When he founded the blog CapitalWeather.com 15 years ago in Washington DC, Jason Samenow was working for the US government as a climate change analyst. A full-time media career was probably the last thing on his mind.
Too often, journalists find themselves accused of being traitors when they file difficult and controversial stories about their country, stories that can lead to embarrassment, disgrace and even short term damage to national reputations. But the truth is their work can make a democracy stronger, not weaker, proved they go about their business in a careful and ethical manner.
To stem the rising influence of fake news, some countries have made the creation and distribution of deliberately false information a crime.
After her loss to Barbora Strycova in the Wimbledon quarter finals, British tennis player Johanna Konta reacted somewhat angrily to a line of questioning from a journalist that appeared to hold her to account for her loss. The fallout and public reaction to this press conference, while predominantly in support of the athlete, raises questions about the wider context of sports journalism.
In London this week, Governments, media and the non-profit sector gathered to make bold plans and issue bold statements about how to defend media freedom against growing attacks around the world. However, as interesting as the promises and speeches were, what was more interesting was the things left unsaid, and the identity of those who were absent from the discussions.
The news media landscape and journalism practices – on the continent of Africa as well as globally – have undergone massive change in recent times. This, coupled with the collapse of familiar business models, and the limited potential for genuinely independent “watchdog” journalism, the relationship between external influences on local cultures and practices of journalism needs to be reassessed.
If there exists one moral code that can be shared and agreed by almost all cultures and religions, then it must be the concept of “never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself”. This has come to be known as “the golden rule”.
To help journalists improve their coverage of people with disabilities, we’re sharing four key tips from: Kristin Gilger, who is director of the National Center on Disability and Journalism (NCDJ) and the associate dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. and by Amy Silverman, a journalist and NCDJ board member
As newspapers around the world struggle with revenue, News Corp Australia’s Melbourne tabloid the Herald Sun is trialling a bold idea to lure more readers over its paywall. The plan is to give its reporters bonuses of $10 to $50 based on page views and if casual readers attempting to read a paywalled story are motivated to buy a subscription. Herald Sun reporters could potentially make hundreds of dollars extra a week. But the rest of us should be concerned about this strategy – particularly that it might succeed.
The world’s a sorry mess. How do thoughtful people make sense of it all? David Everatt, Head of the Wits School of Governance in Johannesburg, explains why the book The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America by American author and historian Timothy Snyder is a good place to start.