If you’ve been in the business of news publishing for more than a few years, it’s not hard to recall the relatively recent era when austerity ruled. Belts always needed tightening. Finding ways to be leaner and cost-cutting were paramount. The number of journalists in newsrooms across the country was reduced down to fractions. Publishers played with print frequency. Local news outlets were consolidated or worse.

As with any bottom line-conscientious business, news organizations continue to look for ways to operate more efficiently while controlling costs. That hasn’t changed, per se. Yet, austerity seemed the furthest thing from the minds of the news media executives who gathered in Orlando for the 2022 Mega-Conference. What they shared, generally and collectively, was a desire to do things differently — to creatively find new audiences and new sources of funding; to tap video and audio in the interest of both storytelling and revenue; to leverage tech tools and data to meet, entice and keep new subscribers; and to change the very culture of their organizations, choosing aspiration over austerity and optimism over fear.

Jim Crutchfield, an accomplished journalist who has led newsrooms across the country as both an editor and publisher, will become head of The Marshall Project's local news operation in Cleveland.

Cox Enterprises announced that Andrew Davis has joined the company as senior vice president of strategy. In this role, Davis will oversee strategic planning, new business development and the company’s sustainability teams, to ensure the best use of resources for growth and profitability.