Two new ways of looking at legislatures 

News about state government coverage often focuses on the dwindling number of journalists in Capitol press rooms. This week, two models that show promise for statehouse reporting are in the spotlight. One focuses on collaboration, the other on data.

In North Carolina, writes Nieman Lab’s Sophie Culpepper, the public radio station WUNC is working with four other stations to create the “North Carolina Newsroom, Capitol Bureau,” to cover state government in Raleigh. The initiative is funded through a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which in the Trump era means uncertainty. But, Culpepper writes, it’s “a heartening example of how collaborations can fill local news gaps.”

In California, meanwhile, the expansion of CalMatters’ Digital Democracy tool is “one of the most interesting developments in local news,” Dick Tofel writes in his Second Rough Draft newsletter. The tool, which includes data visualizations for all of the state’s legislators, bill-tracking and videos, could be a model for other outlets; it’s currently being tried out in Hawaii and Texas, CalMatters CEO Neil Chase told Tofel.

It also has an AI-assisted tip sheet that local reporters could use to “take the story and run with it,” Chase said.

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

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> ‘State propaganda’: Anger erupts inside Univision over airing of Trump ad (The Bulwark)

In its news coverage, the Spanish-language network Univision has been critical of ads by the Department of Homeland Security warning immigrants that “if you are here illegally, we will find you and deport you.” But when Univision decided to run the ads, it “left journalists inside the network frustrated,” reports Adrian Carrasquillo.

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Culture & Inclusion

>>  Donor interest vs. editorial independence: How to defend your news integrity during a global funding crisis (Global Investigative Journalism Network) 

Investigative nonprofit newsrooms face disparagement from a number of sources, but a common theme is that their coverage is biased because of who contributes to them, writes Rowan Philp. “At the heart of all of the attacks is the basic claim that independent media is not independent,” Philp writes. He suggests several strategies for journalists to maximize transparency and independence in the face of these critics.

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> As markets whipsaw, conservative media shrugs (The New York Times)

Right-leaning outlets are paying scant attention to steep drops in the stock market, writes Ken Bensinger. President Trump in the past has pointed to the stock market “as a kind of scoreboard for his policies,” Bensinger writes. But now Trump’s calling the current moment “a period of transition.” His media allies are echoing his sentiments.

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Revenue & Resilience

>> FCC officially opens door to mass broadcast deregulation (Radio Ink)

The Federal Communications Commission is “opening the floodgates” in deregulating broadcasters, writes Cameron Coats. The agency’s mantra is “Delete, Delete, Delete,” referring to its desire to get rid of what it sees as unnecessary regulations. The review could result in “significant changes” to ownership rules, content policies and licensing requirements, Coats writes.

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What else you need to know

✍️ Eric Deggans named Knight Chair in Journalism and Media Ethics at Washington & Lee University (The Columns)

👀 Wesley Lowery exits Investigative Reporting Workshop and American University following student complaints (CJR)

✏️ The New Yorker updates its style guide for the internet age (The New York Times)

🤖 Yale scholar banned after A.I.-powered news site accuses her of terrorist link (The New York Times)

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Weekend reads

+ Wikipedia’s reluctant resisters (CJR)

+ Interview: Did scientists and the media get Covid all wrong? (Undark)

+ Why Ruth Marcus left The Washington Post (The New Yorker)

+ For NPR’s Anas Baba, covering the war in Gaza also means living it (The Washington Post)