Nebraska Press Association

11/07/2025

When profit trumps people: Meta’s ad problem should worry us all.

A new Reuters investigation reveals that Meta reportedly earns billions from fraudulent and “high-risk” ads—including scams, impersonations, and banned products.

Internal documents suggest Meta weighed user safety against revenue—and chose profit.

Among the findings:
📉 ~15 billion “high-risk” scam ads shown per day
💰 Estimated 10% of total ad revenue—about $16 billion—linked to fraudulent ads
🚫 Vetting teams restricted from actions that might cut revenue by more than 0.15%

If true, this raises serious questions:
👉 What happens when platforms profit from the very fraud they claim to fight?
👉 How can advertisers trust their placements—and protect their brands?
👉 What accountability do users or regulators have left when the platform is the marketplace?

Meanwhile, traditional media like local newspapers remain a counterpoint:

📰 Transparent.
🛡️ Brand-safe.
🤝 Rooted in real communities that they serve and care about.

Newspapers don’t chase clicks—they build trust.

And that trust is the ultimate brand asset.

Maybe it’s time to rethink what reach really means—and where your message deserves to live.

Read the article: https://www.reuters.com/investigations/meta-is-earning-fortune-deluge-fraudulent-ads-documents-show-2025-11-06/

Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, and it internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day, company documents show.

11/06/2025

According to recent Nieman Journalism Lab article, journalists are souring on social media. That's not surprising, we can be a loveable bunch of curmudgeons, after all.

But I also think part of the frustration comes from how many newspapers still treat social media the same way they treat their print or digital editions: a one-way channel.

Journalists are trained — rightly — to value objectivity. But what drives engagement on social media isn’t objectivity, it’s authenticity.

That doesn’t mean those two values are at odds. Far from it.

✅ Objectivity helps us serve the community.
✅ Authenticity helps us show we’re part of the community.

And that shift matters. You can’t just post links to your latest stories and expect connection. That feels cold — transactional.

But when journalists bring some of themselves into the story — their curiosity, their process, their human side — the audience responds.

Yes, the algorithms still reward outrage and clickbait. But while outrage sells, so does authentic community — and the latter builds something that lasts.

We’re seeing local papers and individual reporters finding real growth by being authentically human online — showing personality, taking part in trends, and connecting like neighbors instead of broadcasters.

If journalism is about building trust, then authenticity isn’t optional. It’s the next evolution of objectivity.

Read the Nieman story: https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/journalists-are-souring-on-social-media-platforms-an-analysis-of-11-years-of-nieman-lab-predictions-suggests/

11/04/2025

🔍 Why this article is still our #1 read — more than a year later

At OnePress, which is the marketing arm of the NPA, our story “Understanding News Media Circulation vs Readership: Why It Matters” continues to top our views every month. Why? Because its message is timeless.

👉 Read the article at: https://lnkd.in/gvs_ZJaj

Here’s why I believe it continues to resonate:

✅ The core distinction is evergreen: The difference between circulation (how many copies are distributed) and readership (how many people actually engage) remains fundamental — especially in the media-planning world.
This matters not just for print but for hybrid media planning (print + digital).

✅ Media-planning paradigms are shifting, but the logic holds. With the “cookie crisis” and digital audiences becoming harder to track, legacy media like newspapers (and their digital platforms) are seeing renewed interest from marketers.

So this article continues to serve as a foundation for clients and planners wanting clarity in a changing media universe.

✅ It aligns with advertiser attention on quality and measurement. Advertisers want meaningful reach, not just “copies out there.” Effective campaigns depend on understanding how many people actually read — not just how many are distributed. That message is just as relevant today (if not more so) for brands looking to justify their spend and optimize their media mix.

✅ It supports the broader narrative we’re championing. As we continue to reshape perceptions of newspaper media in Nebraska and beyond, this article reinforces why newspaper-based media remain a trust-rich and results-driven channel.

It’s a go-to piece when discussing print + digital strategy, mix decisions, or shifting perceptions.

👉 Bottom line: The strong performance of this older article shows what our audience values most — clarity, strategy, and tangible measurement frameworks in media planning.

It’s not just about “print vs digital” anymore. It’s about reach, engagement, trust, and amplification — and this piece nails that message.

If you haven’t read it in a while, it’s worth a revisit — and worth a discussion: How are you measuring readership in your media plans today?

10/31/2025

No need to unravel the truth — your local papers have it covered. 🧻📰

This Halloween, skip the scary rumors and get wrapped up in real stories that keep our communities informed.

From city hall to Friday night lights, your local newspapers deliver news you can trust — no curses, no tricks. 👻✨

Happy Halloween from the Nebraska Press Association and OnePress!

🗞️ Stay informed. Stay connected. Stay wrapped up in your local news.

10/31/2025

AI keeps building its empire — with our work as the foundation.

Let me start with this: I'm a fan of AI. But we have to honest about it's innovation strategy ... which is exploitation.

A new Nieman Lab report found that hundreds of thousands of videos from major publishers — including The New York Times and Vox — were used to train AI models.

Here’s the rub: AI companies are pouring billions into infrastructure… but not paying the industries they’re using to build it.

Behind every dataset are real people — journalists, editors, producers — whose work fuels these models. And they’re not seeing a dime.

Again, that’s not innovation. That’s exploitation. And it doesn't have to be that way.

And it’s not just the big outlets at risk. Local publishers — the ones telling the stories that actually matter to their communities — stand to lose the most.

At OnePress, we believe those voices deserve to be protected, not pilfered.

Because trust and truth aren’t something AI can scrape.

So here’s the question:
👉 How do we make sure “progress” doesn’t come at the expense of the people who create the very content AI depends on?

Read the article: https://lnkd.in/g7uNAjUR

10/27/2025

A potential client told us recently, “I’ll never give up control of my social media pages again.”

The last time she switched agencies, she lost everything — every follower, every post, every ounce of momentum.

Unfortunately, she’s not the only one. I’ve seen businesses pour time and money into social media, only to end up locked out, disappointed, or stuck spinning their wheels.

That’s why, more often than not, we tell clients: start by doing it yourself. Learn what works, what doesn’t, and how to stay in control.

In our latest OnePress post, we share a few real-world DIY social media tips that actually make a difference — plus how to know when it’s time to bring in help (without losing your voice).

Learn how to manage your social media, stay authentic, and know when to seek professional help to effectively build your brand.

10/24/2025

“This isn’t just about saving a newspaper,” said Dennis DeRossett, executive director of the Nebraska Press Association. “It’s about supporting a community. Study after study shows what happens when a community loses its local paper – and none of it is good. Local newspapers are the heartbeat of their towns, keeping people informed, connected, and engaged. When that goes away, the whole community feels the loss.”

It was surprising news when Holdrege Citizen Publisher Bob King announced he was printing the newspaper’s last edition on Thursday, September 4.

10/20/2025

🌟 Calling all hero storytellers! 🌟

We’re at the Nebraska High School Press Association Fall Conference today, surrounded by hundreds of passionate students who are diving into the world of journalism—learning how to uncover truth, share voices, and make a difference through storytelling. 🗞️✨

Every great story needs a hero—and these students are stepping into that role. From reporters and editors to designers and photographers, they’re the next generation of storytellers shaping our world. 💬📸

If you know a student here today, encourage them to stop by our table for snacks, stickers, and connections—and a reminder that their story matters. 💪

10/10/2025

We’re so proud of our Nebraska Press Association members who represented Nebraska at the National Newspaper Association Foundation Convention & Trade Show in Minneapolis! 🇺🇸📰

Pictured are Peggy Year, Rob Dump, Carrie Pitzer, and Timothy Linscott, along with Dennis and Lynell Morgan — all helping showcase the strength of Nebraska journalism on a national stage.

🎉 A big congratulations to our NPA members recognized in the NNAF Better Newspaper Contest! Out of 1,743 entries, there were 712 awards given to 102 newspapers across 33 states — including many right here from Nebraska. 💪

👏 Shout out to journalists from these outstanding Nebraska publications whose hard work won awards in the NNAF contest:
Antelope County News • Knox County News • Stanton Register • Cedar Valley News • Fairbury Journal-News • Cedar County News • Ho**er County Tribune, LLC • Sidney Sun-Telegraph

You can read full contest results here: https://www.nna.org/2025-national-better-newspaper-contest-winners-announced?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_72UOhY8hm2G6-s6uh_Pw7N6VDlaQS76OR219n2a8CeS_N-FHwrljes96DDfaJKsie54s5

10/10/2025

The original AI: Newspapers run on accurate information
By Ken Paulson

Artificial intelligence is going to transform everything we watch, hear and read. You can already see it happening.

Asking and AI search engine a question about an obscure fact can yield quick and surprisingly detailed responses. Type in a cellphone model number and you’re suddenly a highly informed consumer. And when it comes to transforming legendary television show casts into babies, AI is world-class.

But news? AI-fueled news poses problems.

The first is that news is about reality. AI provides tools to bend reality. We’re seeing a wave of AI-abetted falsehoods and deepfakes online, all designed to mislead us with doctored images and video.

No, Ukraine is not sending children, the disabled and the elderly to clear minefields. President Trump does not have a forehead indentation indicating serious illness. Sen. Amy Klobuchar didn’t attack Sydney Sweeney and complain that Democrats are “too fat to wear jeans or too ugly to go outside.”

It’s time to retire “seeing is believing.”

A second issue with AI is that it doesn’t know what the truth is. Its take on the world will be driven by the data it accesses.
Popular but untrue information isn’t necessarily filtered out.

There’s no one sitting at a desk signing off on AI’s best guess.
In contrast to the breathless tone of clickbait, newspapers in print and online can seem a little old-school. Traditional. Reliable. Safe.

Local newspapers embrace the original AI: accurate information. How refreshing is that? Newspapers focus on your community, written by neighbors who shop at the same stores and send their kids to the same schools. Most can readily be reached by phone or email, and when they make an error, they correct it.

How quaint. How essential.

AI isn’t magic. When used for search, it offers an analysis and recasting of information about what’s already known, drawing on the vast resources of the web.

Any search about your hometown, though, depends on that information being captured and published in the first place. If your local newspaper doesn’t report on a new transportation plan for your community, there’s nothing for AI search to draw upon.

AI is not sitting in the third row of the City Council meeting.
There’s an oft-used phrase in data analysis: Garbage in, garbage out. No local news in, no local news out.

In the long run, artificial intelligence may be good for us; it may be bad. But it will be.

The question is whether we will support the local daily journalism that informs us, protects our communities, and yes, fuels AI.

Unless we support local newspapers and local journalism of all sorts, we will lose the collective knowledge and insight that allows a community to address its needs and move forward. We can’t fix what we don’t know is broken.

If we don’t subscribe and support local news media, we will no longer know how our tax dollars are being used, how well elected officials are doing their jobs, or what the real stakes are for the next local election.

But just wait until you see the mayor as a baby.

Ken Paulson is the director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University and a former editor-in-chief of USA Today.
National Newspaper Week takes place Oct. 5-11. Support your local newspaper.

10/10/2025

Happy Friday and the end of National Newspaper Week.

We saw our counterparts at the Kansas Press Association doing this, and thought, "What a great idea." So we're stealing, err, borrowing it.

The percentage of Americans who know a journalist is at an all-time low. In the comments, show us who you are with a pic, tell us where you are from and what you like to do in your spare time (if you have any!).

OnePress Chief Growth Officer Jerry Raehal is starting. Working in Lincoln, from Colorado ... is a terrible singer but loves a good lip sync battle.