It’s a perennial question. What skills do journalism students need most to get a job today? As always, it depends on who you ask. At NPR, executive producer Robert Garcia says it’s simple: Writing, writing, writing. “If you can write,…
There’s nothing new about “fake news” and it’s always circulated faster than the real thing. Want proof? There’s recorded history of “dubious information” collected to smear the Emperor Justinian in the 6th century! In 1835, the New York Sun newspaper…
by Deborah Potter. Most established news organizations have fretted for years about how to remain economically viable in the face of the advertising implosion that has drastically cut their revenue. Newsroom start-ups don’t have the same worries; they have concerns…
Multiple efforts are underway to figure out what makes people trust or distrust the news and what would increase public confidence in journalism. Here are some whose work we’ve been following. Trusting News A project of the Reynolds Journalism Institute…
By Matt Skillman. On November 3, 1948, the Chicago Tribune made one of the most memorable journalistic errors ever. One of the Tribune’s veteran political analysts predicted the defeat of Harry Truman during the presidential election. Truman won. More recently,…
By Madeline Broom. The journalism industry has been talking about the lack of diversity in newsrooms for years and making only some progress. Now, the need to rebuild public trust could provide a new incentive to actually diversify newsroom staffs.…
By Maddie Vincent. The press. The fourth estate. The watchdogs. These are names journalists call themselves, names that hint at the integrity and importance of their profession. But who are journalists, really? And why does knowing them matter? Journalists tell…
By Callahan Peel. As the use of social media continues to skyrocket, many newsrooms have developed positions called “Engagement Editors.” These staffers are responsible for interacting with news consumers and are tasked with “building a relationship” with readers. But audience…
The only thing moving faster than the news cycle these days is the pace of change in the news business, or so it seems. There’s so much happening in and to the journalism industry and so much new technology, that…
By Beau Baker. One way institutions can earn the public’s trust is by holding themselves accountable for missteps and mistakes. That’s traditionally been the role of an ombudsman but there are few left in U.S. newsrooms. Financial strain and technological…
