aligned on the end result and what responsibility each entity has in it. This:

• Aligns expectations around scope, timelines, and desired outcomes.

• Helps ensure all partners feel ownership — and limits mission drift.

• Supports transparency and equity, especially in collaborations involving newsrooms of different sizes or resources.

4. Develop a process that's easily replicated: Especially for organisations that collaborate often, speakers stressed that processes are key so it doesn’t feel like you’re starting over from scratch each time. This:

• Makes it easier to launch future collaborations without reinventing the wheel.

• Enables scaling across regions, beats, or coverage types.

• Encourages consistency and quality across collaborative projects.

5. Adjust and evolve as needed: Collaborations can be hard and messy, so it’s important to be flexible and recognise the need to evolve along the way. This:

• Allows flexibility as conditions, needs, or discoveries evolve mid-project.

• Acknowledges that not all plans will fit all communities or partners.

• Reinforces a collaborative culture rooted in listening and responsiveness.

“You need to start with a clear mission and vision,” Stepfanie Alfonso, an instructor at California State University, San Bernardino, told the audience. “From there, you build trust among partners and community members.”

What would you add to this advice? E-mail me: amalie.nash@inma.org.

Mark your calendars

Upcoming INMA events that shouldn’t be missed:

• May 28: “Newsrooms and Metrics: Insights from 14 Newsrooms,” my next Newsroom Transformation Initiative Webinar. I’ll share insights from my latest report and will be joined by Janice Pereira, editorial data lead at The Times and The Sunday Times, and Kristin Kornberg, leader/insight and content development at Aftenposten. Register now.

• June 4: “Unlocking AI Content Licensing: Strategies from Dow Jones & The Guardian,” presented by Traci Mabrey, general manager/Factiva at Dow Jones, and Robert Hahn, director of business affairs and licensing at The Guardian. Part of INMA’s Product & Tech Initiative. Register now.

• June 11: “AI for Automating Print Production,” presented by Gregor Zoller, director of IT at Medienholding Süd, and Benjamin Peetre, senior business developer/print at Bonnier News. Part of INMA’s GenAI Initiative. Register now.

• June 18: “How Village Media Has Aggressively Grown by Focusing on its Digital Playbook,” presented by Jeff Elgie, CEO of Village Media. Part of INMA’s Newsroom Transformation Initiative. Register now.

About this newsletter

Today’s newsletter is written by Amalie Nash, based in Denver, Colorado, United States, and lead for the INMA Newsroom Transformation Initiative. Amalie will share research, case studies, and thought leadership on the topic of bringing newsrooms into the business of news.

This newsletter is a public face of the Newsroom Transformation Initiative by INMA, outlined here. E-mail Amalie at amalie.nash@inma.org or connect with her on INMA’s Slack channel with thoughts, suggestions, and questions.

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