City Bureau’s Post

Exciting news: City Bureau, in partnership with the Invisible Institute, has won their first Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. City Bureau, a DRK Foundation portfolio organization, is reimagining local media, and is equipping people with the skills and resources necessary to produce media that is impactful, equitable, and responsive to the public. Their awarded series, “Missing in Chicago,” written by Sarah Conway, Senior Reporter and Special Projects Manager at City Bureau, and Trina Reynolds-Tyler, Data Director at Invisible Institute, is a seven-part investigative series that reveals how Chicago police have routinely violated state law and police procedure, delaying and mishandling missing person cases. The report uncovers a racial bias disproportionately impacting Black women and girls, and how poor police data is making this problem harder to solve. Since its publication in November, “Missing in Chicago” has sparked an official review of police accountability systems by the Chicago Inspector General’s office and has been nominated for several media awards. “When our reporting is informed by the lived experiences and needs of community, the potential for impact is boundless. I look forward to the change brewing in Chicago and Illinois, due in large part to their incredible reporting, and in the journalism industry at large, as this Pulitzer is proof that investigative journalism driven by community is alive, well, and a catalyst for the world we know to be possible,” says Morgan M., Executive Director of City Bureau. Learn more about the series and the prize: https://lnkd.in/g9fKuxky

SACRAMENTO —  California lawmakers intend to shelve legislation that would have required Google to pay news outlets for distributing their content, and in its place announced on Wednesday a new public-private partnership between the state and the tech giant that will fund programs to research artificial intelligence and bolster local journalism. The plan lays out a commitment of nearly $250 million over the next five years, with one-fourth of the money coming from state taxpayers and three-fourths of it coming from Google and possibly other private donors. The money will go toward two new initiatives administered by UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism: a fund to distribute millions of dollars to California news outlets, and an “AI accelerator” to develop ways for journalists to use the powerful technology.SACRAMENTO —  California lawmakers intend to shelve legislation that would have required Google to pay news outlets for distributing their content, and in its place announced on Wednesday a new public-private partnership between the state and the tech giant that will fund programs to research artificial intelligence and bolster local journalism. The plan lays out a commitment of nearly $250 million over the next five years, with one-fourth of the money coming from state taxpayers and three-fourths of it coming from Google and possibly other private donors. The money will go toward two new initiatives administered by UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism: a fund to distribute millions of dollars to California news outlets, and an “AI accelerator” to develop ways for journalists to use the powerful technology.

It's no secret that investigative journalism is becoming increasingly difficult to produce in the U.S. According to Max Tani in Semafor, there are five major factors contributing to this trend: ➤ Lawyers suing media organizations have gotten more aggressive. ➤ There is less of an appetite by media companies for stories that could damage important business relationships. ➤ Billionaires and other powerful subjects of stories have learned to leverage online platforms, like Twitter, to pressure embattled media owners to kill or retract stories. ➤ Many of the online news outlets that published meaningful work have gone out of business or are greatly diminished. ➤ The collapse of local papers has led to the decline in quality journalism in smaller news markets. As Tani writes, "the result is a thousand stories you’ll never read, and a shrinking number of publications with the resources and guts to confront power.”

What a proud moment for Hearst Connecticut Media Group's newsroom – the team received the top First Amendment Award in the CT SPJ Excellence in Journalism Contest, along with 107 honors overall! The First Amendment Award recognized a dogged FOI investigation, by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, Joshua Eaton and Brian Lockhart – led by I-team editor Matt Rocheleau. The judges said: “This thorough look at Bridgeport’s long record of flouting FOI requirements led to both an overdue strengthening of state law and an immediate promise by the city to improve its practices. Follow-up stories documented continuing problems. The response to this well-researched investigation shows the power of the press to be an agent of change and keep government open and accountable to its citizens.”    The series was also selected as a finalist in the 2023 Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Awards FOI Award, with judges commenting: "This hale Hearst team took on one America’s most recalcitrant local governments and won a landmark victory for transparency in their home state."   The work also led to IRE naming the City of Bridgeport as a finalist in the 2023 Golden Padlock Award, highlighting the most secretive public agency or official in the U.S. The Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information honored the work with the highly-regarded Stephen A. Collins Memorial Freedom of Information Award "given each year to journalists who help protect and expand the public’s ability to access its government." This was one of two unwavering investigations receiving national accolades this year. The second was a series exposing a fake traffic ticket saga embroiling Connecticut’s largest law enforcement agency in controversy.   In April, the series won the National Headliner Award for a newspaper series not in A top 20 media market. Judges wrote: "The results of this series speak for themselves. The resignations of the state's two top public safety officials, a federal criminal grand jury probe led by the U.S. Dept. of Justice. And at the heart of it, trusted state troopers falsifying tickets to make themselves look better -- worsened by the fact that it all skews racial profiling data. This series exposes everyday corruption, and restores our faith." This project, led by reporters Bill Cummings, Joshua Eaton, Jacqueline Rabe Thomas and Taylor Johnston, also previously received the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists’ top award for investigative reporting and the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government’s Freedom of Information Award. Most importantly, it is very rewarding to know quality local journalism like this is driving positive societal good and impact. Congrats to all of the journalists being recognized across the board. https://lnkd.in/emmbeECQ

Last week, we joined the conversation at the International Journalism Festival to explore ways to protect a free, independent and pluralistic media. ✍️ From the rise in the targeting of lawyers defending journalists to media in exile as a growing global phenomenon, here are our CEO Antonio Zappulla, OMRI's key takeaways. ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/e_BsMdjk #IJF24

Dear America, I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the state of truthful news reporting in the United States. As a citizen who values transparency and accuracy in information dissemination, I have observed a troubling trend of biased reporting, misinformation, and sensationalism across various media outlets. It is evident that the public's trust in the media has been eroding due to the prevalence of misleading headlines, partisan narratives, and the prioritization of profit over journalistic integrity. This trend not only undermines the foundation of a well-informed society but also poses significant challenges to our democracy. The role of the media as the Fourth Estate is vital in holding power to account and fostering informed public discourse. However, when news organizations prioritize ratings or political agendas over objective reporting, they fail in their duty to serve the public interest. I urge you to take meaningful action to address this issue and uphold the principles of truth, accuracy, and accountability in journalism. This may include implementing stricter editorial standards, promoting media literacy initiatives, and fostering a culture of transparency within news organizations. Furthermore, I implore you to support independent journalism and empower journalists to pursue investigative reporting without fear of censorship or retaliation. As consumers of news, we have a responsibility to demand better from our media institutions and hold them accountable for their reporting practices. Together, we can work towards restoring faith in the integrity of the press and ensuring that the American public has access to truthful and unbiased information. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Concerned Citizen.

Today, over 120 participants representing news, magazine and digital-only publishers will meet with Senators and Representatives from 36 states on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. as part of a Support Journalism Fly-In hosted by the News/Media Alliance, a nonprofit trade association representing more than 2,200 news, magazine and digital media organizations in the U.S. The Fly-In is being held to advocate for the importance of quality journalistic and creative content and the urgent need for legislative action in the United States. “News, magazine and digital publishers are here in Washington today to meet with Members of Congress because we need their help now to ensure the future of quality journalism,” said News/Media Alliance President & CEO Danielle Coffey. “These publications provide citizens around the country reliable news and information that engages communities, cover topics of interest to our daily lives, and remain a significant part of the fabric of this great country. Our industry is faced with opportunities and challenges with emerging technologies. The proliferation of generative AI technology, and AI developers’ scraping of news publisher content without authorization or payment to train their systems, has added to a marketplace imbalance that already existed. We seek to educate lawmakers on these the risks that lie ahead absent legislation.” https://lnkd.in/e5SkAwxs

🌟 Is California Setting a New Standard for Journalism Funding? 🌟 📢 In a pioneering move, California has announced a $250 million initiative to collaborate with tech companies to bolster local journalism and support AI research. This program, starting in 2025, is expected to bring significant funding, with $100 million allocated for the first year alone. 📰 This partnership aims to counteract the alarming decline of newsrooms in the state, with Governor Gavin Newsom highlighting the importance of leveraging tech industry resources without imposing additional taxes on residents. The initiative is projected to hire hundreds of new journalists, reinforcing California's press landscape. 💬 However, this groundbreaking arrangement has faced criticism. Some industry experts and lawmakers express concerns that the initiative may not suffice in addressing the systemic challenges faced by independent journalism. As the state has seen the loss of over 100 news organizations in the last decade, the debate on sustainable solutions continues to be crucial. 💡 With the evolving media landscape, how can partnerships between tech and journalism evolve to create long-lasting solutions? Your thoughts? Stay Ahead in Tech! Connect with me for cutting-edge insights and knowledge sharing! Want to make your URL shorter and more trackable? Try linksgpt.com #BitIgniter #LinksGPT #JournalismInnovation #TechPartnerships

Is investigative journalism dying out? Critical, investigative journalism requires a few things: patience, bravery, and newsrooms that can stay at arm's length from their owners. With constant cost-cutting, these things become harder to keep. The result is invisible: we don't know the stories we're not reading. But the impact of those missing stories is huge.