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
Stop pretending media trust issue is only a problem for national news outlets
A sweeping new Pew Center report that examines trust in the media confirmed an uneasy truth that we can no longer ignore. It’s not just that our readers don’t trust us. They think we are unethical. And like everything else in America right now, it’s a partisan truth. According to the analysis, Republicans consistently express far greater skepticism of the news and their … [Read more...] about Stop pretending media trust issue is only a problem for national news outlets
‘Quiet rooms’ investigation is a call to action for community news outlets
Monica Seals didn’t waste time. Within 24 hours after the nonprofit ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune published an investigation revealing the widespread practice of putting children into solitary confinement in school districts in Illinois, the Centralia radio reporter pressed local officials for answers. Seals, news director at the Withers Broadcasting … [Read more...] about ‘Quiet rooms’ investigation is a call to action for community news outlets
