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Seeking to learn about strategies to better serve San Benito County residents, two BenitoLink staff members attended more than 20 panels and workshops ranging from editorial decisions to marketing to board governance.
The Institute for Nonprofit News’ annual INN Days conference was held in Pittsburgh over a three-day span starting on June 16.
BenitoLink, along with more than 500 other U.S.-based nonprofit news organizations, is a member of the institute, which spearheads the annual NewsMatch fundraising campaign at the end of the year.
Benitolink joined INN in 2017 when there were about 30 members. INN has been instrumental in supporting nonprofit news growth through legal and other resources at a time when legacy media have increasingly been closing down local newsrooms. INN members agree to abide by ethics and editorial independence policies.
Marketing/Development Coordinator Mo Ismail and this reporter attended sessions which covered numerous issues including the use of artificial intelligence in newsrooms, growing local audiences and donors, and developing good board governance.
Ismail said one of the panels that stood out to him was news outlets El Tecolote and Mission Local sharing resources in October 2025 to report on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in San Francisco.
“It was interesting to learn how effective newsrooms are when they combine resources and how it benefits the community,” Ismail said.
This reporter attended two sessions focusing on the use of artificial intelligence, including a fair in which four newsrooms showcased how they use the technology.
Jamie Self with INewsSource explained how the newsroom used AI to help create about 100 short Instagram videos featuring interviews with residents speaking about how they are impacted by the contamination of the Tijuana River.
Mat-Su Sentinel founder and editor Amy Bushatz showed how she used AI to edit stories for grammar and style. The news outlet covers the Matanuska-Susitna Valley area in Alaska.
All the participating newsrooms said editors and reporters oversee the final products to ensure accuracy.
BenitoLink reporters in some instances use artificial intelligence to transcribe audio recordings. BenitoLink is in the process of drafting an AI policy that will be available to the public.
The conference’s opening panel focused on audience engagement and included Santa Cruz Local CEO and co-founder Kara Meyberg Guzman and ProPublica Deputy Editor Nicole Lewis speaking about their newsrooms’ efforts to meet their communities’ needs.
Meyberg Guzman talked about hosting events at community colleges, where the newsroom can build relationships with the students, and about providing news beyond the website and newsletters.
“The news industry needs to build an environment of experimenting,” she said, noting that her newsroom hires people with a desire to experiment.
The conference also included a fireside chat with Pennsylvania Congressman Chris Rabb who spoke about his experience introducing two bills that would support local news and civic information.
He said newsrooms need to begin lobbying for their industry despite it being “awkward,” as newsrooms cover legislators.
Rabb’s two bills propose establishing a local news fellowship and what he calls the Pennsylvania Civic Information Consortium.
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