Language that matters
News organizations often have words they discourage or encourage, either because of a decision by a style committee or a top editor.
It’s not an easy topic because every newsroom, every audience and every community is different. But Trusting News’ Mollie Muchna has tackled it this week with a piece on how news organizations can choose their words to make them “hearable.”
“We know from research that journalists’ language and framing can convey a sense of where they are coming from and how they feel about the sources and ideas presented in their stories,” she writes. She cites examples in which one newsroom uses “unauthorized migrant,” and another avoids “expert.”
Sometimes shortcuts journalists take to capture a sentiment can be counterproductive, too. In his “Stop the Presses” newsletter, journalist Mark Jacob recently wrote that journalists will often use “critics say” to put an assertion “in someone else’s mouth” even when they know something to be objectively true. He cites other phrases, like “widely seen,” that journalists should use with care.
For Trusting News’ Muchna, the bottom line is that once newsrooms make these decisions, they should be consistent about it — and then explain those choices to their audiences.
News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.
Civic Discourse & Democracy
>> New from API: Funders of local history initiatives can find partners in local media
Last month at our Local News Summit in Nashville, we heard stories of how news organizations are tapping into their local history and identity to bring about content that can drive engagement and sustainability over the long term. What we learned, writes Kevin Loker, our senior director of program operations and partnerships, is that these projects offer an opportunity for supporters of local news to collaborate with newsrooms to deepen a sense of identity, tell untold or under-told stories of a community’s roots and deepen its residents’ sense of belonging.
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Culture & Inclusion
>> A code of ethics for community reporting in Philadelphia (Safer Journalism Project)
The Philadelphia Safer Journalism Project, a collaboration between Free Press and Media 2070, has been working with communities, therapists, researchers and others to improve how stories show up in the news. Its new code of ethics talks about the ways that crime coverage can “dehumanize, stoke fears, fail to include solutions, and misrepresent people or events” and offers guidance built around core principles that reject harmful narratives often embedded in crime coverage.
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Community Engagement & Trust
Viral AI-generated summer guide printed by Chicago Sun-Times was made by magazine giant Hearst (404 Media)
The Chicago Sun-Times published a “summer reading” book list that included AI-generated titles and book blurbs that were made up, reports Jason Koebler. The Philadelphia Inquirer also published the same content, Koebler wrote. The Sun-Times told Koebler that the “Heat Index” section was licensed from King Features, owned by the magazine giant Hearst. Victor Lim, the vice president of marketing and communications at Chicago Public Media, said “we falsely made the assumption there would be an editorial process for this,” adding that the outlet is updating its policy to “require internal editorial oversight over content like this.”
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Revenue & Resilience
>> New from API: We’re collaborating with the News Revenue Hub
The American Press Institute and News Revenue Hub will collaborate in 2025 to develop research, training and experiment opportunities that help local news leaders earn new revenue in the evolving information landscape. Programming will involve both publicly available training, including webinars, and resources for the field, such as those from API’s work with influencer collaborations. Learn more here and sign up for updates about this work.
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What else you need to know
💻 Queens Public Library and The Haitian Times partner to digitize Haitian heritage archive (Haitian Times)
🚀 New media company ‘ATM’ launches to give executives control of their coverage (Axios)
📺 MSNBC poaches CNN exec Marcus Mabry as network builds up digital presence (Semafor)
🗞️ American Journalism Project and JPMorganChase expand collaboration to strengthen local news (American Journalism Project)
