A Sinclair learning moment: “The controversy surrounding Sinclair is about more than partisanship, media consolidation and government oversight,” writes Pete Vernon.
“It’s about the very manner in which the American public understands where their news comes from and how it’s made.” Sinclair is perfectly capable of doing good news, a source tells Vernon. “But if consumers see things that offend them, they need to show it,” says the source.
Denver Post defiance lauded: Ken Doctor sees a turning point in local American journalism’s descent into oblivison.
“And by standing up for their community, they stand up for themselves,” he writes. “This is the relationship that must be renewed. The loss here isn’t in mere journalism jobs; it’s in community knowledge and self-government.” He cites “vulture owners hollowing out local news.”
New poll: Trust in media weakens.
“Large majorities of the American public believe that traditional media outlets engage in reporting fake news and that outside sources are actively trying to plant fake stories in the mainstream media,” reports the Monmouth University poll. Editiorial decisions are called “fake news.”
A Washington state law lifts prior review on student journalism by school officials, writes Rachel Sun.
In 2018-19, Washington state student journalists at public schools and colleges are free to publish what they want without interference by school officials.
Student journalists are journalists and deserve to have their rights protected, says a student. They are tomorrow’s professional journalists.
Conflict of interest: Tony Briscoe andElvia Malagon report that the Chicago Defender fired its managing editor for taking $10,000 to perform public relations work for an Illinois political candidate.
“The Chicago Defender is a longtime voice in this (African-American) community and it is imperative that we maintain the highest level of integrity and credibility,” the newspaper said in announcing it terminated the managing editor.
Post Florida mass shooting: Alexandria Neason says pay more attention to local reports of shootings and bomb threats, which are shifting education coverage.
“For local reporters working the education beat, local threats have dominated their attention the past few weeks, even if they’ve only been a blip on the national radar…,” she writes.
Making money in the news business: The Tow Center for Digital Journalism offers a guide “to grow their revenue by deepening interactions with their audiences.”
It “isn’t about premiums, tote bags, mugs or local business discounts,” says the report.
Journalism attracts an audience “when they want want to be part of the larger cause that the news organization represents or when they think it represents something unique in the world.”
Top ten dubious polling award: David W. Moore says CBS News gets first place in the tongue-in-cheek awards “for explicitly highlighting the knowledge-free basis of much public opinion polling” in 2017.
Moore said CBS nudged respondents to guess despite their admitted lack of knowledge.
The Internet’s central villain: Farhad Manjo asks what is the driving force behind much of the chaos and disrepute online?
“This isn’t that hard,” he writes. “You don’t need a crazy wall to figure it out, because the force to blame has been quietly shaping the contours of life online since just about the beginning of life online: It’s the advertising business, stupid.”
Opioid crisis collateral damage is a lesson for journalists, writes Byard Duncan.
Many states hit hard by the opioid crisis also are seeing a spike in foster care placements. In most cases, the broad designation of “substance abuse” is all that gets logged by social workers.
“Sometimes the information we don’t have is even more important than what we know,” writes Duncan. Think about who else is affected, keep an open mind.
Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists 