Salon Series: An Evening of Impact with Sarah Longwell and Nicholas Thompson

Celebrating bold independent journalism in a time of uncertainty and distrust Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026 Time: 6:30 to 9 p.m. Location: Manhatta, 28 Liberty Street, 60th Floor, New York, NY 10005 Ticket: $500 per guest Join us in New York for an exclusive, invitation-only evening honoring two prominent voices at the forefront of journalism and media: Sarah Longwell, CEO and Publisher of The Bulwark Nicholas Thompson, CEO of the Atlantic On Sept. 9, Poynter will honor Longwell and Thompson with the Poynter 50 Make a Mark Leadership Award, recognizing their leadership in shaping influential media organizations, advancing rigorous journalism and strengthening informed public discourse at a pivotal moment for news and democracy. This is not a typical event. It is part of Poynter's invitation-only national series, convening a select group of top journalists, innovators and supporters for candid conversations you won't hear anywhere else. Your insider experience includes: An exclusive salon conversation moderated by Poynter President Neil Brown Unfiltered access to Longwell and Thompson's perspectives on being an independent voice in an era of corporate pressure on media An intimate room of influential leaders across journalism, technology and public life Meaningful connection with those shaping what comes next The conversation Neil Brown will sit down with Sarah Longwell and Nicholas Thompson to explore how independent media organizations can build trust, engage audiences and produce meaningful journalism. Together, they will examine: What it takes to produce rigorous, high-impact journalism in a fragmented, fast-moving environment How AI is transforming reporting, storytelling and audience expectations Why depth, authority and trust matter more than ever, and how to sustain them Why this matters now Journalism is under pressure. Misinformation is accelerating. Trust is fragile. The work being done today by leaders like Longwell and Thompson and institutions like Poynter will define how truth reaches people in the years ahead. Your presence signals that this work matters. Reserve your seat today With only a limited number of seats available, this is a rare opportunity to be in the room--to hear directly from two of the industry's most important voices and to stand behind the future of fact-based journalism. This event is by invitation only. Please complete this form to show your interest. To learn more, contact Aaron Sharockman, asharockman@poynter.org. ________________________________________________________ About our Honorees Sarah Longwell, CEO and Publisher of the Bulwark Sarah Longwell is CEO and Publisher of The Bulwark, one of the fastest-growing independent media companies in the country with millions of subscribers across all platforms. She has decades of experience leading some of the nation's most high-visibility targeted persuasion campaigns, including Republican Voters Against Trump, the Republican Accountability Project, and Home of the Brave. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her family and is a graduate of Kenyon College. Longwell is a nationally recognized leader in qualitative research. Since 2018 her team has conducted hundreds of focus groups and talked to thousands of voters from across the country and the political spectrum, the largest continuous data set of qualitative research collected during the Trump era. This work focuses on understanding the key motivations of the voters who are deciding elections in America today. She appears regularly in the media as an expert on voter attitudes, and she hosts the weekly Focus Group podcast on The Bulwark. Sarah's work focuses on swing voters, including current and former Trump voters, and she uses qualitative research to create compelling communications campaigns reaching millions of Americans. In addition to The Bulwark, Sarah's work has been featured in The New York Times, PBS NewsHour, CNN, MSNBC, and elsewhere. Nicholas Thompson, CEO of the Atlantic Nicholas Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic. During his tenure, the magazine has won the national magazine award for general excellence three times, become the fastest growing news publication in the country, reached record profitability, and earned the highest number of subscribers in its 157-year history. He is also the author of the recent national best-seller The Running Ground and hosts the podcast The Most Interesting Thing in AI. He has spoken about AI all over the world and interviewed every major CEO in AI as well as multiple Nobel Prize winners in the field. Previously, he was editor-in-chief of WIRED and editor of NewYorker.com. Stories he has written and edited have won numerous major awards, been cited in Congress, and been turned into multiple Hollywood movies--one of which won the Academy Award for best picture. Thompson is the American record holder for his age in the 50k run and, in 2025, became the top-ranked runner in the world in his age group for the 50-mile run. ________________________________________________________ The Poynter Foundation is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving journalism in service to democracy. Proceeds from this event support Poynter's global work to strengthen media, elevate standards and build trust between journalists and the communities they serve. EIN: 99-0731998