AJPalooza 2025 Agenda
Note: Programming on Wednesday, May 7 is for organizations in AJP’s portfolio only.
Click here to visit the main AJPalooza 2025 page.
All Days
Mon May 5
Tue May 6
Wed May 7
Mon May 5
In-Session
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CDT
Coffee [Optional] + Registration
Queen Anne A, Mezzanine Level
Start your AJPalooza day with a warm welcome and a hot cup of coffee. This is an informal time to check in, say hello to fellow attendees, and fuel up before we head into the first session. No programming — just mingling, caffeine, and good vibes. Our registration will also be open on the Queen Anne Mezzanine. Note: Queen Anne A will remain open throughout AJPalooza if you need a spot to take a call or step away for a moment.
In-Session
3:00 PM - 3:55 PM CDT
Welcome to AJPalooza! Setting the stage
Iberville ABC, Mezzanine Level
We’ll kick off AJPalooza by connecting with one another and sharing some of the big ideas driving this year’s convening. Hear how our theme this year connects to this moment in local news, how it shows up in our work, and what’s ahead. You’ll also hear reflections from Deep South Today’s leadership team about how they have built two strong newsrooms as well as where the organization is going.
In-Session
3:55 PM - 4:25 PM CDT
Spotlight on impact: Journalism that matters
Iberville ABC, Mezzanine Level
Great journalism changes lives and communities. In this panel, we’ll hear stories of powerful reporting from across the country that led to real-world impact. Through conversation and reflection, we’ll explore what it takes to deliver journalism that makes a difference.
In-Session
4:25 PM - 4:35 PM CDT
Break
In-Session
4:35 PM - 5:20 PM CDT
From reach to relationship: Building an audience strategy that serves
Queen Anne Ballroom, Mezzanine Level
A well-defined audience strategy ensures your journalism reaches the right people and builds lasting relationships with them. This session will explore insights on what it takes to build these relationships and how to involve your entire team in this crucial work.
In-Session
4:35 PM - 5:20 PM CDT
Press under pressure
Iberville D, Mezzanine Level
Assessing and addressing organizational risk has shifted from a best practice to a top priority. This session will focus on identifying different areas of risk, assessing their potential impact, and sharing strategies to help shore up your organization for what may come.
In-Session
4:35 PM - 5:20 PM CDT
Bridging divides and building trust
Iberville ABC, Mezzanine Level
In an era marked by deep political polarization and eroding public trust, local news has a unique role to play in bridging divides and building civic cohesion. This session will highlight key research showing how newsrooms can bridge divides, build trust, and create space for dialogue and understanding.
In-Session
5:20 PM - 6:00 PM CDT
Break
In-Session
6:00 PM - 6:35 PM CDT
A Tribute to John Thornton + Second Line Celebration
Royal Room, Lobby Level
We’ll honor the life and legacy of American Journalism Project’s co-founder John Thornton with a tribute and a Second Line — New Orleans’ iconic celebration of remembrance and resilience. In true New Orleans fashion, the Second Line will lead us through the streets as we walk together toward dinner, carrying the spirit of John’s work forward in community and celebration.
In-Session
6:35 PM - 8:30 PM CDT
Welcome dinner
Court of Two Sisters, 613 Royal St
Join us at the legendary Court of Two Sisters, where we’ll have a relaxed dinner in the restaurant’s wisteria-covered courtyard. We’ll connect, mingle and raise a glass to our shared mission.
Tue May 6
In-Session
7:45 AM - 9:00 AM CDT
Registration desk open
Mezzanine Level
In-Session
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM CDT
Supporters + Champions Breakfast [Invite only]
Queen Anne Ballroom, Mezzanine Level
This intimate breakfast gathering is an opportunity for funders and champions to connect, reflect, and engage in candid conversations about the future of local news. Join us to explore how we can continue to support and sustain essential local journalism together.
In-Session
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM CDT
Breakfast
Royal Room, Lobby Level
Breakfast will be available for all AJPalooza guests.
In-Session
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM CDT
The rebirth of local news
Iberville ABC, Mezzanine Level
In this conversation, Maribel Perez Wadsworth, President and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, will reflect on what’s driving growth in the field, what challenges lie ahead, and what it will take to sustain this moment of possibility.
In-Session
9:30 AM - 10:15 AM CDT
The State of the Portfolio
Iberville ABC, Mezzanine Level
Our portfolio is growing — and so is its impact. In this session, we’ll share insights on the progress and impact our portfolio organizations are making across the country. Drawing from data and lessons learned, we’ll highlight what’s working, where challenges remain, and how we’re supporting the portfolio’s continued growth and evolution to meet the needs of this moment and beyond.
In-Session
10:15 AM - 11:00 AM CDT
What it takes to lead local news
Iberville ABC, Mezzanine Level
In the face of economic headwinds, shifting audience behaviors, and growing demands, local news leaders must do more than manage — they must lead. This conversation will explore what leadership looks like now: how to navigate uncertainty, make bold decisions, and stay grounded in mission.
In-Session
11:00 AM - 11:25 AM CDT
Break
In-Session
11:25 AM - 12:35 PM CDT
Investing in journalism [Funder only session]
Queen Anne Ballroom, Mezzanine Level
Funding journalism today means more than financial support — it means showing up as a true partner in a challenging and fast-evolving landscape. In this funder-only session, we’ll explore how supporters of local news are leaning in: making the case to peers and institutions, helping grantees navigate turbulence, and building coalitions that strengthen the field’s long-term sustainability.
In-Session
11:25 AM - 12:35 AM CDT
Reimagine, rethink, reinvent
Iberville D, Mezzanine Level
The challenges facing journalism in 2025 require more than incremental change. They demand a fundamental rethinking of how we work, what we prioritize, and how we sustain our impact. This session will explore the structural and cultural shifts that can help organizations stay resilient and relevant in a rapidly evolving landscape.
In-Session
11:25 AM - 12:35 PM CDT
Leveraging AI for revenue
Iberville ABC, Mezzanine Level
Building on early insights from AJP’s Product and AI Studio, this session explores how AI can drive productivity and revenue. Learn from real-world examples on how to start small, test smart, and build intentionally through experimentation. We will share examples and insights from organizations that are seeing impact from applying AI tools to their revenue generating work.
In-Session
12:35 PM - 1:35 PM CDT
Lunch
Royal Room, Lobby Level
Lunch will be available for all AJPalooza guests—grab a bite, recharge, and catch up with fellow attendees between sessions. We’ll also share more information on our afternoon community trip options with an opportunity to choose which you’d like to join.
In-Session
12:35 PM - 1:35 PM CDT
Board members lunch
Royal Salon, Lobby Level
All nonprofit local news board members are invited to an informal, peer-driven conversation facilitated by Karen Ferguson Fuson, board chair of Free Press Indiana. This is a chance to connect, compare notes, and discuss the shared challenges and opportunities board leaders are navigating today. Please grab your lunch in the Royal Room and join us next door in the Royal Salon.
In-Session
1:35 PM - 2:45 PM CDT
Building local champions
Iberville ABC, Mezzanine Level
What really moves people and organizations to support local news? This panel will unpack the messages, strategies and moments that turned interest into investment. Whether you’re refining your pitch or building new relationships, this session will offer candid insights and actionable takeaways to help you make a compelling case for support — and build local champions.
In-Session
1:35 PM - 2:45 PM CDT
Long-term impact; Long-term support
Queen Anne Ballroom, Mezzanine Level
Making the case for your newsroom’s impact is key to earning trust and support. This session will explore how to connect your work to short-, medium- and long-term outcomes — and how to communicate those outcomes effectively to different stakeholders from donors to your newsrooms.
In-Session
1:35 PM - 2:45 PM CDT
An inside look at board leadership
Iberville D, Mezzanine Level
Join this hands-on workshop for an inside look at how board members are strengthening governance and expanding their organizations' impact. Through discussion and shared experiences, participants will explore strategies for building more resilient and effective boards. This session is open to all — not just board members!
In-Session
2:45 PM - 3:00 PM CDT
Break
In-Session
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM CDT
The many faces of Mardi Gras
Meet in Royal Room
Unmask the layers of Mardi Gras through a tour of iconic exhibits and conversations that center the Black cultural traditions too often overshadowed in mainstream narratives.
In-Session
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM CDT
Waterlines – Stories of loss and resilience
Meet in Royal Room
This moving journey through post-Katrina New Orleans combines personal testimony, memorials, and a powerful visual exhibit on coastal erosion to reflect on what was lost — and what's still at stake.
In-Session
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM CDT
A walk in the (New Orleans City) Park
Meet in Royal Room
Explore how local journalism helped save a beloved community garden, then take a stroll through the city's beautiful sculpture garden or grab a beignet at Café du Monde — your choice, your pace.
In-Session
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM CDT
An insider look at the French Quarter, birthplace of jazz
Meet in Royal Room
Join Verite for an insider’s look at the stories behind the French Quarter—from jazz history to Verite’s reporting on the community and tourism—and unwind with a margarita or a stroll through the French Market.
In-Session
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM CDT
Break
In-Session
6:30 PM - 9:00 PM CDT
Rhythm & News: Dinner with Deep South Today
Orpheum Theater, 129 Roosevelt Way
Join us for an evening at the historic Orpheum Theater in the heart of New Orleans's Central Business District. In partnership with Deep South Today, this dinner brings together AJPalooza guests and local community members to celebrate the Deep South. We'll reflect on the region's unique identity and why trusted information in the Deep South matters.
In-Session
9:00 PM - 11:30 PM CDT
Speakeasy afterparty
Double Dealer @ The Orpheum, 129 Roosevelt Way
Enough said.
Wed May 7
In-Session
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM CDT
Breakfast and conversations
Royal Room, Lobby Level
Portfolio leaders will gather for breakfast and discussion. Feel free to connect informally or use this time to gather with colleagues over a topic of shared interest. We will have a table reserved for CEOs who would like to talk more about influencing public policy at the state and local level (located on the opposite side of the room from the buffet).
In-Session
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM CDT
Safeguarding against legal risk
Iberville ABC, Mezzanine Level
As local news organizations face rising legal threats — from defamation claims to politically motivated lawsuits — safeguarding your team and your reporting has never been more critical. This session will share key strategies for mitigating risks, with real-world examples from two organizations bolstering their defenses.
In-Session
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM CDT
Rowing together
Iberville D, Mezzanine Level
When editorial and product teams are aligned, organizations are better equipped to deliver on mission, grow their audience, and drive revenue. This session will discuss tips, best practices and examples from organizations successfully navigating this intersection — moving in sync and moving forward.
In-Session
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM CDT
Making the case for support
Queen Anne Ballroom, Mezzanine Level
Making the case for local journalism means crafting messages that resonate. This session will unpack how to test strategies, localize big ideas, overcome objections and choose the right messengers to inspire action.
In-Session
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM CDT
Break
In-Session
10:45 AM - 12:00 PM CDT
Leading through the noise
Iberville ABC, Mezzanine Level
Keeping your team focused and inspired is hard — especially now. This session will offer practical ways to understand your team’s needs and support them through challenge and change.
In-Session
10:45 AM - 12:00 PM CDT
Maximizing reader revenue
Iberville D, Mezzanine Level
AJP and Blue Lena have teamed up to help organizations make gains in reader revenue. This session will outline tactics for building strong membership programs as well as how to build a culture of experimentation — a key component of any membership program.
In-Session
10:45 AM - 12:00 PM CDT
More than a name: Building a brand that resonates
Queen Anne Ballroom, Mezzanine Level
What makes a brand truly connect? In this session, we’ll explore how news organizations are building brands that earn trust, reach new audiences, and drive meaningful impact. We’ll dig into what actually moves the needle—beyond logos and taglines—and examine the strategies, messages, and moments that shape how communities see and support you.
In-Session
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CDT
Lunch + Closing
Royal Room, Lobby Level
To close out AJPalooza 2025, we’ll have a final meal together — until next time!
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