Here we are yet again. We just can’t seem to get it right when reporting on race. On March 18, a 21-year-old white man was arrested and charged with murder after allegedly going on a shooting rampage at three Atlanta-area businesss that left eight people dead, six of whom were Asian women. Although the suspect has not been officially charged with a hate crime, … [Read more...] about Newsrooms owe it to their Asian-American readers to get sourced, break stereotypes
Illinois lawmakers want to strip newspapers of lucrative job of publishing public notices
Newspapers would have a more limited role in publishing public notices in print or online under a proposal moving through the Illinois legislature. The House bill would give local governments and agencies the option of publishing notices about public hearings, abandoned properties and youth jobs on their own websites. Illinois currently requires that newspapers publish … [Read more...] about Illinois lawmakers want to strip newspapers of lucrative job of publishing public notices
Local news outlets should play larger role in helping community members find vaccines
My mother was frustrated. At 78, she was next in line for the COVID-19 vaccine under state guidance in Illinois, but like so many seniors, she was having difficulty navigating the various websites and phone lines to secure an appointment. When she finally got on a waiting list at the local hospital, she found out there were at least 1,000 people in front of her. After … [Read more...] about Local news outlets should play larger role in helping community members find vaccines
Local news outlets need to report on hate, racism that fueled attack on U.S. Capitol
In the days and weeks since the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building and its police officers, it’s becoming clearer just how local this story is, even as the national media outlets have moved to the inauguration and the first days of the Joseph Biden presidency. The people who participated in the insurrection were from our communities. The members of the branch of … [Read more...] about Local news outlets need to report on hate, racism that fueled attack on U.S. Capitol
Local news outlets should avoid false equivalency in reporting on Covid vaccine
A recent investigative report from NBC News highlighted the danger of our pursuit of false equivalency. As the Covid-19 vaccines have started to roll out across America, anti-vaxxers are increasingly getting the kind of mainstream news attention they’ve long sought from local news. Outlets reporting on the vaccine have described the anti-vaccination activists as … [Read more...] about Local news outlets should avoid false equivalency in reporting on Covid vaccine