After covering the Jussie Smollett case for nearly two years for The New York Times, I had to turn down reporting from the actor’s trial in Chicago recently on charges that he faked a racist, homophobic attack in 2019. I had another assignment that week so couldn’t commit to being in court every day of the trial, which The New York Times wanted when they asked me to cover … [Read more...] about Freelancing during the pandemic: Journalists chase assignments, security as more of them exit the industry
Midwest
Local news outlets could see boost from federal spending bill that targets community journalism for the first time
Heidi Randhava, a reporter and advertising manager for the Evanston Roundtable, a hyper-local digital media publication in the lakefront city of Evanston north of Chicago, calls herself a “cheerleader” for local news. “Even if you tune into CNN, or listen to local officials, being a consumer of local news is the best way in which people in the community learn,” … [Read more...] about Local news outlets could see boost from federal spending bill that targets community journalism for the first time
Post-Dispatch and other Lee papers in Midwest brace for possible sell-off to hedge fund
Union members at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other papers owned by Lee Enterprises Inc. are urging the company to fight hard against a takeover attempt by Alden Global Capital LLC, a hedge fund the unions accuse of “gutting newsrooms.” In a letter Monday to Lee’s board of directors, 12 guilds representing Lee’s unionized newsrooms warned that Alden — which owns papers … [Read more...] about Post-Dispatch and other Lee papers in Midwest brace for possible sell-off to hedge fund
Are investigative reporting and news literacy the new Fairness Doctrine?
We’ve talked about this ad nauseam: How did our once-upon-a-time era of “Walter Cronkite credibility” give way to current polarization perpetuated by rancorous social media? And where is our government in overseeing mass and social media? Why isn’t it fixing this? What ever happened to the Fairness Doctrine? Couldn’t that be our guide in dealing with these platforms? … [Read more...] about Are investigative reporting and news literacy the new Fairness Doctrine?
With its work set to begin in less than two months, the Local Journalism Task Force in Illinois still recruiting members to fulfill its mandate
A new local journalism task force is gearing up to examine the growing news desert in Illinois under a new mandate that goes into effect the first of the year, but the majority of the people who will do that work have yet to be appointed. The task force, established by law and signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in August, will bring together educators and other key figures in … [Read more...] about With its work set to begin in less than two months, the Local Journalism Task Force in Illinois still recruiting members to fulfill its mandate