Category: News and Opinion

The paradox of Citizens United, the First Amendment and efforts to regulate social media

Facebook’s Oversight Board decided on May 5  retain the suspension of former President Donald Trump from its social media platforms, which includes Instagram. Facebook, along with Twitter and other social media outlets suspended Trump’s accounts after the Jan. 6  riot in Washington, DC,  based on their own assessments of the role his tweets played in…

‘It’s not as bad as I thought’: An examination of how the pandemic impacted news organizations in eight Midwestern states

It could have been worse. Much worse. In fact, the executive director of the Missouri Press Association expected the COVID-19 pandemic to gut a local newspaper industry already reeling from more than a decade of competition from free digital content, rising newsprint costs and circulation declines. Seven of the state’s 200 or so newspapers ceased…

News outlets need to dig harder in reporting about policing in their communities

The initial press release from the Minnesota Police Department was headlined, “Man Dies After Medical Incident During Police Interaction.” That’s how police first described the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, after former police officer Derek Chauvi kneeled on the 46-year-old’s neck and back for more than nine minutes. Chauvin was convicted of…

Newsrooms owe it to their Asian-American readers to get sourced, break stereotypes

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…

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…