Wednesday, December 15, 2021 | “When we hire reporters who speak local languages and deeply understand the nuanced perspectives of the communities they cover, sources recognize themselves in stories.” By Laxmi Parthasarathy. |
| “People use fact-checks to dunk on the other side, to cherry-pick information, and to counter-fact-check other fact-checks.” By Jonas Kaiser. |
| “Although these incredible entrepreneurs have done vital work for their communities, these organizations by and large remain small and fragile: Only 20% say they are financially sustainable.” By Gonzalo del Peon. |
| “If the reality today is that local news is in danger of failing in the marketplace, should the government step in and help?” By Joshua P. Darr. |
| “Newsrooms will begin to build innovative digital research labs equipped to use automation, computation, quantitative analyses, and forensic techniques.” By Julia Angwin. |
| “We’ve gotten into a groove — and really, who wants to put dress shoes on again, anyway?” By Mandy Jenkins. |
What We’re ReadingColumbia Journalism Review / Darryl Holliday
Journalism is a public good. Let the public make it. →“Ivory-tower journalism has failed. It’s time we focus on building public infrastructure where everyone can find, factcheck, and produce civic information.”PolitiFact / Angie Drobnic Holan, Bill McCarthy and Amy Sherman
Lies about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and its significance is PolitiFact’s “Lie of the Year” →“We picked these lies for two reasons. First, the attack was historically important…Second, the events of Jan. 6 were widely broadcast on that day and many days afterward, allowing the public to see for itself exactly what happened. The body of evidence includes direct video documentation and many eyewitness accounts. So efforts to downplay and deny what happened are an attempt to brazenly recast reality itself.”Vice / David Gilbert
Trump’s social media company, Truth Social, just partnered with a QAnon video site →“It isn’t clear if the site has indeed launched in any capacity, how many invited guests are using Truth Social, or who those guests are.”Houston Chronicle / Paul Takahashi
The Houston Chronicle names its first-ever female publisher →“Nancy Meyer, a veteran newspaper leader and president of the Miami Herald, has been named the next publisher of the Houston Chronicle.” Politico / Hailey Fuchs and Max Tani
How a 100-year-old newspaper became the go-to way to influence Biden →“A handful of organizations with legislative interests before the government have taken to running print ads in Delaware’s The News Journal in an effort to get their message in front of the world’s most powerful individual, one who is likely the paper’s most famous reader. A review of the paper found that 17 ads have been run by these groups between September and mid-November alone.”The Guardian / Anonymous
“The Taliban say they’ll kill me if they find me”: A female reporter still on the run speaks out →“I am exhausted. I am tired of running and hiding. I am tired of begging friends and relatives to hide me in their homes. For four months, I have been thrown around the country like a football. I am tired of my life.”Columbia Journalism Review / Paroma Soni
Online censorship is growing in Modi’s India →“Data from Twitter’s own transparency reports reveal that, in 2020, the Indian government asked Twitter to remove nearly 10,000 tweets, up from about 1,200 the prior year; in 2017, the government only demanded that Twitter delete 248 tweets.”Pew Research Center / Elisa Shearer and Amy Mitchell
How Americans tweet about the news →“Americans included their personal opinions in around four-in-ten of their tweets about the news.”The Washington Post / Jeremy Barr
Why publishers like Vox Media are merging with their biggest rivals →“With a larger total audience, those companies can make more money from corporate advertisers and are better positioned to compete with tech giants such as Facebook and Google — or so the thinking goes.”Substack / Anne Helen Petersen
The particular power of the lancing celebrity profile →“Profile writing is not, and has never been, neutral.”Poynter / Alex Sujong Laughlin
When newsroom inclusion stops at hiring “diversely,” reporters shoulder the burden of credibility →“The baggage of flawed or irresponsible coverage from historically white journalistic institutions often harms journalists’ credibility with communities they cover, making it harder for them to do their jobs.”Twitter / Wirecutter Union
Wirecutter Union reaches a deal for its first-ever contract →“We’re excited to share we’ve reached a deal with management on our first contract! After 2 years of bargaining & a 5 day strike, we’ve secured an agreement that makes meaningful improvements to our working conditions. We came together to demand better & won!”The New York Times / Michael M. Grynbaum and Marc Tracy
Judge clarifies order on New York Times coverage of Project Veritas →“The decision allows some latitude for reporting until a final ruling is reached. The Times said the order remained ‘an unconstitutional prior restraint that should be dissolved.'”
Nieman Lab / Fuego / Encyclo
Twitter / Facebook
View email in browser
Unsubscribe
You are receiving this daily newsletter because you signed up for for it at www.niemanlab.org.
Nieman Journalism LabHarvard University1 Francis Ave.Cambridge, MA 02138
Add us to your address book
