May 29, 2024

• More than half of Americans are following election news closely, and many are already worn out (Pew Research Center) / The panic of the polls. The 2024 election won’t be decided by vibes in May, but by votes in November (Vanity Fair) 

• The Atlantic, Vox Media ink licensing, product deals with OpenAI (Axios) / Litigate or license? News publishers struggle with letting AI have their content (The Wrap) / World Association of News Publishers and OpenAI launch global AI accelerator for newsrooms (WAN-IFRA) / How tech journalists are fueling the AI hype machine (On the Media) / Google researchers say AI now leading disinformation vector (and are severely undercounting the problem) (404 Media)  

• ‘New on Washington Post articles: AI-generated summaries highlighting three key “takeaways” in the story. (Not sure I’d trust a robot to determine what the key points in a story I’d labored days or weeks on)’ (Paul Farhi) 

• A courthouse ‘icebox,’ the Secret Service and no coffee: Surviving the Trump trial (POLITICO) 

• The new generation of online culture curators. In a digital landscape overrun by algorithms and AI, we need human guides (New Yorker) / What’s with the rise of 'fact-based journalism'? (Nieman Journalism Lab)

• Britney Spears and the generational shift in celebrity coverage (Nieman Journalism Lab) / The New York Times launches new series on Asian American and Pacific Islander impact on popular culture (New York Times)

• Spin rolls out: Bob Guccione, Jr. returns with first print issue in 12 years (MediaPost) / How Time's collectible covers make the case for a print comeback (Digiday)

• New York Daily News union approves vote of no confidence against executive editor Andrew Julien (The Wrap) 

• Thomas Gibbons-Neff joins national desk at New York Times to cover gun culture and policy (New York Times) / Carrie Mifsud named art director for the New York Times’ home screen and Meredith Rizzo joins New York Times as a senior staff editor for Well where she’ll work on visual stories (New York Times) / Pervaiz Shallwani, formerly at CNN, joins Bon Appetit as associate director of dining and food culture (Pervaiz Shallwani)

• ‘Really cool job: The Washington Post is starting a narrative investigations team. Storytelling and accountability reporting do not have to be kept separate!’ (Hannah Dreier)

• Wayback Machine parent Internet Archive suffers cyberattack (The Desk)

• What it’s like to cover the Scripps National Spelling Bee A-N-N-U-A-L-L-Y (Washingtonian)

• It’s journalism conference season. Here’s your guide (Poynter)  

Press Freedom

• Indonesia’s proposals to update broadcast law raise alarms (Voice of America) 

• International Centre for Investigative Reporting director, reporter, lawyers detained by police (Vanguard News) 

• Georgian parliament overrides presidential veto of the divisive foreign influence bill which will require certain news organizations to register as foreign agents (Associated Press)

Design Workshop: How to create compelling visuals when it’s not usually your job

In our scroll and skim culture, visuals make or break whether a reader engages with your content. But we don’t all have a graphic design professional on staff to help create compelling images on deadline. If you’re a journalist or communication professional looking to build your design skills, get a head start with our beginner course for designing visuals when it’s not usually part of your job. 

Beth Francesco, the National Press Club Journalism Institute’s executive director, will share best practices for creating visuals, regardless of your hands-on design experience. We’ll work through specific exercises during the program, so plan to walk away inspired and with at least one design you can use right away. Tickets are on sale now for this training, which will take place at noon ET on Friday, July 26.

Call for Proposals: Mental Health in Journalism Summit

The Institute is a proud partner of the Mental Health in Journalism Summit, Oct. 8-10, which will convene media, well-being, and mental health experts from around the world for a collaborative global movement that prioritizes a healthy work culture in the media sector. The Summit is interested in sessions that inspire change and share relevant learnings that promote collective thinking and action. Help shape this experience and send your session ideas by June 19.

Resources

• Media & The Law: What journalists need to know about copyright & defamation suits (June 7, 11:30 am ET)
• Video: How to develop a beat (New England First Amendment Coalition)
• How influencers and content creators discuss birth control on social media: What research shows (The Journalist’s Resource) / The meaning, history, and political rhetoric surrounding the term abortion ‘ban’ (Poynter)

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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