Online News Association Cuts Five Staff as Conference Costs Climb

With event costs up and funding down, journalism organizations cancel conferences and cut staff

When the pandemic forced conferences to go virtual, the question was whether people would come back in person post-Covid. For a while, they did. For a couple years after the pandemic, people were excited to be in person together again. U.S. journalism organizations saw their revenue climb, as sponsors and funders spent generously. At the end of 2026, though, the situation is less rosy. Combine surging jet fuel prices, inflation, media companies …

Online News Association cuts five staff as conference costs climb

LION Publishers barely broke even on its 400-person summits in 2025 and 2026, and OpenNews entered emergency mode. SRCCON and INN Days 2027 remain undecided.

Journalism Organizations Face Cuts To Conferences & Staff

The future of several journalism industry conferences are in doubt.