One of the most frequent questions I am asked is, “How did you start your online news site?” In order to make your life easier, I have put together a few of the available options currently on the market.

Keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list, but it should point you in the right direction.

ICNN is a non-profit organization that offers free hosting and WordPress templates for scholastic news websites. The templates are more restrictive, but for individuals who do not have experience with WordPress or coding, this is a great starting place.

School Newspaper’s Online is one of the most popular companies for starting an online news site. The company has several hundred clients and is constantly creating new features for its members. The hosting and WordPress templates are provided with the membership fee and offer more freedom when personalizing the pre-built template.

An online news site can be started from scratch by purchasing a WordPress compatible theme and registering with a web host. This will require more legwork on the part of the publication staff to get it up and running, but it will provide the fully autonomy that some sites desire.

About Matthew LaPorte

Matthew LaPorte is the current adviser of the Southwest Shadow online news site and The Howl yearbook at Southwest Career and Technical Academy. He is also the co-President of SNSJ. One of his goals as a founding member of SNSJ is to help create a network of students and advisers who can share their expertise and share the benefits of participating in scholastic journalism in Southern Nevada. When he is not working, Matt enjoys heading off to The Pearl or to The Joint to relive his teenage years rocking out.

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