North Carolina Local News Lab Fund’s Post

NEW from U.S. News & World Report Ideas & Opinions~ Democracy Dies Without Local Newspapers Beware of misinformation and deepfakes trying to sway your vote, writes Josh Stearns of Democracy Fund #USNews #opinion #pressfreedom #localnews

This is a must read piece by Josh Stearns about the alarming decline of local journalism in the U.S. and its critical role in safeguarding democracy. As Josh points out, nearly 1,800 counties lack a reliable local news source, creating conditions for misinformation to thrive, undermining informed voting and fostering distrust in our institutions. Trustworthy local news serves as a vital countermeasure against authoritarianism. They do this by building community, holding power accountable, and combatting disinformation. As we face rising threats to our democratic processes, supporting local journalism isn’t just a choice—it’s a necessity. Let's champion fact-based, community-centered reporting to ensure that democracy not only survives but thrives. So thankful for the movements and efforts that are locked in on this work, including Racial Equity in Journalism at Borealis Philanthropy, The Pivot Fund, NewsMatch, and Press Forward and the thousands of journalists who are working to provide trusted local news around the country. #LocalNews #Democracy #SupportJournalism

This is a terrific and timely commentary by Josh Stearns. If you’re a #funder #foundation #grantmaker and/or you care about combatting authoritarianian movements, please read this article and heed his thoughtful advice.

This oped should help us all understand one of the stakes in the upcoming election - the right of citizens to know the truth about their government https://lnkd.in/eiYMQ5Ri

And other status-quo MSM--Politico, bc it doesnt like where Harris chooses to speak, CNN for that Town Hall etc, but definitely its always about $$$$$$$, How in part did 2016 occur? It wasnt just the mass voter purges in states like Michigan w/GOP governors. The NYT has become less reputable as a journalistic entity than the Weekly World News--not sure it even still exists, but id rather read about space aliens than the Times' election coverage. https://lnkd.in/eEhQck82

And here's a new article I wrote for Time about how even a top-notch journalist can botch an election forecast. Hope you enjoy it. https://lnkd.in/gTrJUkwC

»Change can be hard. It can be scary. But it's necessary.« That’s why I founded tageswow.de! Because we‘re all in this together. When it comes to sustainable political decisions it’s all about us. *We* need to change before we may demand change. *We* need to contribute before we can ask for contributions. *We* need to speak out before we expect politics to develop in a healthy and fully democratic way. It’s about us. Let’s change the paradigm, and create the world we all can and want to live in. #tageswow #deintageswow #yourtageswow #changeofparadigms #solutionsjournalism #weareone #newnews #empowerment

Defeating disinformation: how to create a healthier national conversation Over recent years democratic nations have been subjected to a barrage of influence operations, targeting their elections and, more broadly, their national conversations. In the first three sections of this five-part report, we profiled the problem; in the fourth, we explored how public servants can improve monitoring, intelligence and transparency to respond. In this fifth and final report, we’ll consider what Michael Wernick, former secretary to the cabinet of Canada, calls “the most urgent task over the next two or three years”: that of improving “the information space within which our democracy operates”. For more insights, read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/d9Myss3D #misinformation #disinformation #mitifyplus #fakenews #propangada #disinformationdetection #factchecking #mitifyplus #disinformationdetection Platform: Global Government Forum Author: Matt Ross

Kindly recommend you to support the battle against misleading news. This year is democracy’s biggest test in #generations. Already this year, millions of people have cast their votes in elections in #Taiwan, #Bangladesh, #Pakistan, and #Portugal. #SouthKorea, #SouthAfrica and #India will soon follow them to the polls. In June, the European Union’s 400 million voters will elect a new European parliament. After that comes the return of Donald Trump to the ballot in the #US presidential election, and a UK general #election that could end 14 years of Conservative rule. That’s not to mention significant elections in Mexico, South Africa, #Ghana and beyond. Many of these ballots will take place in the shadow of disinformation, election interference, a resurgent far right and, in some cases, political #violence. Yet the results of these votes will impact us for years to come. The Guardian is committed to exposing the underlying causes of these threats to democracy, and our global network of reporters will be on the ground to shine a light on the darker forces trying to undermine free and fair elections. You can help sustain our vital reporting. It takes less than a minute to contribute – and no amount is too small. In the past few years our reporters have uncovered the targeting of opposition figures with intrusive spyware, the work of disinformation specialists who claim to have meddled in more than 30 recent #elections, the threat of AI to voters, and the scale of Republican efforts to disrupt the running of #US elections. We have also revealed the high number of European voters planning to vote for anti-establishment parties, reported on far right surges in #Germany, the #Netherlands and #Argentina, and explored the implications of governments making it more difficult to vote in the #UnitedKingdom and the United #States. #journalism #independent The Guardian #democracy #democratie #support Hof van Justitie van de Europese Unie European Union Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal #Belgium, #Denmark #Germany #Duitsland, #Estland, #Finland, #Frankrijk, #France #Greece, #Hungary #Italy, #Croatia, #Letland, #Litouwen, #Luxemburg, #Malta, #Nederland, #Austria #Oostenrijk, #Poland, #Portugal (inclusief #Madeira en de #Azoren), #Slovenia #Slowakia #Spain #Spanje (inclusief de #CanarischeEilanden), #Rumania #Sweden #Ireland #Cyprus #Bulgaria #Tsjechië

Political disinformation isn't just about elections and their manipulation, it's moreover about the spread of propaganda with political ends. The spread of false narratives and exaggerating of myths is aimed at fuelling intolerance that induce a disconnect from the facts. A disconnect from facts and truth will eventually lead to a collapse in democratic discourse. This long held political agenda is now intersecting with technology and bringing a whole new meaning to the disillusion of truth and reach! Join us on 8th October in Moos, Berlin to discuss these issues. https://lnkd.in/d3mPDrs6 cc. Vanessa Ramos-Velasquez, Miruna Cristiana Gheorghe (Cocoș), Felix Friedrich, Neus Vidal Martí, Nicole Bogott, Dr. Isabella Hermann. https://lnkd.in/gXtVs3ws