By Jackie Spinner The Associated Press recently announced that it was creating a new position for a “democracy editor.” It tapped a long-time AP veteran and state government editor for the position. When Tom Verdin, who is in Sacramento, steps into the new role, he will oversee coverage of stories about voting rights and election processes. In making the decision, … [Read more...] about New democracy editor position at Associated Press should be model for all newsrooms
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Nonprofit news outlets bolster statehouse coverage across the country, including in Illinois
Full time statehouse reporters are now a luxury for many news organizations. Brenden Moore, who reports on state politics and government for Lee Enterprises, said It’s impossible to talk about the decline of full time statehouse reporters without talking about the decline of the newspaper industry as a whole. “If you’re struggling to cover city council, … [Read more...] about Nonprofit news outlets bolster statehouse coverage across the country, including in Illinois
Libel decision shut down segregationists clinging to Jim Crow
To understand why New York Times v. Sullivan is one of the great First Amendment victories of the past century, take a journey back to the segregated America of the1960s. America was a place where racial segregation and discrimination were the law of the land and a way of life in the South, Midwest and much of the North. Restaurants and hotels were segregated by law. … [Read more...] about Libel decision shut down segregationists clinging to Jim Crow
Covering hate: ‘This is not a geographic problem. It’s an American problem.’
In September 2018, racist flyers from a neo-Nazi group were left on cars parked at a community college in Southern Illinois. A few local news outlets reported on the incident and the college’s subsequent denouncement that followed. But then the story was mostly dropped until the next year when the same flyers from the same group appeared a second time. This time a suspect … [Read more...] about Covering hate: ‘This is not a geographic problem. It’s an American problem.’