October 25, 2023

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• At least 24 journalists have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza (NPR) / Family of Al Jazeera journalist killed in Israeli strike, network says (Reuters) / ‘... Wael Dahdouh's wife, son and daughter were killed in an Israeli airstrike which targeted a shelter house they had fled to. Wael received the news while on air …’ (Mohamed Moawad)

• Blinken says he asked Qatari PM to rein in Al Jazeera's Israel-Hamas war coverage: sources (Axios)  

• ‘Everyone wants us to pick a side’: Reporters grapple with covering Israel-Hamas war (Hollywood Reporter) 

• Mike Johnson is the GOP's next speaker (POLITICO) / ‘Boos ... “Shut up! Shut up!” ... "Next question" when Rep. Mike Johnson is asked about efforts to overturn 2020 presidential election results …’ (Howard Mortman) / ‘House reporters deserve a vacation and a raise.’ (Igor Bobic)

• Guilty pleas from ex-Trump attorneys deal blow to right-wing media outlets that amplified election lies (CNN) 

• Survey identifies media literacy skills gap amidst rise in AI-generated content (Poynter) / ‘Robotic’ reviews raise concerns about AI-generated journalism at Gannett (The Messenger) / White House to unveil sweeping AI executive order next week (Washington Post) 

• U.S. will bring detained journalist home from Russia, Biden assures family (The Guardian)

• Vox editor-in-chief Swati Sharma takes on expanded role as publisher (Vox Media)

• Margaret Brennan wants CBS viewers to see domestic, foreign connections (The Wrap) 

• Williamson Herald publisher calls out vandals, constant harassment in election lead-up (Williamson Herald) 

• ‘Bloomberg is adding 40 new data journalists and visualization reporters’ (Jason Grotto)

• The Messenger is speedrunning the media startup life cycle (Defector) 

• What the U.S. has argued in the Google antitrust trial (New York Times) 

• Meet the first-ever mixtaper at The New York Times (Nieman Journalism Lab)

On journalists using AI

“Streamlining the logistical, busywork, back-end side of reporting seems like a perfectly good use. But I would distinguish that from the front-end, creative, thoughtful side of journalism, which is something that we as journalists should always be able to explain and be accountable for. It seems to me that there is a qualitative ethical difference between using AI as a research assistant, or using it to come up with stuff that serves as some kind of creative inspiration, and using it to actually do creative work like writing or illustration. It’s a tool, and it should always be treated as a tool, not as a replacement for the human mind. Because the 'creativity' of AI itself is really just an illusion based on stealing and remixing creative work that humans have already done.”

-- Hamilton Nolan, Columbia Journalism Review contributor, “The potential and peril of AI in the newsroom”

This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Bara Vaida, and Holly Butcher Grant. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

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