Sorting through Social Security

Misinformation about Social Security is spreading across the country as Elon Musk’s DOGE takes aim at large swaths of the government. For local journalists, this means a lot of debunking, clarifying and separating fact from fiction.

“There is so much misinformation about the Social Security program and the conduct of the Social Security Administration that I simply cannot keep up with it,” Tom Margenau writes in the Dallas Morning News. He goes on to unravel some common falsehoods, like unproven allegations of fraud.

At the Detroit Free Press, Susan Tompor wrote about how the turmoil is causing angst among local seniors. Along the way, Tompor debunked some bad advice circulating on social media. (Her piece, by the way, was cited by Sen. Cory Booker in his record-breaking 25-hour floor speech this week.)

Meanwhile, confusion about possible closures of local Social Security offices has prompted local journalists to clarify that offices will remain open. A piece by Hank Rowland at the Brunswick News in Georgia is an example, as is one by Jeff Murray at the Elmira (N.Y.) Star-Gazette.

Localized stories like these will continue to be in demand as misinformation persists. Just this week, Musk, speaking in Wisconsin, spread “baseless and often misleading attacks” on the program, writes New York Times fact-checker Linda Qiu.

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

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> The false things Trump said about tariffs during his announcement (The Washington Post)

Glenn Kessler’s analysis of Trump’s new tariffs points out a range of falsehoods, exaggerations and inconsistencies in the trade plan.The president relied on false claims that he’s made before, which have been debunked, Kessler writes, but now “they are determining policy that will increase the costs of goods for many Americans.”

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Culture & Inclusion

>> Former Vice CEO Nancy Dubuc is back, this time tackling women’s sports (The Wall Street Journal) 

Nancy Dubuc, the former leader of A+E Networks and Vice Media, is now running Togethxr, a new media and commerce startup focused on women’s sports. She and several other media veterans are looking to “catch the wave” of interest in women’s sports, writes Katie Deighton. Four athletes are also co-founders.

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> What Chicago is losing in the Sun-Times buyouts (Block Club Chicago)

Thirty Sun-Times employees — or about 20 percent of its staff — accepted buyout offers from Chicago Public Media, the paper’s owners, writes Clint Worthington. “They leave in their wake a crater of institutional knowledge and centuries’ worth of collective experience…” he writes. Tim Franklin, director of Northwestern University’s Medill Local News Initiative, told Worthington that the cuts are part of a “secular decline” in the industry.

Revenue & Resilience

>> New from API: 4 tips for bridging sales, editorial silos for revenue projects (Better News) 

Here’s an idea to steal and adapt: Kenny Katzgrau, a software engineer turned digital ad platform CEO and hyperlocal news publisher, outlines four ways to build trust and foster cooperation across departments in news organizations. He shares approaches for how to plant “the flag on the top of the mountain” for team members to climb toward and other ways to find a common purpose when developing revenue goals.

>> Join us: Proven digital transformation strategies to try at your news organization

We’re hosting an hour-long discussion and interactive debrief at 1 p.m. ET on May 1 about the tools and frameworks featured in API’s Digital Transformation Guide. In this conversation, attendees will hear from local news leaders who worked on successful digital transformation strategies to launch new products, increase revenue streams, hold live journalism events and strengthen workplace culture at their organizations. Learn more and sign up.

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What else you need to know

💸 Big Local News receives $3.9 million from Knight Foundation to strengthen local data journalism infrastructure (Big Local News)

👀 Eugene Robinson leaves the Washington Post after Jeff Bezos’ ‘significant shift’ to opinion section (The Wrap)

🎙️ Chuck Todd, former ‘Meet the Press’ moderator, starts podcast network (The New York Times)

🛡️ Idaho becomes the 41st state to protect journalists, sources (The Seattle Times)

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Weekend reads

+ A mayor’s lawsuit shut down a newspaper over fake stories. Now he faces corruption allegations (Associated Press)

+ The true story behind MrBallen’s crime podcasts (Bloomberg News)

+ The Mercury News put all its news on the web for free 30 years ago. Did it open Pandora’s box? (Poynter)

+ Even four-year-olds instinctively fact-check for misinformation (Scientific American)