The Latest: ‘I got sued for this reporting’; AI’s threats to newsrooms; ‘Chaos’ at CNN; Local news accountability; Succession obsession?

June 6, 2023

■ Fewer than a third of Americans believe local news holds public officials accountable , poll finds (Poynter)

■ AI poses new threats to newsrooms, and they're taking action (CNBC) / Publishers’ group warns that generative AI content could violate copyright law (Marketing Brew) / CNET is overhauling its AI policy and updating past stories (The Verge)

■ CNN senior media reporter says Chris Licht ‘has lost the room’ (The Wrap) / Embattled CNN chief … vows to 'fight like hell' to win back trust / ‘Too little, too late,’ more than one employee said, summarizing the widespread attitude from staffers that I spoke with. (Oliver Darcy / Reliable Sources) / CNN's PR team will no longer report to Chris Licht (Semafor) / ‘The latest saga calls into question how prepared the network will be to cover the 2024 elections — typically its most lucrative programming opportunity.’ (Axios)

■ Fox Corp. board under investigation by Oregon's attorney general for violating its fiduciary duties (CNN)

■ CBS Broadcast Center in New York up for sale from Paramount (Hollywood Reporter)

■ Media's summer of strikes (Axios)

■ OutVoice, a freelancer platform for media companies, has acquired Study Hall in a ‘six-figure deal’ (Axios)

■ Sports reporter praised for stiff-arming fan trying to interrupt her broadcast : 'I'm here to do my job' (People)

■ Media's ‘Succession’ obsession (Axios)

Press freedom

■ U.S. senator calls for declassification of report on 2022 shooting of Al Jazeera reporter (VOA)

■ New York prisons just blocked journalism behind bars (New York Focus)

■ Judge grants media requests to unseal who paid George Santos's bail (Mediaite)

“If your newsletter subscribers are all derived from your radio listeners, then not a lot is changing in how you can talk to your subscribers about becoming members: The value proposition is the same. But if you’re getting new digital subscribers from other sources, then you’ve tapped into a new group of people who subscribe for a new value proposition. Stations should be aware where their digital subscribers are coming from and speak to them from that perspective.”

-- Joan DiMicco, executive director of product at WBUR, “Advice for public radio stations: why we can’t keep treating digital members like radio listeners”

“The leap of faith I took from print designer to web designer was all but pretty. There were points when I felt I was falling and failing. But I kept this goal of ‘coder’ close to me through the uncertainty. That’s the thing about the reset button. When you want something bad enough you have to push it . It’s the in between step when all is bad, you’re fed up, or when it’s time for a change in specialty. Pressing the button is the step between not being able to find a way and making a way.”

-- Michael Grant, founder of Get Current Studio, “On making the leap from print designer to web developer”

Editor’s Note: The National Press Club Journalism Institute is hiring a Development Manager to support fundraising initiatives. This position is based in Washington, D.C. If you are interested in using your talents to support journalists and press freedom, review the job description today. We are reviewing applications on a rolling basis.

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