This event has ended. It took place May 4, 2026 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Read key takeaways from the event here.
Journalism isn’t just evolving. It’s being rebuilt in real time. News Reimagined is where that transformation comes to life. This one-day experience from the Institute, URL Media, and URL Collective brought together journalists, creators, and newsroom leaders who are figuring out how to grow audiences, build trust, and make this work sustainable.
The program kicked off with mainstage speakers Bianca Graulau and Nick Valencia, whose independent reporting has reached millions and redefined what it means to connect with an audience.
For newsrooms & publishers
You know creators matter. Now what?
This track dove into the how. What does smart partnership actually look like? How do you budget for it? What are you paying for, and how do you measure success? The sessions dug into real examples, unpacked agreements and contracts, and tackled the big questions around ethics, standards, and trust when working with creators who may not come from traditional newsrooms.
Upholding Editorial Standards Through Creative Partnership
Speaker: Adrienne Johnson Martin, co-executive director of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism
Adrienne Johnson Martin presented a case study on MLK50’s “Creator in Residence” program with policy organizer and content creator Amber Sherman, a pilot that led to increased engagement on the Memphis-based news organization’s social channels. Learn how your newsroom can adopt a similar program and uphold editorial standards while experimenting with creative partnership.
The Business of Working With Creators
Speaker: Krysta Villeda, Chief Operating Officer at Pulso
Krysta Villeda answered newsroom leaders’ questions as they navigate the new business of working with creators. As the chief operating officer of Latino culture and history media outlet Pulso, she shared how she approaches brand partnerships and how Pulso’s creator content evolved from general programming to fully realized shows—including a dating show for Gen Z—that complement the outlet’s journalism.
For journalists & creators
You’ve got the skills. It’s time to build something of your own.
This track demonstrated how to turn your journalism into a sustainable business. Participants learned how to grow an audience, choose the right platforms, price their work, negotiate with confidence, and create multiple revenue streams.
At its core, this summit was about one thing: relationships. The future of journalism will be built through collaboration: between creators and newsrooms, journalists and audiences, ideas and opportunity.
This is where those connections start.
Nominating Yourself, Showing Up for Your Audience, and Building Trust
Speaker: Michael Jones, founder of Once Upon a Hill and its daily Congress Nerd newsletter
Creator journalism isn’t easy. How can you fake it until you make it, and believe in yourself first? Michael Jones shared his experience as the first Substack journalist accredited by a congressional press gallery—and only Black independent journalist with the accreditation. And after you show up for yourself, how can you show up for your audience and build trust
Going Solo: Connecting Your Brand to Your Storytelling
Speaker: Ryan Kellett, co-founder of The Independent Journalism Atlas
In this workshop, Ryan Kellet taught participants how to connect with your first subscribers and followers, learned firsthand through his experience of building a database that tracks independent journalism creators across platforms, topics, and places. He also shared practical tips for setting up a brand, which is inevitably linked to your personal story.
Breakout Sessions
Other deep-dive conversation topics included vertical video, creating sustainable revenue between publishers and creators, using AI as a creator journalist, ethical considerations for sustainable work, building up journalism skills like fact-checking, and more.