We are in the midst of a racial reckoning in our country that is more visible in some places than others, but in all places it is long overdue, including in our newsrooms. The mostly peaceful protests that have swept the nation following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis by police feel like a turning point for equality and justice, and we have responsibility to … [Read more...] about Media outlets covering racial unrest in America need to include an examination of their own newsrooms
Newspapers are ‘essential business,’ but readers still don’t want to pay
In 2015, Jason Velásquez, a farmer, tax assessor and one-time marketing director for a Shakespeare theater company, started an online news site because he believed--and still does--in the importance of local news. When he founded The Greylock Glass in January of that year, the two main papers in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts had just folded, including one established … [Read more...] about Newspapers are ‘essential business,’ but readers still don’t want to pay
Local editors, publishers should hire journalism students stuck at home for summer internships
It’s been hard in recent weeks to deliver my usual pep talk about journalism to the college students whom I teach. For one, we are not in the same physical space. I’m engaging with students online in bursts and have been since late March. Even so, I can sense their grief, sometimes in their silence and sometimes in their failure to reply to a simple email that would typically … [Read more...] about Local editors, publishers should hire journalism students stuck at home for summer internships
Reporting the coronavirus story feels familiar to a war reporter
My physical world, like many of ours, has become smaller in recent weeks even as my digital world has expanded. I’m working from home, and as an editor, I don’t have to be out reporting in the community to do my job. I can minimize the risks of exposure (for me and my family) to the coronavirus. Not everyone can. Photographers and reporters are still in the community, … [Read more...] about Reporting the coronavirus story feels familiar to a war reporter
Local media outlets should be on frontline of misinformation war to help readers
In the hours after Iran attacked two Iraqi military bases that housed U.S. troops in January, social media predictably was rampant with rumors. Old and doctored photos surfaced claiming to show the bases on fire, and users shared reports on Twitter and Facebook that the missile strikes had killed Americans. A news-savvy, educated friend of mine posted on Facebook that 30 … [Read more...] about Local media outlets should be on frontline of misinformation war to help readers
