Data decimation 

ProPublica last week published an examination of what it calls the “war on measurement,” the Trump administration’s abandonment of data that help policymakers and others — such as journalists — gauge the effectiveness of government programs.

Providing example after example, writer Alec MacGillis details the data programs that have been shut down or are at risk of being cut back.

NPR’s Will Stone zeroes in on one of the targets, the Centers for Disease Control, which has eliminated teams that focus on injuries from car crashes, mistreatment of children and other causes. As one researcher told Stone, “we will not know what’s killing us.”

Author Miranda Spivack noted recently for the National Press Club Journalism Institute that the firing of FOIA officers will have “a broad and lasting impact” on Americans. (She is currently on tour for her new book on government secrecy).

The growing data void will not only make it harder for journalists to do their jobs; it also opens the door to misinformation and manipulation.

But if you need data on how that misinformation is seeping into the ecosystem and affecting society, well, they’re eliminating that, too. Nieman Lab’s Sarah Scire details the cancellation of National Science Foundation grants to researchers studying mis- and disinformation.

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

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> Jury rules against Palin in libel case against The New York Times (The New York Times)

After two hours of deliberations, a federal jury on Tuesday ruled against former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in her defamation lawsuit against The Times for a 2017 editorial that inaccurately suggested that she had incited a 2011 shooting in Arizona. The case was closely watched by media and press freedom advocates because Palin’s lawyers had used the case to try to overturn a longstanding precedent that makes it hard for public figures to win defamation cases.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> New from API: Two programs to expand Culture & Inclusion initiatives 

API is announcing two new initiatives to support journalism’s future: the API Media Inclusion & Impact Survey and the API Leaders Fellowship for Inclusion & Impact. Both build on long-standing efforts to advance equity, accountability and leadership in newsrooms. Strategic planning for the two initiatives is being funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Read the full announcement.

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> How to earn audience trust: A conversation with Joy Mayer (Nieman Reports)

Trusting News’ Joy Mayer recently spoke to a class of Nieman Fellows about best practices for gaining trust, which includes word choices, transparency and other strategies. But one core issue in trust building, she says, is “intellectual humility — a curiosity about who you’re not serving, who feels seen and understood by your journalism, and who feels neglected or misrepresented by your journalism, and what you’re willing to do to change that.”

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Revenue & Resilience

>> ChatGPT adds Washington Post content to growing list of OpenAI media deals (CNBC) 

The Washington Post said it entered into a partnership with OpenAI to allow the artificial intelligence startup to display, summarize and quote the newspaper’s content within ChatGPT, writes Hayden Field. The deal, she writes, is the latest in a series of partnerships OpenAI has entered with more than 20 news publishers. She also outlines the media outlets that have taken a different route, seeking to protect their business from AI.

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What else you need to know

💼 The National Trust for Local News taps Buffalo News publisher as its next CEO (Nieman Lab)

📰 The Minnesota Star Tribune names the New York Times’ Kathleen Hennessey as top editor (Minnesota Star Tribune)

👀 Top producer of ‘60 Minutes’ quits, saying he lost independence (The New York Times)

⚖️ Federal judge orders Trump administration to rehire all Voice of America and Radio Free Asia staff (CBS News)