OFF THE TOP

You might have heard: What young workers miss without the ‘power of proximity’ (The New York Times) 

But did you know: What happens to journalism when journalists work and meet remotely instead of together? (Medill Local News Initiative) 

A combination of factors have diminished the idea of a newsroom, writes Mark Caro, a trend that is impacting the future of journalism. It’s impossible to create the same collaborative dynamics online that exist in person, and the act of physically leaving your neighborhood to go to an office helps connect journalists with their communities. But, he notes, the large open-plan newsroom didn’t exist in the same way before World War I, and plenty of reporters worked out of government buildings or were reporting from the streets. [newsletter align=right]

+ Noted: Detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich loses appeal in Russian court (ABC News); Washington Post will offer buyouts to cut staff by 240 (The Washington Post) 

API UPDATE 

Trust Tip: Explain subscriber-only content (Trusting News) 

Many people have the perception that journalism is, and should be, free. Research shows if people knew about the financial state of journalism, they might be more likely to pay for news. But many newsrooms haven’t gotten on the record about this or ever really told the story of why their news costs money.

This can be problematic when newsrooms make changes in the type, frequency or availability of content without telling their audience why. Say you decrease the number of stories people can read before hitting the paywall, or you make specific content available just to paying subscribers. Will your audience know why you’re making these changes? Will they see the unique value of the news you’re offering? Will they understand how vital subscriptions are to the survival of your newsroom?

Of course, the answer is likely no. And if you’re not telling them, they will make assumptions about how money relates to your journalism. That’s why it’s so important newsrooms thoughtfully get on the record about why their news costs money. 

For Table Stakes alumni organizations: Learn how to measure and share the impact of your journalism

Join us from 12 to 1:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 12 to learn how to define, track and report on the impact of your journalism. Anjanette Delgado, executive editor at the Detroit Free Press, will lead the training. 

This session is for Table Stakes alumni who are:

  • Interested in starting an impact tracking practice in their news organization
  • Already tracking impact and looking to learn more about designing coverage to optimize for impact
  • Working to strengthen their news organization’s connection with local or regional audiences (reporters, editors, producers, operations, marketing, fundraising, membership, bridge roles, etc.)

Who is part of the Table Stakes alumni community? An individual who:

  • Is an alum of a Table Stakes program (Major Market, Poynter, UNC, ASU, Gannett-McClatchy)
  • Works for a news organization that completed of one of the programs mentioned above
  • A former or current coach for a Table Stakes program

This session will be recorded.

TRY THIS AT HOME

How newsrooms can protect women journalists from online hate (The Fix) 

Female journalists around the world are more likely to face online abuse and violence than their male colleagues, but newsrooms often fail to intervene or support their employees. Chris Tenove, author of the Global Reporting Centre’s “Not Just Words” report on online abuse, told Priyal Shah that newsrooms should be monitoring online attacks against their journalists and offering legal and therapeutic resources for anyone affected. Tenove also says newsrooms need to take a public stand in support of their journalists; often, female journalists say the hardest part of harassment is the silence from their employers. 

OFFSHORE

How Haaretz used existing processes to cover the unfolding war in Israel (CNN)

Esther Solomon, the editor-in-chief of Israeli newspaper Haaretz, was able to mobilize her 400-person newsroom quickly on Saturday after Hamas attacked Israel. In recent months, Haaretz had been building an infrastructure via WhatsApp that allowed teams to communicate easily. This system was designed to help cover pro-democracy protests around the country, but it was used to swiftly publish critical reporting on the war. The paper published hundreds of stories in a 72-hour period, providing round-the-clock coverage. 

+ Related: Journalists rush into danger to cover the Israel-Hamas war (Poynter); How to avoid misinformation about the war in Gaza (Poynter) 

OFFBEAT

How the attacks in Israel are changing Threads (Platformer) 

As misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war has spread on X, formerly Twitter, Meta’s platform Threads may be becoming the go-to social media platform for news and information. Casey Newton writes that over the weekend, he saw more journalists posting on the site and more users complaining about functionality limits — a sign that people want to use Threads more. Threads has also taken basic steps to ensure that misinformation doesn’t spread in the same way, such as offering free verification to journalists, including headlines on article links and curbing troll farms and bots. 

SHAREABLE

These Arlington teens want more youth voices in local news. Now they’re adding their own (DCist) 

The Arlington Amp is a podcast produced by Arlington Independent Media’s Youth Journalism Initiative, a program that helped Virginia teenagers connect with local news. The high school students spent six weeks over the summer developing, reporting, writing and producing podcast episodes about topics of interest to them — restorative justice programs, for example, or urban infrastructure. Podcast producer Kristen Clark, who runs the program, says she was amazed that the team was able to produce a full season of episodes in only six weeks. [newsletter]