Who Can I Turn To? (sang Anthony Newley in a loud voice)
Gimme Some Truth (sang John Lennon in a loud voice)
Image by ChatGPT prompted by author
Trust
Journalists learn tactics for counteracting misinformation (healthjournalism.org)
This story links to a “Trust Kit” for journalists – tools for engaging with communities the journalist is unaccustomed to knowing.
The good news is we know, thanks to research, that simply listening to community members who don’t trust you helps build trust.
Trust issues: credibility, credulity and journalism in a time of crisis (inpublishing.co.uk)
Transcript of a lecture by Dr Jelani Cobb, dean of Columbia Journalism School
It’s for this reason that we have devoted such time and energy to trying to understand the declining trust people across national boundaries place in an array of public institutions, most prominently the focus of today’s discussion: journalism. No one here needs to be told how complicated and fraught this situation is, but it is worth noting that, five years after its onset, the covid pandemic remains the most vital example of the real-world consequences that this lack of trust can inspire. Last year, the Reuters Institute itself noted the severity of this situation, observing that just 40% of respondents across 47 markets say they trust most news.
I Believe in Science—But Not Necessarily Science Journalism (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting)
Popular Mechanics published a story with the headline “The Dogs of Chernobyl Are Experiencing Rapid Evolution, Study Suggests”. The PM story itself states the opposite. That’s National Enquirer-level clickbait IMO. Good for Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting for pointing this out.
Is journalism bad for The New York Times’ business? with CEO Meredith Kopit Levien (semafor.com)
(Note: there is a link to listen to the story)
In a dangerous era for journalism – a powerful new tool to help protect sources (The Guardian)
Secure chat to link whistleblowers with reporters.
Enter the Young
Next Generation of Journalists (independent.com)
A couple of profiles of up-and-comers.
Claire Kelloway ’16 wins 2025 James Beard Journalism Award (carleton.edu)
Kelloway did detailed reporting about the 2024 U.S. Farm Bill (not about a chef or cuisine as the award title may suggest).
Editorial: Protecting independent journalism starts with its students (fchornetmedia.com)
Student journalism plays a crucial role in local reporting. In 2023, the University of Vermont’s Center for Community News (CCN) found that 1,316 universities and colleges were located in or adjacent to “news deserts,” counties with one or zero local newspapers.
Student journalism, in all its shortcomings, taught me to be brave (The Daily Bruin)
But what I have come to decide is that something being imperfect isn’t an excuse to throw our hands in the air. It’s a tenet of journalism that we hold power to account – and that starts from inside.
It is a brave thing to not just see what can be wrong but to then decide to change it – just as there is cowardice in lambasting another without giving a second thought to your own imperfections, or throwing a tantrum or simply doing nothing.
MTV’s Ananda Lewis Brought Journalism to a New Generation (bloomberg.com)
A fine tribute to the late journalist.
Ways Forward
Let’s fall back in love with journalism (The Mail & Guardian)
Making the case for subscribing.
The paper has not wavered in its mission to hold the powerful to account, no matter who sits in the seat of influence. And it will take more than a legal letter and abuse of that power to deflate our stubbornness and commitment to readers.
Today’s threat is very different. There are any number of reasons global media is struggling, and has been for some time. Some are of a more nefarious nature (algorithms that hold you attention span at gunpoint, for instance) and a fall in advertising and subscriptions. Others are simply inevitabilities of changing times.
But there is one fundamental truth that will never change: we do what we do because of you. Your support is as valuable today as it was in 2020. As it was in 1985.
Hello…Hello…Hello…Is There Anybody Out There?
Journalism without an audience is just creative writing (Editor and Publisher)
People watch a lot less television news than they did 10 years ago and read far fewer printed newspapers, and the number who go to online news sites — rather than relying on social media, search engines, aggregators and the like — is stagnant at best. So is the number of people willing to pay for online news. These trends have for years wreaked havoc on the traditional business of news, leading to thousands of layoffs in newsrooms across the U.K. But they do not seem to leave the public feeling lost.
Analyzing News and Information Landscapes from the Ground Up (cjr.org)
Asking the question “Where is news happening?”
I’ve been looking closely at one town: Charlotte, North Carolina. The research we’re conducting there aims to see the city’s news and information landscape through this holistic lens. We’ve identified thirty-four news organizations of all shapes and sizes serving Charlotte, including eleven that cater to the city’s various ethnic communities, four that are oriented toward identity-based communities (e.g., faith-based or LGBTQ; one of those, The Voice, is also counted in the ethnic category because it serves both a church community and the Greek community in Charlotte), and two that are topic-oriented (e.g., business). They span all media, and have varying levels of online presence; all but two are also based in Charlotte.
Tech: Frenemy #1
Editorial: Stop Google thievery that undermines local journalism (mercurynews.com, right there in Silicon Valley)
Let’s get to the point: Three newsrooms on generating AI summaries for news (niemanlab.org)
Palantir removes journalists watching demonstration (talkingbiznews.com)
Opinion | In the age of AI, human emotion is journalism’s superpower (poynter.org)
News Corp bets big on AI tools but journalists voice concerns (theguardian.com)
I was surprised to read that Murdoch employees pushed back.
Changing Channels. Where the public is focusing its attention.
Understanding creator journalism with Liz Kelly Nelson, founder of Project C (ijnet.org)
First Amendment Threatened
USA: RSF condemns wave of violence against journalists covering Los Angeles protests (rsf.org)
General Interest
The story of the fires: A portrait of smaller journalism in a huge disaster
Details on coverage of January’s Los Angeles fires.
How Good Journalism Can Boost Your Resilience (psychologytoday.com)
Here are some steps we can take to improve our news habits, which also build the traits linked to resilience.
The State of Journalism in 2025: Insights to Optimize Your Media Relations (prnewsonline.com)
Looking at the current practice of journalism by the public relations professionals who are seeking placements in the media.
And finally this week
I asked ChatGPT “show me current trends in the journalism business”
Summary results were:
Power is shifting from legacy institutions to creator-driven and AI-mediated formats.
Newsrooms must rethink traffic sources—it's no longer just Google referrals or TV broadcasts.
Brand loyalty matters more: publishers and journalists alike are building direct reader relationships via subscriptions and community engagement.
Ethics and verification are now survival priorities, as misinformation and algorithmic biases grow.
Keep alert.
Blair Helsing, Trained As A Journalist
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