AAN Palm Springs Conference Guide
2026 AAN SCHEDULE
Huge thanks to our host publication:
Wifi Network: Francis Marion Meeting | Password: king1924
WEDNESDAY (7/8/26)
Registration and Welcome Cocktails: 5 - 6 p.m.
Welcome to CaliforniAAN!
Let’s grab a quick drink in the venue space to get registered, catch up with friends, make new ones and meet-and-greet with board members, sponsors, our host, staff—everybody!
THURSDAY (7/9/26)
Breakfast: 8 - 9 a.m.
Session 1 A&B: 9 - 9:50 a.m.
Welcome and Ice Breaker
Welcome to Palm Springs! We’ll start off with a session that’s part speed-networking, and part Palm Springs/Coachella Valley trivia game. There will be prizes, and possibly just a little bit of chaos.
Session 2: 10 - 10:50 a.m.
A: Editorial/Design
IRE Training: Quick Hit Investigations
Learn strategies, story ideas, resources and tips for watchdog stories on a variety of beats. Adam Rhodes of Investigative Reporters & Editors will give tips on how to produce meaty enterprise stories that take days or weeks rather than months.
Speaker: Adam Rhodes
Adam Rhodes is an award winning Latine journalist whose work primarily focuses on queer people and the criminal legal system. Their recent work has examined anti-LGBTQ+ bias in dozens of death penalty cases, HIV criminalization laws around the country, anti-trans disinformation, and more. Their work has been published in outlets including Bolts, them.us, The Nation, and BuzzFeed News. Before joining IRE, they were a staff writer at the Chicago Reader. At IRE, they conduct training at IRE’s three conferences, workshops, bootcamps and webinars. Adam also is managing editor of IRE’s online publication, the IRE Journal.
B: Publishing/Marketing
Vendor Showcase
AAN Convention sponsors give lightning-round pitches on their companies and wares so you can decide whether to follow up with them on the trade show floor.
Break: 10:50 - 11:10 a.m.
Session 3: 11:10 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
A: Editorial/Design
Ask a Lawyer
Former AAN Legal Counsel and current Freedom Forum Vice President/First Amendment Expert Kevin Goldberg answers your legal questions. Nothing is off limits so if you’ve been wondering, just ask!
Speaker: Kevin Goldberg
B: Publishing/Marketing
Publication Valuation and Succession
Learn how to realistically value your media company for a potential sale or ownership transfer, and get tips and advice on increasing its value and potential sale price in anticipation of succeeding out in the future.
Speaker: Ben Thomas, Alvarez and Marsal
Speaker: Ben Thomas
Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal Valuation Services, specializing in business valuations and economic damages.
Session 4 A&B: Luncheon Chat & 2026 AAN Awards
12 - 1:30 p.m.
Chat: Jimmy Boegle and Gustavo Arellano (LA Times)
Our host and Coachella Valley Publisher Jimmy Boegle chats with Gustavo Arellano. Arellano is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He was a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Commentary and the Mike Royko Award for Commentary and Column Writing, and was part of the team that won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News. However, he’s also one of us: Before he joined the Times, he was the editor of the OC Weekly, and almost a quarter-century ago, he and the OC Weekly were the recipients of an AAN Diversity Internship grant.
After their chat, Arellano will help host the AAN Awards, revealing First Place and the order of our finalists this year!
Sponsor: BLOX Digital
Session 5: 1:40 - 2:30 p.m.
A: Editorial/Design
Passion in the Time of AI
Award-winning columnist, reporter and editor Donna Ladd (Mississippi Free Press) presents on how to use your voice to write stories that matter, especially in times when independent media needs to engage readers on topics critical to democracy.
Speaker: Donna Ladd
Donna Ladd is an award-winning journalist, editor and social entrepreneur from Philadelphia, Miss. She’s the CEO and Executive Editor of the Mississippi Free Press after nearly two decades as co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Jackson Free Press.
B: Publishing/Marketing
Lessons and Case Studies from Tech Stack Checklist and News Navigators
Our most recent GNI-funded technology programs have uncovered some interesting case studies as well as some general practices that nearly any publisher can take advantage of. Presented by coaches Stacy Volhein and Cassidy Frazier.
Session 6: 2:40 - 3:30 p.m.
A: Editorial/Design
50 Story Ideas in 50 Minutes
Rapid-fire audience participation to share 50 story ideas (or more) in 50 minutes
B: Publishing/Marketing
GNI: Building Your Audience Funnel
GNI presents a “taster session” workshop on audience analytics & engagement and how they feed into reader-revenue strategies for your organization.
Speaker: Mago Torres
Mago Torres is a trainer in North America for the Google News Initiative. She is a data and investigative journalist and editor who has been part of international investigations, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Panama Papers.
Break: 3:30 - 3:45 p.m.
Session 7: 3:50 - 5:00 p.m.
A: Editorial/Design
Create Engaging Video Content
Get hands-on training on social-first reporting from Michael Karlis of the San Antonio Current. During the session, Karlis will walk through the impact social media can have on reaching readers, how to find good social-first stories, the types of video content to create, writing scripts and the tools needed to produce content with confidence. There will also be an activity where attendees can participate in the making of a reel.
Speaker: Michael Karlis
Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current. Leading the charge in the innovative space of social-first reporting, Michael has spent the last year growing the Current’s editorial social media presence with engaging explainers, protest coverage, and City Hall updates in video format. Specifically, his content aims to make local news more accessible to everyone.
B: Annual Meeting
Elect board members, vote on new members and learn what’s been going on with the association for the past years. Voting members only; please give a voting member your proxy if you cannot attend.
Cocktails and Honors: 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Join us for cocktails, light apps and to celebrate our 2026 AAN Honors Recipients at a yet-to-be-disclosed location. (The place we planned for had a fire; we’re still working the solution at press time.) Where should you go? Look for signs, staff, a Subtext message or smoke signals—classless pun intended—regarding the location!
FRIDAY (7/10/26)
Breakfast: 8 - 9 a.m.
Session 8: 9 - 9:50 a.m.
A: Editorial/Design
Cover Show
Come check out the best of AAN papers’ covers + interior pages!
B: Publishing/Marketing
Policy Talk: Getting Money from The Guv’ment
Matt Pearce of Rebuild Local News joins us for an update on current policy initiatives for funding journalism across the country. Plus, tips for engaging your local electeds—blue, purple and red—on initiatives that could help generate revenue for your org.
Speaker: Matt Pearce
Matt Pearce is the director of policy for Rebuild Local News, a national nonprofit coalition that advances effective public policies to support community news and information. He was previously staff writer for the Los Angeles Times and president of Media Guild of the West. He started his career as a freelancer for The Pitch in Kansas City and other outlets. He lives in Los Angeles.
Session 9 A&B: 10 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.
Build a Comprehensive AI Policy
Tomas Dodds’ AI policy workshop will help you think through a policy—not just for your newsroom but for your entire organization—that meets your wants and needs in a way that addresses the reality of this future we’re in.
Break: 10:50 - 11:05 a.m.
Session 10 A&B: 11:05 a.m. - 12:05 p.m.
Fireside Chat: Meet Jessica Yellin of ‘News Not Noise’
In 2018, former CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jessica Yellin launched ‘News Not Noise,” which began as Instagram video explainers of the 2018 midterms and has grown into a reader-supported community including a Substack newsletter, podcast and social media content across networks. She chats with Ellen Meany of ANF about the economics and potential impact of the news creator economy and how AAN members can take advantage of this new wave of interest.
Sponsor: Bluelena
Speaker: Jessica Yellin
Jessica Yellin is the founder of News Not Noise, a social media news service on Instagram and Substack. Yellin was Chief White House Correspondent for CNN during the Obama years and covered Congress and national elections for CNN before that.
Session 11: 12:15 - 1:30 p.m.
A
Financial and Digital Standards
If you participated in this year’s Financial Standards then we’re buying you lunch! Fran Zankowski walks us through the numbers that revealed themselves for 2025 for everyone who submitted their Financial and Digital Standards numbers this spring.
B
Lunch on Your Own
If you’re not in Financial Standards, you’re free! Head to the hotel restaurant or out into the avenue for a lovely lunch in Palm Spring—just be back by 1:45!
Session 12: 1:45 - 2:40 p.m.
A: Editorial/Design
GNI Training: Common Uses of AI in News & Prompting 101
GNI trainer walks us through the use of their AI tools for newsrooms, including advice and guidance on prompting the tools for accurate and helpful results.
Speaker: Mago Torres
Mago Torres is a trainer in North America for the Google News Initiative. She is a data and investigative journalist and editor who has been part of international investigations, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Panama Papers.
B: Publishing/Marketing
Hiring Sales People (Publishers Roundtable)
Santa Barbara Independent Publisher Brandi Rivera and Austin Chronicle Publisher Cassidy Frazier lead an open discussion on topics affecting the business of AAN publications, starting with sales hiring, training and management and then going where the conversation takes us.
Break: 2:40 - 3:00 p.m.
Session 13: 3:00 - 3:50 p.m.
A: Editorial/Design
Arts and Culture Reporting: The View From Those Being Covered
- Michael Shaw, the founding artistic director of Dezart Performs theater company
- Jeniffer Hankinson, the managing director of Coachella Valley Repertory theater company
- Michael Green, the executive director of the Palm Springs Cultural Center
B: Publishing/Marketing
Building a Sustainable Membership & Philanthropy Model
Willamette Week walks through how they have adapted nonprofit fundraising strategies to transform a traditional membership program into a more sophisticated, relationship-driven revenue model. This practical session will walk through the systems behind their model, covering CRM, team structure, campaign planning and cross-departmental support.
The second half of the session will shift into a facilitated discussion, with prompts designed to surface audience practices, fundraising drivers, and shared challenges—creating space for peer learning and exchange.
Speakers:
Toni Tringolo
Executive Director Give!Guide & FOWW
Anna Zusman
Publisher
Session 14 A&B: 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Trends and Opportunities in Newsletters
Newsletter Rockstar Dan Oshinsky, founder of Inbox Collective, serves up the latest trends and opportunities in newsletter audience development, design and purpose, including new ways to build loyalty, driven revenue and grow your audience through newsletters.
Speaker: Dan Oshinsky
Dan runs Inbox Collective, a consultancy that helps news organizations get the most out of email. He previously worked as the Director of Newsletters at both The New Yorker and BuzzFeed. He’s been widely quoted on email strategies, including in publications like The New York Times, Business Insider, and Digiday.
Cocktail Event: 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Aerial Tramway & Mountain Reception
Hop on the buses outside the hotel and we’ll head to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway – a 2.5 mile trip up nearly 8000 feet to San Jacinto State Park. Enjoy cocktails, light apps and 30-degree cooler weather with beautiful views of the Coachella Valley.
Visit our ticketing and registration sponsor Ticketsauce for your own event solutions:
Thanks to all of our sponsors for supporting AAN’s 2026 convention.
AAN ASSOCIATION GUIDANCE DOCUMENT
AAN exists to provide services and leadership that ensure the success of its members, and to strengthen alternative journalism through advocacy and education. Our association bylaws, found on our website, outline the fundamental rules for our governance.
This year, we’ve developed an Association Guidance Document which outlines how AAN functions in service of our bylaws: how we communicate, how we make decisions, how we manage conflict, how we hold accountable and more. We ask you to review this document by following the QR code pictured here.
AAN CODE OF CONDUCT
AAN’s board of directors and staff welcome you to the 2026 Annual Convention in Palm Springs! We’ve looked forward to this gathering in a spirit of curiosity, collaboration and respect, and discussing our vital work together—while having a lot of fun in the process.
AAN has developed a Code of Conduct, which you can view by scanning the QR code pictured here. Our goal, as always, is to ensure a safe and productive environment for all members, employees, volunteers, sponsors, speakers, and friends of AAN.