A chill on campus  

College is often the place where young journalists find their voice, hone their craft and learn by pushing boundaries. Lately, they’re getting a different lesson.

Current threats to free speech demand “unprecedented” attention, a coalition of student media advisory organizations wrote in a rare alert recommending that student media revisit their policies on takedown requests and the use of anonymous sources, writes Sophie Culpepper of Nieman Lab.

Some campus outlets are already doing that. Ever since Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk was detained by federal agents for writing an op-ed critical of the school administration’s position on Gaza, student journalists are retracting their names from stories and requesting that articles be removed from college newspaper websites, Anvee Bhutani writes for the Guardian.

Student newspapers are also grappling with whether and how to protect protesters they have featured in articles, writes Johanna Alonso of Inside Higher Ed.

Mike Hiestand, senior legal counsel for the Student Press Law Center, a signatory to the alert, told Alonso that his group’s traditional advice when it comes to takedown requests is that “you don’t want to go back in and start willy-nilly messing with history.”

But now, he said, “the rules have changed.”

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

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> AP Fund for Journalism announces board of directors, 1st program with nearly 50 local newsrooms (The Associated Press)

The AP Fund for Journalism is launching a local newsroom pilot program in which nearly 50 newsrooms will receive AP content, including text, video and photos, as well as access to tools and training. It is supported by the Google News Initiative. The fund’s CEO, Rachel White, called the program a critical first step toward helping newsrooms with resources to “keep the public informed on stories and issues that wouldn’t otherwise receive coverage.” The charitable organization, which was created by AP last year, also announced its board of directors.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> Coping with media layoffs (Nieman Reports)

Because journalists see their work as a calling, it hits especially hard when they lose their jobs, writes Katherine Reynolds Lewis. But given the current state of the industry, it makes sense for journalists to know in advance what steps to take if they’re laid off, writes Lewis, who founded the Institute for Independent Journalists. She offers a number of ways to “stay ready.”

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> Use freelance content to build trust (Trusting News)

More journalists are striking out on their own. At the same time, budget cuts are prompting newsrooms to depend more on freelancers, writes Mollie Muchna. To help both newsrooms and freelancers maintain trust with audiences, Trusting News has put together a new training guide, the Freelance Trust Kit, based on feedback from both freelance journalists and newsroom editors. The guide, funded by a grant from the Society of Professional Journalists Foundation, includes tips for freelancers and editors, and strategies for building and maintaining trust.

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Revenue & Resilience

>> New from API: We’ve kicked off our Local News Summit on Local Identity, History and Sustainability 

We gathered more than 60 media leaders and experts from non-news spaces in Nashville to identify and advance solutions that help local news organizations build on their community’s history and assets to develop new revenue. How can news organizations tap into the bonds that tie communities together? Support from Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism, BlueLena, Report for America, Tennessee Press Association and National Federation of Community Broadcasters is helping make this event accessible to a wide range of participants and to expand the public-facing resources we will produce from this gathering.

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What else you need to know

👀 Judge sides with AP over White House ban for press coverage (Axios)

⚔️ Tensions erupt inside Wall Street Journal over competing projects about imprisoned journalist Evan Gershkovich (Variety)

🖊️ Indian journalist Mitali Mukherjee named director of the Reuters Institute (Reuters Institute)

🎙️ Doug Mitchell from Next Gen Radio/NPR (and API board member) wins Public Media for All award

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