Media News – Page 42 – Friends of Community Media

Journalism Under Attack by Zealots in Some U.S. Towns

August 15, 2024April 22, 2023 by enarcmot

Article in The Guardian by Marlena Sloss, 4/22/23

Headline: A California journalist documents the far-right takeover of her town: ‘We’re a test case’

“Doni Chamberlain (reporter at http://anewscafe.com) has made a point of not interacting with those who attack her directly, and continuing her reporting. But the exchanges, along with the menacing, graphic threats to her and her staff and others in the community, and the lack of action from law enforcement have fundamentally changed how she approaches her job.

“But the threats make doing journalism in Shasta county particularly challenging, she added. Finding sources is difficult. Many people are afraid of speaking out, even anonymously.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/21/california-journalist-far-right-takover-shasta-county

Reporters Threatened With Death in Oklahoma.

August 15, 2024April 18, 2023 by enarcmot

Article from Washington Post by Jonathan Edwards, 4/18/23

Headline: “Olka governor calls for officials to resign after horrid audio emerges”

“. . . according to McCurtain Gazette-News, which later published a recording online. The sheriff allegedly mocked a woman who’d recently burned to death in a house fire, comparing her to “barbecue.” And together they hinted at assassinating a journalist who’d reported on their alleged misconduct, according to the Gazette-News.

“Over the weekend, the newspaper published an article recounting a portion of that alleged conversation, promising to follow up with more reporting in coming weeks. The paper also posted snippets of the audio online. Gazette-News reporter Bruce Willingham told KWTV he left his recorder hoping to get evidence that officials were holding secret meetings.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/04/18/mccurtain-county-sheriff-recording/

Be careful about reporting on corruption in parts of Oklahoma – and in other places!

Is Twitter a News Medium or Just a Propaganda Outlet as Public Media Leave it in Droves?

August 15, 2024April 14, 2023 by enarcmot

Artice from The Guardian by Guardian Staff, 4/14/23

Headline: “PBS quits Twitter after being labeled ‘government-funded media’”

Sub-head: “Broadcaster leaves platform a day after NPR’s exit over concerns labels undermine credibility as independent news outlets”

“The US’s Public Broadcasting Service, better known as PBS, has quit its use of Twitter after the platform labeled the organization as “government-funded media”.

“PBS’s announced its Twitter exit on Thursday, one day after National Public Radio also left the platform amid comments by the Twitter owner, Elon Musk, that NPR was “state-affiliated media” which should be defunded.

“The labels are shared by Russia Today and China’s Xinhua, whose editorial decisions are heavily influenced by their respective state regimes .. .”

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/apr/14/pbs-quits-twitter-government-funded-media-label-npr

In Our Brave New World, Will News Be Delivered by Pre-programmed AI Journalist Robots?

August 15, 2024April 11, 2023 by enarcmot

From the Guardian, 4/11/23:

Headline: “AI generated news presenter debuts in Kuwait media”

Sub-head: “Kuwait News introduced Fedha, promising that it could read online news in the future”

“A Kuwaiti media outlet has unveiled a virtual news presenter generated using artificial intelligence, with plans for it to read online bulletins.

‘Fedha’ appeared on the Twitter account of the Kuwait News website on Saturday as an image of a woman, hair uncovered, wearing a black jacket and white T-shirt.

“’I’m Fedha, the first presenter in Kuwait who works with artificial intelligence at Kuwait News. What kind of news do you prefer? Let’s hear your opinions,’ she said in Arabic.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/11/ai-generated-news-presenter-debuts-in-kuwait-media

Local News Disappearing? Here’s a Solution From Early Days.

August 15, 2024April 7, 2023 by enarcmot

Article from Politico by Steven Waldman, 4/2/23

Headline: “There’s Already a Solution to the Crisis of Local News. Just Ask This Founding Father”

Sub-Head: “As modern lawmakers consider various means of public assistance for besieged local news sites, they can learn from the founders’ approach to supporting journals and gazettes”

Solution: Subsidize the news (without censoring the news)

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/04/02/james-madison-subsidize-the-news-00090023

Photo from Politico

Could Tax Breaks for Local News Help Save Democracy?

August 15, 2024April 5, 2023 by enarcmot

From an article in the Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/feb/21/us-local-news-outlets-tax-breaks-rebuild-initiative

Local Newspapers Matter, Their Demise Portends Trouble

August 18, 2024March 30, 2023 by enarcmot

Headline: “Local journalism made me what I am today. Without it, we’ll all be the poorer”

Sub-head: “For budding journalists and citizens alike, the demise of local newspapers will leave a void that’s impossible to fill”Article in The Guardian by John Humphrys, 3/30/23

“. . . Then there’s the old controversy: how much has the ubiquity of BBC local news been to blame for so many local papers going out of business? As Hall acknowledges, in broadcasting the genuinely local commercial stations have for the most part been merged into larger entities. This has “important ramifications” for reporting on local councils, courts and so on.

“A few years ago, the BBC set up the Local Democracy Reporting Service to head off charges that it was killing off local newspapers. The scheme pays for journalists who can work for any local news outlet. There are 165 of them and about 1,000 individual news outlets are signed up.”

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/30/local-journalism-journalists-newspapers