The Latest: Fighting election deepfakes; Media + perceptions of Israel; Framing disinformation webinar; Newsroom hires

April 2, 2024

Top stories

How Univision and the White House reconciled after 'softball' Trump interview (Vanity Fair) /Joe Biden’s non traditional press media strategy (Reliable Sources) / White House thanks Daily Caller for retracting story on religious Easter egg ban (The Hill)

‘Tectonic shift’ in media has changed perceptions of Israel (The Wrap) / Israeli strike on a hospital compound in Gaza wounded seven journalists (BBC)

Thanks to hits like Wordle, the New York Times is now a gaming company (Kotaku) / NYT to soon offer most articles via automated voice (Axios)

An A.I. researcher takes on election deepfakes (New York Times) / Yahoo acquires AI news aggregation app Artifact from Instagram cofounders (The Wrap) / Author who won Japan’s top literary award with help from ChatGPT: ‘AI helps you compensate for your weaknesses’ (El Pais)

‘A consortium of Colorado newsrooms are teaming up to switch their election coverage to the citizen's agenda model’ (Jay Rosen)

G/O Media and Kotaku staff are locked in a battle for the gaming website’s soul and business (Digiday)

’Morning Edition’ and ‘Up First’ welcome new digital editor , Obed Manuel (NPR) / Annah Aschbrenner named senior deputy campaign editor (Washington Post) / Dana Wollman, former Engadget editor-in-chief, to join Bloomberg News as a technology editor (Talking Biz News)

News photo agency Getty Images explains mysterious caption on Kate Middleton video (Daily Beast)

Facebook shuts news tab after Meta vows to stop paying Australian publishers for content (Guardian)

The 19th’s new metric for measuring readership (Columbia Journalism Review)

For rural papers as old as Nevada itself, a fight for survival in digital age (The Nevada Independent)

College newspaper sweeps up 2 tiny publications in a volley against growing news deserts (Associated Press)

Press Freedom

The frightening backdrop to an Iranian journalist’s stabbing in London (Columbia Journalism Review)

Peruvian authorities target journalist Gustavo Gorriti in bribery probe (Committee to Protect Journalists)

Togo journalist Apollinaire Mewenemesse detained for defamation (Committee to Protect Journalists)

Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award. Honoring a mid-career journalist. Deadline to apply is April 30, 2024. Click to learn more.

Why We Believe: Framing the disinformation crisis for journalists

Journalism and democracy have been upended by the growth of mis- and disinformation. Countering it effectively requires understanding why people are susceptible and targeted — and how they can become more resilient. Psychological research can teach journalists how to pre-bunk disinformation and convey credibility in ways that readers, viewers, and listeners can process, which is more essential than ever as Election Day 2024 nears.

Register now to join the National Press Club Journalism Institute, the American Psychological Association, and PEN America for a free program on Wednesday, April 10. Learn strategies for coverage that informs and empowers your community and discuss the ways disinformation has affected the practice of journalism. The program, which will be held on Zoom, will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET, and be followed by a Q&A session.

Panelists include:

Tiffany Hsu, reporter on the technology team covering misinformation and disinformation, New York Times
Shannon Jankowski, program director, journalism and disinformation for PEN America
Jay Van Bavel, director of the Social Identity & Morality Lab and associate professor of psychology and neural science, New York University
Moderator: Beth Francesco, executive director of the National Press Club Journalism Institute

This program is part of the National Press Club Journalism Institute’s four-part webinar series focused on ethics in the age of disinformation. The series, produced in part with funding from the Inasmuch Foundation, is designed to provide tools and best practices to support ethical, trustworthy journalism.

The case for taking breaks at work

“Creating a number of short micro-breaks throughout the day can help us to manage our energy and maintain cognitive, emotional, and even physical capacity . These short respites can be as brief as one minute or five to 10 minutes in duration. Just as micro stresses can accumulate at work, micro-breaks throughout the day can help counter their effects.”

-- Rebecca Zucker, contributor at Harvard Business Review, excerpt from “Don’t underestimate the power of small breaks during a busy workday ”

Resources

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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The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest. The Institute's tax ID number is 52-1750908.