Sally Lehrman’s Post

Worried about election misinformation? Angelica Das offers four ways that pro-democracy and journalism funders can act now: 1. Fund grassroots organizers and experts who are mobilizing against misinformation. 2. Fund newsrooms who are sharing trustworthy information.  3. Protect the messengers who are vulnerable to physical, digital, and legal threats.  4. Ensure newsrooms have the flexibility to adapt within an unpredictable political environment. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dXqfBkgq

🔗Journalists, bookmark API’s newly published list of election coverage resources, which is meant to provide newsrooms with tools they can use immediately in their work during the election week and in the weeks ahead. It includes industry resources for: ✅ Digital, physical and mental safety ✅ Legal rights ✅ Reporting at the polls ✅ Reporting on conflict ✅ Misinformation and more Featuring the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Women's Media Foundation, Access Now, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the Brennan Center for Justice, The Associated Press, VoteRiders, Hearken, Inc, Trusting News, Votebeat, NewsGuard, OpenSecrets, Factchequeado, the News Revenue Hub and more. https://hubs.ly/Q02Ws_0s0 #ElectionCoverage #LocalNews

Want to know what it's like to be a political reporter *right now* in this incredibly tight and heated election? Michael (MJ) Lyle, a reporter at States Newsroom's Nevada Current, talked with the Columbia Journalism Review's Lauren Watson about covering Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, how to avoid "sanewashing" political talking points and the importance of being an on-the-ground journalist who understands the local community. Here's a snippet: "Whenever I listen to any speech or am interviewing candidates, it’s about just making sure I know the facts. When I’m laying out a story, I make sure that I am challenging misinformation. This goes back to the Trump speech and covering some of that misinformation, or even adding context, maybe, to a Harris speech. I am focused on laying it out in a way where I don’t repeat false information. " Read the full interview, and then tell us: Reporters, how does this compare with election reporting in your community? #FairFearlessFree #LocalReporting

How do you responsibly cover political violence? How do you stay safe while reporting on unrest? How do you combat mis- and disinformation? In the wake of the Trump rally shooting, our team pulled together some free resources that answer these questions and more. We're in contact with experts at dozens of journalism and civic information organizations, and we're ready to respond to journalists needing coverage support. We’ll be regularly updating this post with resources to support journalists as they rush to cover the shooting and its aftermath, and prepare for what additional political violence it may incite — all without contributing to the root causes. https://lnkd.in/gs6NXYRY

My latest for Poynter Institute on *this moment* for journalists covering the election. If you don't have time to read it, here are the broad recommendations: 1. Focus on what is in your control 2. Anticipate the public’s anxieties and engage with them 3. Decide with your colleagues when your business model or instincts should NOT win out 4. Plan for the future (as counter-intuitive as that sounds) https://lnkd.in/dkud44Qj Highly recommend this related piece from Kelly McBride & Gabriel Rodriguez: https://lnkd.in/dKNS3WJH Hearken, Inc, Spitfire

🚨 ¡Hola, mi gente! Taylor Lorenz just dropped a bombshell, calling Biden a war criminal and sparking a vital convo about media trust! 📰 In a world craving transparency, let’s navigate this together. Don’t lose faith in finding credible news! 📲 Join us to explore the complexities of journalism while enjoying memes and relatable content! How do you sift through the noise? Let’s chat! #MediaControversy #TrustTheMedia #StayInformed #GenZNews #MemeCulture #TruthMatters #Accountability #CulturaPop #MediaControversy #TrustTheMedia #StayInformed #GenZNews #MemeCulture #TruthMatters

I wrote about what outcome of the election means for journalism. If we take away one lesson from this whole election cycle, I hope it's this: The urgency to rebuild trust with communities and our audiences that have come to view mainstream media as out of touch with their lives has never been more acute. I also hope, pray at this point, that this moment will become a catalyst for renewal, innovation and growth for our industry. #StateofAbundance #election2024 #journalism #media #innovation https://lnkd.in/gen7s26T

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.

Lawrence O'Donnell lays out some very inconvenient truths about the media and how it is abusing its mandate. Benjamin Franklin published the second paper in the colonies (The Pennsylvania Gazette) and was instrumental, when advising on the Constitution in 1789, in securing the Freedom of the Press as one of the fundamental freedoms in the Bill of Rights. It is given this freedom because a republic can only survive if its citizenry is informed of the news of the day and the issues that are pertinent, but he also made it clear in his writing that this freedom could be abused if media exists as a monopoly. In the last few decades, the number of independent newspapers, radio stations, and television stations has collapsed as, one after another, they are purchased by large conglomerates. Most of the media produced today is created by one of five conglomerates. Such conglomerates typically influence who is hired as publishers, editors, and writers/producers, and consequently have a profound influence on the bias of reportage. Bias is important here - the myth of objective journalism (something that was espoused at the academic level but not necessarily at the practical level) in the 1960s and 1970s has given way to many publishers quietly acknowledging their biases, even while proclaiming themselves Fair and Balanced. By itself, this is probably unavoidable, but when combined with a strong corporatist agenda consolidated in the hands of a few, it means that these viewpoints establish the Overton Window - that is to say, what people perceive the world to look like according to external sources. This becomes especially pernicious when such organizations go from interpreting events to creating them wholesale, even when they did not, in fact, occur. We are data professionals. Our livelihoods depend upon having accurate information, whether that information comes from a knowledge graph, some other database, or an aggregate LLM. Most of us do not live in Washington, DC, or New York City, or San Francisco. We rely upon the reportage of others to inform our world view, and consequently to inform our data. A knowledge graph is not a collection of truths. It is a collection of assertions, a set of beliefs that we assert to be true, but could quite as readily be complete lies. That is what disinformation is, and it is ultimately caustic to our society. We need to demand more of our journalists, and we need to break the monopolies that currently exist on the media itself. https://lnkd.in/g-65rXei

Hey, my journalism friends and colleagues covering politics! 🗞️ If you're covering the election, make sure to check out PEN America's Election Safety resources. They've got valuable tips and guidelines to help navigate the challenges of reporting during these crucial times. Stay informed and stay safe out there! 🗳️🔍 https://lnkd.in/gnQxg_4G