|
|
|
Connecting
Oct. 30, 2023
Click here for sound of the Teletype
| |
|
Colleagues,
Good Monday morning on this Oct. 30, 2023,
Susan Skiles Luke was the first to respond to Connecting’s call for responses to this story from Nieman Reports - Hey Journalists, Nobody Is Coming to Save Us - In an era of mass layoffs and buyouts, it’s up to each and every one of us to be ready for the churn
She said: Such a critical topic, Paul, I'm glad you're covering it here. I jumped from the AP to PR after 17 years as a reporter. These days, there are many more ways to make a living post-AP than 'just' traditional PR, maybe more palatable to career journalists who don't fancy the idea of corporate comms: NGO-based newsrooms, both advocacy and news-focused; content operations for any well-funded cause you can name; publications, spanning formats, funded by NGOs, foundations, companies, causes, etc.
AP reporters tend to forget they are known for having the best news-copy skills in the English language, among other key strengths. In addition, the AP brand is global and unassailable---a heck of a name to leverage in your post-journalism lives.
That's a LOT to work with out there. Good luck to anyone considering work beyond the AP or traditional journalism.
Connecting hopes to hear your thoughts.
A SILVER LINING? – Our colleague Jim Clarke in Denver challenges you to top this:
"I finally discovered a silver lining to the slow death of print newspapers. While snow blowing the driveway Sunday morning, I sucked the Sunday Denver Post into the impeller, but it’s pretty thin these days, so I was able to yank it out. In the mid ‘90s I did the same thing with a Sunday Anchorage Daily News and did $400 worth of damage to that snowblower. So we can infer two things here. Yes, there are many fewer inserts and pages in today’s papers. And yes, I never learn a lesson."
| |
Halloween 2023 strikes tomorrow night. Got a photo of the costume you will be wearing? Or of your kids or grandkids or great grandkids? Send along - before or after Trick or Treating Night - to share with your colleagues.
Here’s to a great day ahead – be safe, stay healthy, live it to your fullest.
Paul
Fares Akram, former AP Gaza correspondent, loses 18 family members in Gaza air strike
Patrick Casey - Fares Akram reported for AP as its Gaza correspondent from 2014 until recently. He said on X (Twitter) this weekend that an Israeli air strike in Gaza apparently killed many members of his extended family.
| |
|
Fares was part of the AP multimedia team in Gaza, Jerusalem and New York that won the Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Visual Journalism in 2022 for the project " The Cost of War."
He was also on hand when an Israeli air strike blew up the AP's Gaza headquarters along with those of other media outlets in 2021.
Finally, Fares was part of the AP Gaza team that a Gramling award for its coverage of the 11-day war in Gaza in May 2021.
Here is a story from The Daily Beast:
Palestinian Journalist Says 18 Family Members Were Killed in Israeli Airstrike
Chaya Tong
Breaking News Intern
A Palestinian journalist who has written for The Associated Press in Gaza and Al Jazeera, Fares Akram, says an Israeli airstrike that hit Gaza killed 18 of his family members last Friday. “With no internet and phone connection, it took 12 hours to confirm that 18 of my extended family members lost their lives and 18 others remain trapped under the rubble,” he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Read more here.
Mass Shootings similar 55 years apart
Ed Staats - I was saddened by the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, and quickly realized how the circumstances were greatly similar to a nearly forgotten tragedy I covered in British Columbia while correspondent in Spokane, Washington 55 years ago.
Having no yellowed copies of the stories in my files, which my late wife would declare unusual, I called upon Bard, the generative Artificial Intelligence portal by Google which I have been experimenting with to better understand AI.
CoB Wick Temple in Seattle had received a call from Canadian Press asking for help in getting staffers to the scene north of Spokane in eastern British Columbia and a long distance from Vancouver. He dispatched newsman Bill Morlin and me to cover the search for the perpetrator of what became known as the Logan Lake Massacre in which eight people died from rifle bullets and their bodies mutilated. Four others, including children, were wounded.
When I asked Bard for details of the incident, here's what came back within a few seconds:
The mass shooting you are referring to is the Logan Lake Massacre, which occurred on May 19, 1968, in Logan Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Eight people were killed and four were injured in the shooting. The perpetrator was a 27-year-old man named David William Lewis, a former employee of a logging company that operated in Logan Lake. He was armed with a rifle and a shotgun and went on a shooting rampage at the company's office, a nearby bar, and a gas station. Lewis was eventually shot and killed by police.
The Logan Lake Massacre was one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canada history. It remains unclear what motivated Lewis to carry out the attack. However, some experts believe that may have been motivated by a desire for revenge against his former employer. Others believe he may have been mentally ill.
The Logan Lake Massacre had a devastating impact on the small community of Logan Lake. Many people were left traumatized by the attack and the town struggled to recover. The massacre also led to calls for stricter gun control laws in Canada.
In the aftermath of the massacre, the Canadian government established a Royal Commission to investigate the incident. The commission's report made a number of recommendations, including stricter gun-control laws and improved mental health services. However, many of these recommendations were not implemented.
The Logan Lake Massacre remains a dark chapter in Canadian history. It is a reminder of the devastating impact that gun violence can have on a community.
His next ‘next chapter’ includes a new book
|  | |
Tom Kent - Connecting invites its readers to describe the “second chapters” of their lives, so I’ll take the bait and offer an update on my second, third, or whatever chapter I’m in now. (And speaking of chapters, I’ll take the opportunity to mention my new book!)
As many colleagues know, after retiring from AP as standards editor in 2016, I became president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, based in Prague. I returned to the US in 2018 and resumed teaching at Columbia. I’d taught for several years at the Journalism School when I was at AP, worrying every teaching day that some news crisis would keep me from class. Now I teach at the School of International and Public Affairs. My current course is “Propaganda, Russia, and the World Information War.”
Given my AP standards experience, I consult to US and international news organizations on ethics. I also advise governments, NGOs, and the like on the problems of disinformation. My wife and I are often in East Europe and the Caucasus, though research for books and my classes has included trips to Argentina, South Africa and other points as well.
In 2020, the Jamestown Foundation published my first book, Striking Back: Overt and Covert Options to Combat Russian Disinformation. Just out this month is my new one, How Russia Loses: Hubris and Miscalculation in Putin’s Kremlin.
It’s a bit counterintuitive, when the world is in such turmoil and some chips are falling the Kremlin’s way, to be writing about weaknesses in their influence operations. But that makes it perhaps more important to focus on the kinds of miscalculations they do make … and how these can be recognized and exploited by pro-democracy forces in what will still be a long game.
I plug the new book here completely free of pecuniary motive. Though you can buy a print version if you insist, it’s also available as a free download from Jamestown.
I’m happy to engage on ethics and disinfo issues with Connecting colleagues. And perhaps there’s a new discussion to be had in Connecting about tips for dealing with jet lag. In constant travel, I’ve yet to find something that works.
Cabot Prize awarded to Josh Goodman
Claude Erbsen - The Maria Moors Gold Medal was awarded to Miami-based AP Latin American correspondent Joshua Goodman by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in a ceremony October 18 at Columbia's Low Memorial Library. He was one of two journalists from the United States, and two from Latin America to receive the Gold Medal.
| |
|
Established and endowed in 1938, the Maria Moors Cabot awards are the oldest international journalism awards and the most prestigious prizes for journalism in the Americas. Originally designed to encourage Inter-American understanding, they have eveolved into recognition of a journalist's body of work. Sadly, the awards to Latin American colleagues are sometimes posthumous, and the recipients are often the victims of government persecution who have had the audacity to commit honest journalism.
Here is Josh's citation:
Joshua Goodman
The Associated Press, United States
For more than two decades, Joshua Goodman has reported from the Americas with groundbreaking, often unique investigations that combine deeply sourced knowledge with keen empathy. At The Associated Press, and previously at other news outlets, he has written trailblazing reports from some of South America's most politically complex countries, including Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela.
It is in Venezuela where Josh made some of his most important contributions to the understanding of the region, When there was little reliable information emerging from a widely censored country, and when opinion and policy in Washington was completely distorted by partisan politics, Josh continued to dig, He was able to provide sometimes the only accurate accounts of what was happening amid the tragic collapse of one of the region's wealthiest countries.
Finally, when the abuses of the Nicolis Maduro government made reporting from within Venezuela all but impossible, Goodman proceeded to produce scoops from Florida, Washington and elsewhere.
For his dogged determination, boundless attention to detail, nuanced storytelling and the wide scope of journalistic knowledge he has added to our comprehension of the region's most important trends, the board is pleased to present Joshua Goodman with a Maria Moors Cabot Gold Medal.
Popular pictures
|  |  | |
Malcolm Ritter - I shot these photos of the Margaret Todd schooner off the coast of Bar Harbor, Maine, some years ago. I always liked them, but I was stunned by the reaction when I posted them this month on a Facebook page for Maine photography. More than 2,600 people responded with "like," "love" or "wow." And that post was shared 227 times. I've never gotten anything close to numbers like that. So I figure the shots are good enough for Connecting!
China Umbrellas
| Nick Ut - I took some pictures when I was in China. A worker airs new oilcloth umbrellas in Guofeng village, Jing county in East China's Anhui province, October 23. The traditional umbrellas, made of oiled cloth and bamboo ribs, have become a name card of the county, attracting thousands of tourists and shutterbugs to visit every year. According to Zheng Guomin, an inheritor of the traditional technique, the handicraft has applied for a place in the provincial intangible heritage list. | Connecting wishes Happy Birthday |  | |
Stories of interest
A year later, Musk’s X is tilting right. And sinking. (Washington Post)
By Will Oremus, Elizabeth Dwoskin, Sarah Ellison and Jeremy B. Merrill
One year after billionaire Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion, aiming to rid it of a “woke mind virus” that he believed was suppressing free speech, the site’s business outlook appears dire.
The number of people actively tweeting has dropped by more than 30 percent, according to previously unreported data obtained by The Washington Post, and the company — which the entrepreneur behind Tesla and SpaceX has renamed X — is hemorrhaging advertisers and revenue, interviews show.
But in at least one respect, Musk has delivered on his original promise: Twitter has become far less “woke.”
Through dramatic product changes, sudden policy shifts and his own outsize presence on the platform, Musk has rapidly re-engineered who has a voice on a service that used to be the hub of real-time news and global debate. A site that fueled social movements such as the Arab Spring, Black Lives Matter and #MeToo has veered noticeably rightward under Musk, especially in the United States, say organizers from across the political spectrum.
Read more here. Shared by Dennis Conrad.
-0-
The New York Times Help Wanted: Looking for an AI Editor to Start Publishing Stories: Six Figure Salary (ShowBiz 411)
by Roger Friedman
The New York Times boast all the news that’s fit to print. That news used to be written by humans.
But it looks like the Times is going let bots do their journalism. They’re looking for “a senior editor to lead the newsroom’s efforts to ambitiously and responsibly make use of generative artificial intelligence.”
I’m not kidding. How the mighty have fallen. It’s on their job listings.
Have we reached the end of civilization now?
“This editor will be responsible for ensuring that The Times is a leader in GenAI innovation and its applications for journalism. They will lead our efforts to use GenAI tools in reader-facing ways as well as internally in the newsroom. To do so, they will shape the vision for how we approach this technology and will serve as the newsroom’s leading voice on its opportunity as well as its limits and risks. “
Here are the qualifications for this job, which pays between $180,000 and $200,000:
Read more here. Shared by Doug Pizac.
| Today in History - Oct. 30, 2023 | |
|
Today is Monday, Oct. 30, the 303rd day of 2023. There are 62 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Oct. 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the eighth round of a 15-round bout in Kinshasa, Zaire, known as the “Rumble in the Jungle,” to regain his world heavyweight title.
On this date:
In 1885, poet Ezra Pound was born in Hailey, Idaho.
In 1912, Vice President James S. Sherman, running for a second term of office with President William Howard Taft, died six days before Election Day.
In 1938, the radio play “The War of the Worlds,” starring Orson Welles, aired on CBS.
In 1945, the U.S. government announced the end of shoe rationing, effective at midnight.
In 1961, the Soviet Union tested a hydrogen bomb, the “Tsar Bomba,” with a force estimated at about 50 megatons.
In 1972, 45 people were killed when an Illinois Central Gulf commuter train was struck from behind by another train on Chicago’s South Side.
In 1975, the New York Daily News ran the headline “Ford to City: Drop Dead” a day after President Gerald R. Ford said he would veto any proposed federal bailout of New York City.
In 1995, by a razor-thin vote of 50.6 percent to 49.4 percent, Federalists prevailed over separatists in a Quebec secession referendum.
In 2000, comedian, television host, author and composer Steve Allen died in Encino, California, at age 78.
In 2001, Ukraine destroyed its last nuclear missile silo, fulfilling a pledge to give up the vast nuclear arsenal it had inherited after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
In 2005, the body of Rosa Parks arrived at the U.S. Capitol, where the civil rights icon became the first woman to lie in honor in the Rotunda; President George W. Bush and congressional leaders paused to lay wreaths by her casket.
In 2012, the Walt Disney Co. announced that it would buy Lucasfilm Ltd. for $4.05 billion, paving the way for a new “Star Wars” trilogy.
In 2013, the Boston Red Sox romped to their third World Series championship in 10 seasons, thumping the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 in Game 6 at Fenway Park.
Today’s Birthdays: Movie director Claude Lelouch is 86. Rock singer Grace Slick is 84. Songwriter Eddie Holland is 84. R&B singer Otis Williams (The Temptations) is 82. Actor Joanna Shimkus is 80. Actor Henry Winkler is 78. Broadcast journalist Andrea Mitchell is 77. Rock musician Chris Slade (Asia) is 77. Country/rock musician Timothy B. Schmit (The Eagles) is 76. Actor Leon Rippy is 74. Actor Harry Hamlin is 72. Actor Charles Martin Smith is 70. Country singer T. Graham Brown is 69. Actor Kevin Pollak is 66. Rock singer-musician Jerry De Borg (Jesus Jones) is 63. Actor Michael Beach is 60. Rock singer-musician Gavin Rossdale (Bush) is 58. Actor Jack Plotnick is 55. Comedian Ben Bailey is 53. Actor Billy Brown is 53. Actor Nia Long is 53. Country singer Kassidy Osborn (SHeDAISY) (sh-DAY’-zee) is 47. Actor Gael Garcia Bernal is 45. Actor Matthew Morrison is 45. Business executive and former presidential adviser Ivanka Trump is 42. Actor Fiona Dourif is 42. Actor Shaun Sipos (SEE’-pohs) is 42. Actor Tasso Feldman is 40. Actor Janel (juh-NEHL’) Parrish is 35. Actor Tequan Richmond is 31. Actor Kennedy McMann is 27. NHL defenseman Cale Makar is 25.
| |
Got a story or photos to share? | |
|
Connecting is a daily newsletter published Monday through Friday that reaches more than 1,800 retired and former Associated Press employees, present-day employees, and news industry and journalism school colleagues. It began in 2013. Past issues can be found by clicking Connecting Archive in the masthead. Its author, Paul Stevens, retired from the AP in 2009 after a 36-year career as a newsman in Albany and St. Louis, correspondent in Wichita, chief of bureau in Albuquerque, Indianapolis and Kansas City, and Central Region vice president based in Kansas City.
Got a story to share? A favorite memory of your AP days? Don't keep them to yourself. Share with your colleagues by sending to Ye Olde Connecting Editor. And don't forget to include photos!
Here are some suggestions:
- Connecting "selfies" - a word and photo self-profile of you and your career, and what you are doing today. Both for new members and those who have been with us a while.
- Second chapters - You finished a great career. Now tell us about your second (and third and fourth?) chapters of life.
- Spousal support - How your spouse helped in supporting your work during your AP career.
- My most unusual story - tell us about an unusual, off the wall story that you covered.
- "A silly mistake that you make"- a chance to 'fess up with a memorable mistake in your journalistic career.
- Multigenerational AP families - profiles of families whose service spanned two or more generations.
- Volunteering - benefit your colleagues by sharing volunteer stories - with ideas on such work they can do themselves.
- First job - How did you get your first job in journalism?
- Most unusual place a story assignment took you.
Paul Stevens
Editor, Connecting newsletter
paulstevens46@gmail.com
| | | | |
