Addressing digital abuse

Is your newsroom doing all it can to protect its journalists from online harassment and abuse?

While small and local newsrooms, in particular, often do not have the dedicated resources that larger newsrooms have to protect their journalists from online attacks, they can still take steps to ensure digital safety, PEN America said in an article this week.

One thing newsroom leaders can do is raise awareness by communicating “clearly and often” that they are committed to protecting their journalists. “Even short, consistent reminders that safety matters and that online harassment is taken seriously can help change newsroom culture over time,” write Kayla Masterman and Amanda Wells.

Indeed, in a recent report on this topic, the Center for News, Technology and Innovation similarly noted that journalists often “feel like they must deal with online abuse alone, and many have voiced a lack of trust in their newsrooms’ capacity and ability to assist them.”

To address the sense of isolation, one of PEN America’s recommendations is that newsroom leaders issue a statement of support for their journalists, so everyone knows where you stand.

“Public statements signal that newsrooms stand with their staff and freelancers in the face of online abuse, and that intimidation tactics will not succeed in censoring the newsroom’s reporting or the individual journalist’s work,” the authors said.

News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> A call for reporting tips rankles Pentagon officials (The New York Times)

It’s not unusual for reporters to put a call out for tips on either their social media profiles or on their news organizations’ websites. But the Defense Department is arguing that appeals from Washington Post reporters for people to contact them with news tips about the military is a solicitation not covered by the First Amendment and could result in punishment under the Pentagon’s new media rules, writes Erik Wemple.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> Listen: Lessons from an early-career journalist (CJR’s The Kicker)

Sofia Barnett graduated from college in May of last year but is already covering major stories for a big news organization — the Minnesota Star Tribune, where she started covering the suburbs. She spoke with Megan Greenwell about her career path, including the benefits of working for a regional rather than a national news outlet. One of them is that people are open to offering mentorship and are eager to help a young reporter. “I feel respected in my workplace,” she said.

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> How journalists can make AI work for them (CJR) 

Stephen J. Adler, who heads up the Ethics and Journalism Initiative at the NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, writes that in demystifying AI, he is finding it helpful to separate its use into three categories: “source, colleague, and assistant.” When it’s broken down that way, he says, “it becomes easier to see where the risks, as well as the opportunities, may lie. It also may make it easier for newsrooms to articulate clear guidelines for their use.”

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Revenue & Resilience

>> Politics newsletter makes nearly $4m in subs despite giving most content away (Press Gazette)

Alice Brooker profiles Isaac Saul and his newsletter Tangle, which has $4.15 million in revenue from subscriptions even though most of its content is offered for free. The daily newsletter has 470,000 subscribers, including 71,000 paid subscribers, Brooker writes. “We’re really good at [converting] because we tell people a really personal story about what we’re going to do with the money and why we need it,” Saul told Brooker.

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What else you need to know

🤔 Judge’s rebuke of DOJ in raid on journalist’s home exposes bigger problem (Freedom of the Press Foundation)

🎙️ Voice of America looks to rebuild after rejection of Kari Lake (The Wrap)

🔍 NewsGuard taps startup Pangram to identify AI-generated news and misinformation (Adweek)

📉 Traffic to top tech publications has plummeted since 2024, new analysis shows (Nieman Lab)

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Weekend reads

+ Journalist-turned-news content creator Chris Vazquez on building a career in the creator economy (Poynter)

+ Beyond Impact: How I’m rethinking success for local journalism (The Other Muller Report)

+ From scripts to sermons: is AI going to be writing everything soon? (The Guardian)

+ When left-leaning journalists produce right-leaning stories (RQ1)