--- title: "News Media Alliance: Newspaper Group Expands Focus" id: "34896" type: "post" slug: "news-media-alliance-newspaper-group-expands-focus" published_at: "2016-09-08T22:18:21+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T17:25:20+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/09/08/news-media-alliance-newspaper-group-expands-focus/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/09/08/news-media-alliance-newspaper-group-expands-focus.md" excerpt: "With a name change and an expanded membership base, the former Newspaper Association of America is ready for the future of the news industry." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "digital media" - "Membership" - "news industry" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » News Media Alliance: Newspaper Group Expands Focus Emblematic of a larger realignment strategy in the face of a disrupted industry, the [Newspaper Association of America has changed its name to the News Media Alliance (opens in a new tab)](https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/naa-name-change-news-media-alliance/) . The name change comes as the organization expands its membership qualifications to include digital-first and digital-only news publishers, as well as introduces new products to better serve and connect members. “At the highest level, disruption is good for any business because it means it pushes you to a point to … innovate and to change. And if you don’t, you always risk that you’re going to continue to potentially perform not as well as you could,” Vice President of Innovation Michael MaLoon said. “We have the opportunity and saw the opportunity to work with folks outside of what we would have called traditional newspaper properties for that reason.” As the News Media Alliance works to accommodate the new ways news is distributed and read, it has already welcomed its first two digital-only charter members: the Independent Review Journal and BillyPenn.com. Because the news industry has changed so drastically since the advent of the internet, “Reporting from the smallest towns to the largest metros, opening up our membership to [digital-only publishers] just made sense in the way the industry as a whole has evolved,” MaLoon said. The official changes to the membership model, the name, and the website took effect September 7. Now the association will continue rolling out new services to bring the news industry together—which include a new online community called *ideaXchange* hosted on the new website, a digital benchmarking tool that allows for industry comparisons and analytics called *metricsXchange*, and a redesigned annual meeting focused on the news industry’s future called *mediaXchange*. “Our transformation efforts are designed to show the positive trajectory of the industry and to share the innovation and growth taking place, especially in the digital space,” [MaLoon said in a statement (opens in a new tab)](https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/naa-name-change-news-media-alliance/) . “There are so many great things happening in our industry right now, and our job is to tell those stories.” As the news industry has been changing for years, causing other groups—like the American Society of News Editors, which changed its name from the American Society of Newspaper Editors in 2009—to adjust, so it will keep evolving. And the News Media Alliance intends to keep up. “All industries periodically face disruptive market and technology changes, and like many others before us, I believe we will come out of it stronger,” President and CEO David Chavern said in the release. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Alex Beall](https://associationsnow.com/author/alex-beall/) Alex Beall is a freelance writer based in California. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/alex-beall/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#digital media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/digital-media/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#news industry](https://associationsnow.com/tag/news-industry/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [Video2026 Summit Awards DinnerOctober 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/02/2026-summit-awards-dinner/) - [VideoAmerican Geophysical Union: Standing Up for Science: AGU’s Year of Action for Scientists and SocietySeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/american-geophysical-union-standing-up-for-science-agus-year-of-action-for-scientists-and-society/) - [VideoAmerican College of Emergency Physicians: ACEP Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation ProgramSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/american-college-of-emergency-physicians-acep-geriatric-emergency-department-accreditation-program/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2016%2F09%2F08%2Fnews-media-alliance-newspaper-group-expands-focus%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !