When student loans and the housing crisis force journalists out of the business
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Wednesday, June 15, 2022
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When student loans and the housing crisis force journalists out of the business“Is our compensation structure fundamentally unjust because we pay primarily for experience and skills, with no consideration for need?” By Wendi C. Thomas. |
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Loans got me into journalism. Student debt pushed me out.“My journalism degree was more expensive than my wealthier classmates' degrees because I couldn't afford to pay in cash. But that's a common theme with American systems. Poor people pay high prices. Rich people get discounts.” By Carrington J. Tatum. |
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As traditional news use declines, online news isn’t making up the gap“We find that many people are becoming increasingly disconnected from news.” By Laura Hazard Owen. |
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Struggle, chaos, no regrets? Journalists love the work they do, despite industry challengesOver 70% said they were proud of their work and would pursue a journalism career again. By Hanaa' Tameez. |
What We’re Reading
The Uproot Project
The Uproot Project launches a database of environmental journalists of color →
“The people you will find in our database identify as Black, Indigenous, or other people of color, who have exercised expertise in climate, science, social justice, and environmental spaces.”
Axios / Sara Fischer
The New York Times set a goal to reach 15 million subscribers by 2027 →
“‘Multiproduct subscribers pay the most and retain best,’ chief product officer Alex Hardiman noted during the presentation. Bundle subscribers churn at rates approximately 40% lower than news-only subscribers.”
New York Times / Reid J. Epstein and Nick Corasaniti
Far-right Republicans are pressing closer to offices that will have considerable sway over the 2024 presidential election →
"We are in a dangerous place at the moment," said Ben Berwick, the counsel for Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan group dedicated to resisting authoritarianism. "There is a substantial faction in this country that has come to the point where they have rejected the premise that when we have elections, the losers of the elections acknowledge the right of the winner to govern."
Vox
Vox and Capital B will partner for a new project examining Juneteenth →
“The effort will illuminate a central question: What does it mean to celebrate the end of slavery — and what truths about Black freedom does it expose?” (Lauren Williams, CEO and co-founder of Capital B, was previously editor-in-chief of Vox.)
The New Yorker / Molly Fischer
A glut of ripped-from-the-headlines content in entertainment →
“Stop me if you've heard this one before—or, actually, don't. You've heard it; having heard it is the point. It's that story that was all over the news a couple years back, first as a magazine article and then as a podcast, or maybe it was the other way around. Now it's a TV show, a docuseries—no, a scripted series—no, a docuseries destined to become the basis for a scripted show.”
Medium / Joy Mayer
What’s an editorial board again? The Star Tribune is using new labels to help readers understand opinion content →
“We've found that readers consistently mistake one type of content for another — for example, thinking that an opinion in a commentary by an outside writer is endorsed by the Editorial Board. Readers also seem to have trouble distinguishing between opinion and news content. But this all simply means that we as journalists aren't doing a good enough job explaining ourselves. After all, how do we expect readers to know what an editorial is if we don't tell them?”
The Baltimore Banner / Kimi Yoshino
The Baltimore Banner has launched →
“We want to break news, but don't expect us to cover every shooting or incremental development at City Hall,” writes editor-in-chief Kimi Yoshino.
Press Gazette / Andrew Kersley
The Sun, The Daily Mail, and The Daily Mirror are the least-trusted news orgs in U.K. →
“While the BBC remained the most trusted and biggest news brand in the UK, the public service broadcaster had one of the most dramatic drops in trust in Europe in recent years. In 2018, 75% of respondents reported trusting the corporation's coverage, while 11% didn't. In 2022, that figure had shifted to 55% and 26% respectively.”
The Verge / James Vincent
YouTube has introduced a new corrections feature →
Users can now add infocards in the top right-hand corner of a video to serve as corrections — instead of having to re-upload an entire video.
Vanity Fair / Joe Pompeo
Joe Kahn on both-sides journalism, live blogs, and getting “the right voices in the room” as The New York Times’ top editor →
“The ongoing digital transformation does not feel finished to me. It feels very much midstream.”
Nieman Reports / ISSAC J. BAILEY
With Felicia Sonmez’s firing, The Washington Post sent a message: Be nice when a man displays a bit of sexism. Or be quiet. →
“But insubordination is a tool of necessity, used by every trailblazing journalist or activist working to change an unjust system.”
Reynolds Journalism Institute / Caroline Bauman and Kat Duncan
Chalkbeat and RJI are launching a free tool for journalists to track source diversity →
“Journalists will be able to log in to the tool, and enter the name and email address of a source. The source will get an automated email to fill out the survey, and after they complete it, journalists will be able to view and export the data.”
Mother Jones / Jacob Rosenberg
Variety / Jem Aswad
Level, a former Medium publication for Black men, goes solo →
"Level built an ecosystem for Black men," says CEO and founder Jermaine Hall. "We delivered a space where this audience with tremendous disposable income and cultural currency can be seen. The response from our audience required us to expand our offerings and build a larger universe for them to come together, let their guards down, and share ideas."
The Hollywood Reporter / Katie Kilkenny
Vox Media Union reaches a tentative deal and avoids a strike →
“The tentative deal was reached after about six months of negotiations, during which time bargaining unit members said that they were advocating for raises and benefits that take inflation into account, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and contract language that retains union benefits in the event of a sale or merger, among other points. “
The Daily Beast / Lachlan Cartwright
How the New York Post's top gossip columnist was quietly removed from her post →
“Five current and former Post staffers who spoke with us accused Emily Smith, who succeeded the legendary Richard Johnson atop the column in 2009, of having become ‘unglued,’ going ‘missing for days’ and being ‘abusive’ to colleagues. All members of the tabloid's crack team of gossip-mongers were interviewed by HR as well as staff from other parts of the paper, including its copy desk, two people with knowledge of the investigation told Confider.”
The Guardian / Graham Readfearn
Sky News Australia is a global hub for climate misinformation, report says →
“The analysis, published by UK thinktank the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, said the Rupert Murdoch-owned Sky News Australia consistently ranked highly for traction, pushing the partisan views of its hosts and guests to a global audience through social media networks.”
Reuters / Dawn Chmielewski
Spotify launches a Safety Advisory Council to deal with harmful content →
“The 18 experts, which include representatives from Washington, D.C. civil rights group the Center for Democracy & Technology, the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and the Institute for Technology and Society in Brazil, will advise Spotify as it develops products and policies and thinks about emerging issues.”
Baltimore Fishbowl / Marcus Dieterle
Baltimore Banner officially launches with 42 journalists and plans to expand the newsroom to 70 staffers by the end of the year →
"While today is the culmination of a two-year journey to bring a news organization to Baltimore that tells the varied stories of its different communities, it also marks the first day in a long journey towards sustainability," Imtiaz Patel, chief executive officer of the Venetoulis Institute, said in a statement.
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