Media Literacy

Media Make Frank Unhappy

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Article in Raw Story by Robert Davis, 7/14/25

Headline:  ” ‘They’re pissed’: CNN hosts slam Trump for losing control of ‘MAGA Frankenstein’ “

“CNN host Abby Phillip and reporter Donie O’Sullivan slammed President Donald Trump on Monday night over his inability to speak to his base following the latest scandal.

“Last week, Justice Department officials issued an unsigned memo contradicting many points of the Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theory that Trump and his surrogates have parroted for multiple years. The move set off a firestorm within the MAGA base and has become a political liability for the Trump administration.

” ‘Perhaps it’s not surprising that his ‘MAGA Frankenstein’ doesn’t believe him,’ Phillip said. . .”

Read the full story at:

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-2673207755/

Media Rabbit Hole?

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Article in The Washington Post by Eric Wemple, 6/23/25

Headline:  “Does the media need to take a closer look at Trump’s acuity? I answered your questions.”

Q:  “To what extent should mainstream media explain ways to resist this administration?

Is it OK to write about tactics people use to avoid cooperating with ICE? Is it OK to remind people of protest dates and locations? Is it OK for media to call out hatred, as Terry Cowan did recently?

What can media do to help Americans challenge the unconstitutional acts of the Trump administration? . . .”

A: “. . .Yes, in my opinion, it’s fine to report on how people are avoiding cooperation with ICE; that’s a newsworthy trend with implications for everyone. The protests that have occurred in American cities and towns in recent months are also quite newsworthy, and so it’s appropriate that news organizations would write about plans for, say, the next wave of “No Kings” demonstrations or whatever. But providing how-to advice about joining such protests, in my opinion, is a loser’s undertaking, simply because fairness would require doing so for all kinds of other causes as well — and that would send editors and reporters down a rabbithole. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/06/23/erik-wemple-media-live-chat/

Run or Collaborate?

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 6/18/25

Headline:  “Opinion | Should journalism embrace AI? Or run from it?”

Subhead:  “In the latest episode of ‘The Poynter Report Podcast,’ Alex Mahadevan explores what AI means for journalism and why reporters may not need to panic”

“. . .Should journalism run from AI? Or embrace it? Why are we scared of it? How can we put AI to good use? And how can we avoid the dangers of AI?

“And, what I wanted to know most of all: Are journalists someday going to become obsolete b . . .”cause some AI tool is going to produce its own newspaper? (And, gulp, newsletter?). . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2025/should-journalism-embrace-ai-or-run-from-it/

Media are Changing

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Article in Daily Kos by Muriel Vieux, 6/16/25

Headline:  “Media’s changing landscape”

“One of the good things happening in our media landscape today that has been interesting to observe, is seeing anchors that have been fired or let go from mainstream media, creating their own YouTube or other streaming media services, and it’s their transformation that is interesting to watch.

“Those anchors that I use to yell at on my screen, to effing pick a lane, to stop flip-flopping seem to have found their footing and that tells me a lot (more) about how anchors are constrained when it comes to main stream media. Not only are their stances clearer, but their personalities are also punching through now that they don’t have to restrict themselves. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/16/2328404/-Media-s-changing-landscape?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

Is Manufactured News, News?

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Article in The Contrarian by Josh Levs, 6/12/25

Headline:  “Avoiding the media trap of the military parade”

Subhead:  “Help Americans see that standing against authoritarianism is patriotic.”

The military parade and protests planned for this Saturday present the media with a big opportunity to educate America. . .”

“They can explain why any hint of this being a birthday celebration for President Donald Trump rather than a celebration of the Army’s 250th birthday is not befitting a democracy, in which the people — not one person — rule. . .”

The media can help Americans who don’t follow the news closely understand why moves from the Trump administration endanger our democracy . . . And, crucially, the media can fact check those who try to use this Saturday to push anti-democratic movements under simplistic slogans.”

But instead, here’s what we’re likely to see: two-dimensional reporting that fails to dig into the issues and partisan reporting that casts the two sides as good guys vs. bad guys. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/avoiding-the-media-trap-of-the-military

Public Media Could be in Trouble

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PUBLIC MEDIA IS NOT STATE-CONTROLLED MEDIA

Article in The Washington Post by Patrick Marley, 6/10/25

Headline:  “Rural Republicans used to back NPR. Then MAGA changed everything.”

Subhead:  “Public media is facing its biggest challenge as it fights off a vote to eliminate its federal funding.”

“. . .Polarized views of public broadcasting, along with a splintered and increasingly online media environment, pose a problem for NPR, PBS and their audiences, who will need some Republicans to break ranks to prevent the cuts that Trump is demanding as part of a larger package of budget reductions that the House will consider as soon as Tuesday. . .”

“According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in March, 43 percent of Americans supported continuing federal funding for NPR and PBS, 24 percent backed ending funding and 33 percent were unsure. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/06/10/npr-cuts-rural-congress/

 

Robot Journalists Need Chance?

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Article in Poynter, 6/9/25

Headline:  “AI is giving local news a second chance. Will it be ready this time?”

Subhead:  “Journalism professor Tom Rosenstiel urges newsrooms to avoid the mistakes of the internet era and build smarter, more useful AI tools”

“In April 2024, the Local News Initiative, in conjunction with the Knight Lab at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Communications and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung USA, published a report titled, ‘Impact of AI on Local News Models: AI Is Disrupting the Local News Industry. Will It Unlock Growth or Be an Existential Threat?’

“Based on discussions with more than 25 local news and AI experts worldwide, the report explored the potential benefits and perils presented by this revolutionary technology. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/tech-tools/2025/ai-impact-on-local-newsrooms/

Preparing Journalism for the Future

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Article in Poynter by Nicole Slaughter Graham, 6/5/25

Headline:  “ASU is launching a $14.5 million center to speed up journalism’s transformation”

Subhead:  “The Knight Center for the Future of News aims to help strengthen local and regional journalism by bringing educators, research and newsrooms together”

“Journalism’s many issues are longstanding and well-known, and with its new center, Arizona State University is ready to take sweeping action to implement solutions.

“On July 1, ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication will open the Knight Center for the Future of News thanks to a $10.5 million grant from the Knight Foundation and a $4 million investment from the university. . .

Read the full article at:

“https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2025/asu-knight-center-future-of-news/

When Free Press is Gone

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Article in Poynter by Ren LaForme, 6/3/25

Headline:  “Opinion | We’re tracking the rising threats to press freedom”

Subhead:  “Because the warning signs are no longer subtle”

“There’s a saying: Health is a crown the healthy wear that only the sick can see. Most of us don’t recognize the treasure of good health until it’s gone.

“I wonder whether, when the dust settles, America will feel the same about press freedom — a right our Founding Fathers valued so deeply that they made it the First Amendment. . . .”

Read the full article here:

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2025/press-freedom-watch/

Learn About AI Generated Journalism

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Article in Poynter by Jennifer Orsi, 5/29/25

Headline:  “Journalists are using AI. They should be talking to their audience about it.”

Subhead:  “A new toolkit from Poynter’s MediaWise, in collaboration with AP, aims to make that easier, reduce consumer anxiety through AI literacy”

“Even as newsrooms are increasingly using the power of artificial intelligence in their reporting, research is telling them that AI makes their audience anxious and worried. It’s a potentially bad combination for audience trust — which isn’t so hot to begin with.

“To help, MediaWise, the Poynter Institute’s media literacy initiative that focuses on online information, has created new tools for newsrooms to talk with their audiences about AI, both for ethical transparency and to demystify how AI is used. The effort was funded by Microsoft and was produced in collaboration with The Associated Press. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.poynter.org/from-the-institute/2025/journalists-are-using-ai-they-should-be-talking-to-their-audience-about-it-microsoft-associated-press/