New England Newspaper & Press Association

In today’s rapidly evolving media landscape, journalists and independent creators can no longer rely on a single platform to build and sustain their audiences.

Substack for Journalists: Growing Your Audience and Impact is a practical, strategy-driven workshop led by independent journalist Aaron Parnas, designed to help you create a resilient, multi-platform presence, with Substack at the center of your voice, reporting, and community. Register today and join us on Wednesday, May 20, at 1 PM ET.

In this session, you’ll learn how to use Substack as more than just a newsletter tool. We’ll explore how it can serve as the hub of a broader ecosystem that includes social media, podcasts, video, and direct audience engagement. You’ll gain clarity on how to define your editorial identity, grow your subscriber base organically, and turn casual readers into a loyal and potentially paying community.

Through real-world examples and hands-on insights, we’ll break down how to expand your reach across platforms without diluting your message. We’ll cover key topics such as cross-platform storytelling, audience ownership vs. algorithm dependence, monetization strategies, and how to build sustainable workflows as an independent journalist or creator.

Whether you’re transitioning out of a traditional newsroom, launching your first independent publication, or looking to grow beyond a single channel, this workshop will give you the tools and mindset to expand your audience and your impact on your own terms.

Participants will receive a certificate of attendance, as well as access to the session recording, tipsheet and presentation. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at journalismcourses@austin.utexas.edu.

Instructor:

Aaron Parnas is one of the leading Gen Z voices shaping how news is consumed today. An independent journalist, political commentator, strategist, and attorney, Aaron has quickly become a key figure in the national political conversation, offering sharp insights at the intersection of law, media, and policy.

Nutrient pollution from agriculture and other sources persists in many U.S. waterways, affecting both drinking water and the natural environment. SciLine’s next media briefing will examine how nitrogen and phosphorus drive water pollution with impacts varying across regions, how climate change affects nutrient runoff, and the strengths and limitations of current monitoring, treatment, and policy responses. Three experts will have short conversations with a moderator and then take questions on the record.

Panelists:

• Dr. Gurpal Toor, University of Maryland
• Dr. Vera Trainer, University of Washington
• Dr. Sandra McLellan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Karl Eisenhower, SciLine managing editor, will moderate the briefing.

This workshop offers a practical introduction to using AI for investigative journalism, focusing on real-world reporting applications. It covers workflows for extracting structure from text, cleaning data, identifying patterns, and checking findings with greater speed and depth, with demonstrations drawn from reporting on audit reports, public budgets, climate spending, and ad library data. It shows how investigative journalists can use AI tools to explore complex information and develop story ideas.

Housing intersects with nearly every major story journalists cover today—from elections and education to health, climate, business, and public safety. Yet many reporters believe housing is a specialized beat or feel unprepared to cover it responsibly.

This session, led by Princeton’s Eviction Lab, is designed for journalists of all beats and experience levels. Whether you’re a breaking news reporter, investigative journalist, data reporter, audience engagement journalist, or editor, we’ll show why housing deserves your attention—and how to cover it well without necessarily becoming a full-time housing reporter.

In this panel, attendees will learn:

• What’s happening nationally in housing and homelessness, including recent shifts in policy, affordability, and displacement—and how these trends connect to electoral politics and local governance.
• Four to five essential data tools every journalist should know to report on housing, eviction, rent, and homelessness, with a practical introduction to accessible resources and datasets.
• How to find housing stories in any community, including tips for identifying newsworthy angles beyond press releases and official statements.
• Ethical sourcing practices, with guidance on interviewing tenants and unhoused people in ways that minimize harm and avoid stigma.
• Examples of strong housing journalism, highlighting work that has driven accountability, influenced policy, or changed public understanding.
• Attendees will leave with concrete tools, story ideas, and a clearer sense of how housing reporting can strengthen their core beat—no matter what they usually cover.