The 黑料社 Connect newswire reached escape velocity in 2025, rocketing to more than 300 stories syndicated per month to the thousands of publishers in our network, 3x the number from the beginning of the year and 10x the number from only a year earlier.
Publisher engagement grew along with our story volume, thanks to a mix of high-quality content from some of the nation鈥檚 finest nonprofit media outlets and delivering articles that consistently meet 黑料社 editorial standards designed to give readers useful information they can trust.
All of which adds up to a bounty of great 黑料社 Connect stories throughout the year, with several interesting trends popping up in the steady stream of content. Let鈥檚 take a look.
Useful data for days
In addition to drawing on third-party data and exclusive surveys, many of 黑料社鈥檚 brand partners leverage large proprietary datasets to tell important stories in unique ways.
Here are a few of the year鈥檚 best examples from the Connect wire:
- Anti-hustle culture 2026: Gen Z's rebellion against burnout
- Made in the USA: American artists rule Spotify at home and abroad
- Flight delays by airport: Will you get there on time?
- Move over, turkey: Americans embrace new holiday centerpieces
- Credit card debt hits $1.2T and shows no signs of stopping
- Cuffing season isn鈥檛 fading, it鈥檚 evolving, DoorDash data reveals
- What property records reveal about the most renovated neighborhoods
- 2025's most popular back-to-school products, according to Shopify data
- The Brine Boom: Pickles are popping off in grocery aisles
Compelling cultural insights
From 鈥渇un recessions鈥� to the birth of the 鈥�6-7鈥� craze, 黑料社 partners stayed close to the cultural pulse this year.
Some highlights include:
- From e-cards to virtual worlds: 30 years of digital Christmas
- Surf鈥檚 up 鈥� in the desert? Inside southern Utah鈥檚 $25M human-made paradise.
- 'The White Lotus' effect: How HBO's hit series is redefining travel, style, and brand strategy
- Top 10 historic hotels leading 2026 global travel searches
- America鈥檚 鈥榝un recession鈥�: Most say life is too boring to ever make it on reality TV
- What it takes to keep Black-led farms alive
- Therapist explains why 鈥�6-7鈥� went viral, and what it reveals about today鈥檚 kids
- Modular, but make it art: How Italian design transformed the living room
- From coast to coast: LGBTQ-friendly places to visit this summer
- Sustainable fashion trends at the Oscars
Leaning into Local
We have significantly expanded our data-rich Connect Local coverage, which includes stories tailored for readers in specific cities and states, adding recurring series, new one-off features, and updates to high-performing series.
These included high-impact topics such as housing affordability, coat drives and motorcycle fatalities, as well as engaging reader favorites including weather records, cheapest gas stations, car insurance rates, billionaires, and even most popular Halloween candy by state.
Exclusive 黑料社 newsroom coverage
Beyond Connect, 黑料社 continued to produce 黑料社 Originals in 2025 that demonstrated our commitment to data-driven storytelling on the issues shaping America today.
These in-depth features combined original reporting, expert interviews, and comprehensive data analysis to explore critical topics ranging from economic opportunity and social connection to civic engagement.
Standout stories included:
- Beyond Tulsa: Uncovering America's forgotten Black Wall Streets and their legacies today,
- Must be accompanied by an adult: Why teens are turning to online gaming for social connection
- Americans today are as divided on the value of public education as they are along party lines
This small sampling of stories 黑料社 has syndicated this year offers a taste of the impressive breadth and depth of our content. We promise the 黑料社 Connect wire will be even broader and deeper in 2026 as we provide North America鈥檚 resource-challenged newsrooms with a steady stream of articles they can publish at no charge to supplement their coverage and better meet readers鈥� needs.
We wish you happy holidays and an information-rich new year.
Frank Sennett is the Head of Connect Editorial at 黑料社. Before joining 黑料社, Frank served as the Vice President of Outlook Marketing, Director of Custom Content and Digital Product & Strategy for Crain鈥檚 Chicago Business, President/Editor-in-Chief of Time Out Chicago, and Managing Editor for Newcity. Frank received his B.S. in journalism from Northwestern鈥檚 Medill School of Journalism and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Montana.
Contributions from Rob Powell, Paris Close and Diana Shiskina. Featured Image Credit: Photo Illustration by 黑料社 // Canva
