Student journalists are making impressive strides
In her latest Substack newsletter, Margaret Sullivan writes the excellent work of student journalists around the country makes her hopeful about journalism. She highlights the impressive investigative work at The Columbia Spectator, the Independent Florida Alligator at the University of Florida and the Townsend Harris High School student newspaper in Kew Gardens, Queens.
And at Florida Atlantic University, Mary Rasura created an entirely new newspaper focused on queer voices at the college. She hopes OutFAU will build a community for queer students following the closure of the school’s Center for Inclusion, Diversity Education and Advocacy. OutFAU is privately funded by OutSFL in South Florida. In his student journalism-focused newsletter The Nutgraf, Chatwan Mongkol also highlights queer student newspapers at Kent State University and the University of Michigan.
But students are still benefiting from traditional media experience. While an intern at The Dallas Morning News, Sophia Vesely was sent to cover a small town football team in a Dallas exurb. As a self-described “Gen Z journalist” more used to virtual conversations, she writes for Poynter that she learned the value of in-person reporting for understanding the broader context of a story within a community.
News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.
Civic Discourse & Democracy
>> Journalists are mostly resisting this sheriff’s horrible precedent of naming a child (Poynter)
A sheriff in Florida has begun posting mugshots of children who threaten school violence, but journalists by and large have not been publishing these photos. Kelly McBride writes that newsrooms have learned not to make sensationalist choices that harm children and potentially lead to copycat violence.
>> New from API: Influencer collaborations in election coverage a focus in new American Press Institute program alongside Knight Election Hub
Six news organizations will experiment with local influencers or trusted messengers to share their nonpartisan local journalism on elections in 2024 as part of a new American Press Institute program for the Knight Election Hub. The six participating news organizations are Pennsylvania’s Public Source, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New York’s THE CITY, North Carolina’s WSOC-TV, the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, and the nationwide Factchequeado.
>> Join us: Pulling back the curtain on what happens on election night
Join this API and AP webinar with news leaders who will help you understand AP’s vote count operation and approach to election coverage. The webinar will be held on Thursday, September 26 from 1 – 2pm EDT.
—
Culture & Inclusion
>> Permanent journalism collaboratives in the U.S. are generally small, led by women, and rely on philanthropy (Medium, Center for Cooperative Media)
A study of 41 permanent journalism collaboratives found that most are led by white women and are dependent on philanthropic funding. The Center for Cooperative Media recommends that these groups diversify their leadership and partnerships to focus on stability.
—
Community Engagement & Trust
>> Local journalists try new methods to reach, serve, and build trust with audiences (NiemanLab)
One local newsroom innovating in audience outreach is VTDigger, which discovered that paid community ambassadors were the key to a successful community listening initiative. This was largely because people were trusting and honest with their feedback when speaking with these ambassadors.
>> New research: Journalists should disclose their use of AI. Here’s how. (Trusting News)
Surveys have shown that 94% of people think journalists should disclose their use of AI. Trusting News recommends sharing information about AI tools used, why they were chosen, how people were involved in the process and what steps are being taken to ensure that any consent meets editorial standards.
—
Revenue & Resilience
>> In Venezuela, AI news anchors aren’t replacing journalists. They’re protecting them (CNN)
Press crackdowns in Venezuela have led news anchors in the country to use AI avatars to protect the identity of the journalists. Venezuela Retweets is a social-first news outlet presented by AI’s hosts La Chama (The Girl) and El Pana (The Dude).
—
What else you need to know
🪧 Law360 strike ends as union reaches deal (Talking Biz News)
🏀 NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski is stepping away from his $7 million salary and high-profile gig at ESPN (Poynter)
—
Weekend reads
+ Otherwise lost: In Austin, a movement journalist named Kit O’Connell covers the trans community — and many others — as major outlets don’t. (Columbia Journalism Review)
+ The Puente News Collaborative expands to report on the entire U.S.–Mexico border (NiemanLab)
+ What the landmark ‘1619 Project’ taught Nikole Hannah-Jones (Poynter)
