Journalist burnout: Alexandria Neason writes that her narrow understanding of work-induced burnout among journalists mirrored the way the industry has, until recently, treated the issue — a sign of weakness or personal failure.
First Amendment Quiz
First Amendment quiz: Jonathan Peters writes about common misunderstandings about the First Amendment and media law.
Importantly, there are very few constitutional protections for news-gathering, and virtually none that apply just to journalists, says a source.
Philanthropy Supports News Companies
Philanthropy becomes a larger part of revenue streams for newspapers and news companies, writes David Westphal.
“Until recently, it was unthinkable that newspapers would become major recipients of charitable subsidies,” he writes. “But as newsroom layoffs continue with no apparent end, increasingly they are seeking philanthropic support, and the nonprofit word is delivering.”
Making Money In The News Business
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.”
Fixing The Gender Source Imbalance
Fixing the gender imbalance: Ed Yong writes about disparities in selecting men and women as sources for stories.
“There are many ways for us to increase the diversity of our sources, and achieving gender parity is by far the simplest of them,” he writes.
Top Ten Dubious Polling Awards
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.
Is Buying Twitter Followers Unethical?
Is buying Twitter followers unethical?
News organizations rarely confronted that question before, writes Paul Fahi. The New York Times found the practice is widespread, and the Chicago Sun-Times suspended its movie critic for padding his follower count.
A critic says a falsified follower count is like a newspaper inflating its circulation figures.
The Internet’s Central Villain
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.”
What A Man Would Do
All men should take a stand to curtail the shenanigans and misconduct by fellow males and at all-male occasions, writes Joe Hight.
“We as males should emphasize the importance of treating women and everyone civilly and with respect. We should pledge never to condone, participate in or hide blatant sexual misconduct. That’s what a man would do.”
Opioid Crisis Collateral Damage
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 