October 23, 2023

This edition of The Latest is brought to you by Publir,

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• N.Y. Times says it was ‘incorrect’ to rely on Hamas claims to wrongly blame Israel for Gaza hospital blast (Hollywood Reporter) / ‘... The initial report "left readers with an incorrect impression about what was known and how credible the account was." ’ (Brian Stelter) / Editors’ Note: Gaza hospital coverage (New York Times) / How the media got the hospital explosion wrong (The Atlantic) 

• The media navigates a war of words for reporting on Gaza and Israel (Washington Post) / Some Israeli journalists express fear about conveying dissenting views (New York Times) / Hate graffiti at offices of news outlet (Mediaite)

• Israel shows raw footage of Hamas atrocities to journalists (The Wrap) / ‘Footage was taken from numerous sources, including from bodycams worn by the terrorists, dashcams, from emergency rescue personnel and Israeli security service cameras.’ (Emanuel Miller) / The Washington Post’s international editor on covering the Israel-Hamas war ‘around the clock’ (Nieman Journalism Lab) 

• Another Palestinian journalist killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza (Al Jazeera) / ‘Nearly two dozen journalists have been killed so far in Hamas-Israel war - It’s a staggering number…’ (Sara Fischer) / Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza conflict (Committee to Protect Journalists) 

• Iran sentences 2 journalists for allegedly collaborating with U.S. (Associated Press) / Press Club statement on sentencing of leading Iranian journalists (NPC/JI) 

• Russian court orders formal arrest of U.S. journalist Alsu Kurmasheva (Wall Street Journal)

• A global news nonprofit wooed top foundations with exaggerated reach (Semafor) 

• D.C. lawmakers to introduce new bill funding local news via vouchers (Axios) / ‘The upside to gov. distributed vouchers is that residents get to decide who gets the funding, not lawmakers …’ (Sara Fischer)

• Newspapers want payment for articles used to power ChatGPT (Washington Post) / Here’s a look at how the newly up-to-date ChatGPT reports the latest news (Nieman Journalism Lab) 

• Senate Democrats push FCC review of possible streaming regulation (Broadcasting & Cable) 

• 'My comments were my comments': Gov. Pillen responds to criticism of 'outright racist' remarks about journalist (Nebraska Examiner) 

• ‘In the wake of Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner's offensive comments, we've taken a hard look at where we’ve been and where we’re going. Editor-in-Chief Noah Shachtman reflects on today's Rolling Stone’ (Rolling Stone)

• ‘Some news: Journalists at The Washington Post expect its Daily 202 newsletter to be disproportionately affected by the ongoing buyout program ....’ (Ben Mullin)

• Feminist blogging site Jezebel up for sale (Axios) 

• College football fans roast unfortunate Ohio State newspaper headline (Sports Illustrated)

Resources for covering money in politics

Reporting on campaign finance is essential for transparency in the democratic process. And journalists play a crucial role in informing the public about how money influences politics.  

OpenSecrets’ research experts Anna Massoglia and Pete Quist offered tips for journalists during a National Press Club Journalism Institute webinar on Oct. 20: 

• Learn the basics of campaign finance. To effectively cover campaign finance, it's crucial to have a solid understanding of: what campaign contributions are; the rules and regulations governing them (such as contribution limits and disclosure requirements), and the differences between federal and state campaign finance laws. 

• Utilize available data tools. Familiarize yourself with websites like opensecrets.org and followthemoney.org to access relevant information, track campaign funding trends, and identify major donors and spenders at the federal and state levels.

• Analyze historical campaign finance patterns. For instance, examining the cost of elections over the past few decades reveals that running for federal office has become significantly more expensive. This trend is attributed to both increased candidate fundraising and the growing role of independent expenditures. 

• Explore trends of dark money in politics. Dark money refers to political spending by groups that do not fully disclose their donors, making it challenging to trace the origins of campaign funds. To dig deeper, look at insights into Super PACs and political action committees that disclose their funding to the Federal Election Commission.

Additional resources from OpenSecrets can be found here. Watch the webinar:

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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