Society of Professional Journalists’ Post

This is the new face of journalism. If you want the media to objectively share the news with you, instead of covering and publishing only what THEY want you to know (on both sides of the political fence), The Front Page, created by The Free Press, is your daily source of what's really going on out there. You know how to think for yourself—they get that. Subscribe. https://lnkd.in/evb5TTKv

This is victory for: Transparency (yeah, journalism) Democratic process (how about we don't ram through important legislation without actual discussing it) https://lnkd.in/etBxbN7t

This story is most troubling. The Washington Post, the newspaper that stood up to power, exposed corruption at the highest levels, and staked its future on its First Amendment right to publish the Pentagon Papers--even after the New York Times was forced to cease publication following a federal court injunction--now finds itself on the receiving end of its investigative reporters. Are you freaking kidding? The stakes were immense in 1971, but Katherine Graham and Ben Bradlee decided to publish regardless of the risk. We know how that story ended. But this story, today, written by Post reporters and appearing on the front page exposing some really sleazy past dealings involving the two men slated to oversee the Post's news operation is just breathtaking, let alone the troubling decision to import two alumni from Rupert Murdoch's "fake believe" reporting empire. It's notable that of the four so-called "newspapers of record," only the New York Times to this day continues under the ownership of the Ochs-Sulzberger family as it has since 1896. The Los Angeles Times was owned by the Otis-Chandler family from 1882-2000 when it sold the paper to the Tribune Company. That began a series of ownership changes, the most damaging occurring after it was acquired by Sam Zell in 2007. Zell drove the Tribune Company into bankruptcy and its pieces, including the LA Times, were acquired by others. In 2018, the LA Times was purchased by billionaire investor Patrick Soon-Shiong, who has shuffled publishers and executive editors, and promptly moved the paper from its iconic art deco building at First and Spring Streets to a modern structure in El Segundo near LAX. Meanwhile 115 people were laid off at the LAT this past January. The Wall Street Journal, for most of its existence, was owned by the descendants of its founder, Clarence Barron and the Bancroft family. In 2007 it was merged into News Corporation, then News Corp where it remains under Rupert Murdoch's umbrella. So here we are with today's news casting a cloud over the fourth "newspaper of record"--The Washington Post. That title was legitimately earned and is richly deserved but it will be instantly jeopardized once Robert Winnett joins William Lewis in overseeing the Post’s reporting. At a time when America needs more independent and ethical reporters with uncompromising integrity, like the four who collaborated on this piece today, their efforts will be immediately and unjustifiably questioned thanks to the unseemly reputations of those who are about to oversee the Post's news operation. Mr. Bezos, I'm thankful that you bought the Post and kept your distance from its operations. However, if you have not yet read "Personal History," by Graham, or "The Pentagon Papers," or "All the President's Men" by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, perhaps it's time you do and rethink the editorial leadership at the Post. Not only does democracy die in darkness, credibility dies in daylight.

One of the big challenges is the public distrust of large, corporate media. Our local press helps counter that trend and rebuild trust in local communities. They are facing many challenges like most in this inflationary economy. Here is an effort underway to assist.... Fighting For Hometown Newspapers A statewide coalition of hometown newspapers, fighting for the long-term sustainability of local journalism, has launched the Empire State Local News Coalition. The Coalition cites the distressing fact that since 2005, more than 3,000 newspapers have shuttered across the country, resulting in thousands of layoffs and countless communities losing essential platforms for sharing their stories. If these concerning trends continue, New Yorkers from Oswego to Stony Brook are at risk of losing their ability to have their voices heard and shape public policy. The decline of local journalism, according to the group, is a clear and present threat to democracy. Hometown newspapers are a foundational part of the American experience; uplifting the stories of everyday New Yorkers making a difference in their communities and serving as watchdogs that hold those in power accountable. As polarization grips the nation and basic truths are contested, it is more important than ever to ensure hometown newspapers and reporters have the tools needed to carry out their essential work. According to the Coalition, it is advocating for a diverse legislative package to ensure local papers will survive through the 21st century and beyond, from tax incentives to increasing the public’s access to information. Its objective is to ensure local communities continue to have their voices heard for generations to come. Click here to learn more. https://lnkd.in/eRZP4tWH

This is totally out of my wheelhouse, but I feel like maybe it might be out of some of yours too, so worth sharing. I have been wondering to myself a lot lately about how we got to such a polarized place in public discourse. It's easy to blame social media (and I do believe it is a big part of the problem) but traditional media — perhaps even and especially those we consider the stalwarts of objective reporting like the NYTimes — have lost much of their credibility as unbiased sources of information. Not just among conservatives, who clearly see a slant in what is reported, but also to those on the left of the spectrum that are fully expecting to be challenged by opposing ideas. Not to bash the NYT, I still have a subscription and think they are doing a better job than most, but this account from the inside, gives an idea of where some of the failures are happening, and how we got to this point. "The reporters’ creed used to have its foundation in liberalism, in the classic philosophical sense. The exercise of a reporter’s curiosity and empathy, given scope by the constitutional protections of free speech, would equip readers with the best information to form their own judgments. The best ideas and arguments would win out. The journalist’s role was to be a sworn witness; the readers’ role was to be judge and jury. In its idealised form, journalism was lonely, prickly, unpopular work, because it was only through unrelenting scepticism and questioning that society could advance." 

One of the big challenges is the public distrust of large, corporate media. Our local press helps counter that trend and rebuild trust in local communities. They are facing many challenges like most in this inflationary economy. Here is an effort underway to assist.... Fighting For Hometown Newspapers A statewide coalition of hometown newspapers, fighting for the long-term sustainability of local journalism, has launched the Empire State Local News Coalition. The Coalition cites the distressing fact that since 2005, more than 3,000 newspapers have shuttered across the country, resulting in thousands of layoffs and countless communities losing essential platforms for sharing their stories. If these concerning trends continue, New Yorkers from Oswego to Stony Brook are at risk of losing their ability to have their voices heard and shape public policy. The decline of local journalism, according to the group, is a clear and present threat to democracy. Hometown newspapers are a foundational part of the American experience; uplifting the stories of everyday New Yorkers making a difference in their communities and serving as watchdogs that hold those in power accountable. As polarization grips the nation and basic truths are contested, it is more important than ever to ensure hometown newspapers and reporters have the tools needed to carry out their essential work. According to the Coalition, it is advocating for a diverse legislative package to ensure local papers will survive through the 21st century and beyond, from tax incentives to increasing the public’s access to information. Its objective is to ensure local communities continue to have their voices heard for generations to come. Click here to learn more. https://lnkd.in/e98ugb7H

Read Sir Brian Leveson’s letter setting out the origin and purpose of the Leveson Inquiry’s recommendations, which led to the establishment of independent press self-regulation and a cost-shifting mechanism in the courts to ensure that all news publishers could be held to account whether they engaged in independent press self-regulation or not. As the Government is now proposing to repeal the cost-shifting mechanism (known as Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013), effectively rolling back the Inquiry’s recommendations for a new and effective system of press regulation, Sir Brian responds to some of the assertions that have been made about the purpose and intended effect of the recommendations in Parliament. These include the central recommendations around designing an arbitration scheme to provide all members of the public with timely and low-cost access to justice in the event of press intrusion and protect news publishers from wealthy individuals and organisations seeking to muzzle investigative journalism by misusing the courts. #PressRegulation #Leveson #MediaBill #Section40

OVN | VCSUN Editorial: The Los Angeles Times’ fight for its life has galvanized our legislators to introduce two news rescue bills. We urge state Sens. Steve Glazer and Tom Umberg and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks to bring independent owners to the table. If these bills fail or if they are orchestrated by big tech or big business interests, the ensuing payday for chain-news media, broadcast media and out-of-state companies could dry the ink for the last locally owned independent newspapers in the state. https://lnkd.in/gPR-T3dw

Very interesting paper from Jeff Jarvis commenting on the proposed California Journalism Preservation Act, but also including a detailed history of global news regulation, its flaws and proposed alternatives. This paper is timely for us in the South African context too, as we look at ways to work towards a sustainable and resilient local news ecosystem. "In examining alternatives to CJPA, it is wise to first address the goal. Is it to support news as it was, or news as it could be? Is it to stave off the death of existing news properties or support the growth of new outlets and models that serve communities previously underserved? That is, should hedge-fund-controlled newspapers receive funds if they do not invest in growing their coverage? Is the goal to support news alone or the larger information ecosystem and to improve public discourse? Who is being heard in the process of deciding on policy interventions in the market? Who is responsible for the current situation — two corporations or larger technological or societal disruption? And who is responsible for the health of the state’s information ecosystem — those few companies or every business and citizen in the state? Is the question at hand one of intellectual property or subsidy? If there are resources to be put to work, we must ask where those resources should come from, who should receive them, and on what basis they should be distributed."

Every few years I write a thing about journalism, folks get upset, and then a few years later a bunch of them admit maybe I had a point. Hopefully this time we can skip right to step three. It's clear that the American news and information ecosystem is broken. Our news values are bankrupt. People don't trust us, in part cause they should not. The nonprofit sector is working very hard -- but there is not enough money to complete the task of constructing an information ecosystem that can serve a multiracial democracy. We need significant federal investment in news and information. We need it yesterday. Such investment does not clash with the concept of a free press -- and in fact, there is a chance that Madison would argue that the spirit of the First Amendment requires such government investment. There are lots of different ways such a program could work. I went ahead and proposed one: guarantee $10 million a year to every single congressional district in federal news and information grants. (Ok, you can all start yelling at me now) https://lnkd.in/ekR2sMje