Whataboutisms’ Post

I'm so sad I'm missing my first Online News Association conference in 13 years (for a very good reason; my sister's getting married!). But in case it helps anybody who's going to #ONA24 this week in Atlanta, I want to offer some insider tips, especially to first-time attendees, on how to make the most of an amazing and inspiring week: → Bring comfortable shoes. You're going to be walking *a lot*. → Don't worry about attending every session. Most are recorded for later viewing anyway; the ONA schedule tells you which ones. → Prioritize sessions or workshops that help fill gaps in your skills and knowledge. Embrace unfamiliar areas and approach them with curiosity, not skepticism. → Don't ignore DEI sessions. → Network, network, network. The beauty of ONA conferences - and other journalism conferences - is the ability to meet people and make long-lasting connections ... even if it means skipping a session or two. → Speaking of networking, ensure you RSVP for a few of the sponsored mixers and happy hours that take place throughout the conference. They're usually listed on the ONA schedule or news page (see the link). → If all else fails, go to the hotel bar, even if you don't drink. You will undoubtedly find journalists there all week and some of my favorite ONA connections & conversations have taken place there. → Make it a point to visit the Midway on Thursday and/or Friday. There's great swag there, but also valuable pop-up sessions and other cool surprises such as desserts, whiskey tastings, etc. → Drink a lot of water. Trust me. → Attend "[BLANK] Is The Future of Journalism" - it's on Thursday this year. 👨🏽🏫 Robert Hernandez runs this every year and it's always one of the best and funniest sessions of the conference. → Look out for ONA Pajama Jam on Saturday night, if you're still in town. After OJAs, a group of folks will scope out a corner of the hotel to play games, order pizza, etc. It's worth losing sleep for. (Just watch out for werewolves.) → Don't be afraid to take breaks from talking to people, especially if you're an introvert like me. Run away to a nearby coffee shop if needed, or even back to your hotel room for a breather. It's OK to take time for yourself. → If you have time, explore Atlanta while you're there! I did this in ONA13 and it was easily a highlight of my experience. The ONA website has tips from locals (I'll link to it in the comments). → Thank your hard-working ONA organizers profusely ... and VOTE in the ONA Board of Directors election! Hope this helps! I'll miss you all and I already can't wait for ONA25. ✨

Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gS6jWDg5... In today's digital era, the infosphere is a vast and tumultuous sea of information, where news and data churn through the collective consciousness at breakneck speed. This relentless flow presents profound challenges as individuals and societies grapple with the complexities of discerning truth from misinformation, genuine discourse from manipulative rhetoric, and enduring values from fleeting trends. Amidst this chaotic backdrop, the need for a transformative approach to journalism becomes clear — an approach that not only navigates these turbulent waters but also seeks to calm them, providing clarity and insight in a world overwhelmed by the noise of perpetual connectivity. In this wide-ranging discussion, Corey deVos talks to Stefan Schultz, a journalist at Der Spiegel magazine, about his model for integral journalism that he has been developing over the past few years. This model, staggering in both its depth and its breadth, examines journalism and media literacy through a developmental lens, looking at how the infosphere shapes society and how journalism can positively influence this process.

📣 We are working on an article highlighting the top media thought leaders on LinkedIn in 2024, based on those driving the most innovative conversations in media, journalism, and communications. Whether they are changing how we think about digital storytelling, building modern platforms, or influencing the future of news, we'd love to hear your recommendations! Who comes to mind? Please tag them in the comments below.

Journalism is the lifeblood of informed societies, and events are often where history is made. As a journalist, covering an event means more than just showing up with a notepad—it's about capturing the essence, the atmosphere, and the key takeaways that shape public opinion. Every detail matters, every angle is a potential story, and every voice deserves to be heard. Attending events, be it a media expo or a local community gathering, is an opportunity to provide real-time updates, critical analysis, and insightful reflections that add value to public discourse. The role of a journalist at these events is not only to inform but also to engage with the truth, to ask the hard questions, and to present facts in a way that encourages thoughtful dialogue. In an era where misinformation can spread rapidly, the journalist's role in covering events becomes even more crucial. We are not just spectators; we are responsible for ensuring that the world receives accurate, well-researched, and fair coverage of significant moments. As a journalist, I find immense purpose in being on the ground, where the action happens, translating what I see and hear into stories that matter to the public. It’s about being there, when it matters most. #JournalismMatters #EventCoverage #JournalistLife #MediaResponsibility #Storytelling #PressOnGround #MediaExpo #TruthMatters #InformedSociety #OnTheGround

“SA: News is a business that is built on a lot of habit and a lot of assumption, and there really is not room for that kind of sloppy work anymore. There probably never was, but there certainly isn't now, when people are overwhelmed by the amount of information, when the consequences of having bad information are so high, and when the country is so polarized, in part because of the way information travels. We need to be more careful than ever about how we think about what kind of information people need, how we respond to those needs, and how we think about innovation too. Also, what is the point of that innovation, and where we should we be working to develop new theories and new models? There is rigor in some of the existing work on that, but it's largely financially motivated, not service motivated.”

One more chart about the state of media, this time from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism Digital Media Report and the data that jumped out at me. It's not just that 40% of people feel 'worn out' by the amount of news they encounter but that it's getting markedly worse. As journalists we need to understand how our work makes readers feel, how they perceive it, not just how we important we think it is that they read it. If we want to connect with readers we need to start with what they want, and not start from what we want. The bigger challenge is that as a publisher I can't do anything about the fact that readers feel worn out. I can try and find a quiet place in the centre of the chaos and hopefully connect with people there but I can't stop the noise which is only getting louder. We see this starkly with newsletter subscribers who mostly tell us they unsubscribe because they 'get too many emails' and yet we only send one email a week. The challenge (and opportunity) is to be one the few emails readers look forward to each week.

A new study finds consolidation has led many business news outlets to publish the same stories. So there's less unique business coverage, which appears to affect how quickly the stock market responds to emerging business information. It would be great if a reporter covered this. (The irony!) Journalism matters. The paper is linked here. A news release (from the publisher) summarizing the findings is linked in comments. #Journalism #Business #News

After spending nearly five years at a journalism support organization, newsrooms told us the work we were doing was helpful, *and* I knew that the field could be more effectively coordinated toward more measurable impact. I explored this tension in a new report commissioned by Democracy Fund and co-authored with Darryl Holliday, my partner at Commoner Co. I want to be clear: Support organizations can offer critical, needed support, and personally, I believe they warrant more investment, not less. That said, I also believe the local news field should be able to tell a clear story (especially to those outside of the field) about how that investment is directly shaping progress toward a shared goal. How do we do that? Our report recommends a field-level agenda, which we define as a plan that brings an expansive but representative cohort of the field together to define common goals within a collaborative rubric. This isn’t an academic exercise. Other (stronger) fields do this work all the time and it’s integral to their success, which is grounded in clear definitions of who does what and why. If you’ve got thoughts on what that field-level agenda could look like, we'd love to hear them. A big thank you to our advisory council– Sarabeth Berman, Lindsay Green-Barber, Tim Isgitt, S. Mitra Kalita, Joy Mayer, Bridget Thoreson– and everyone else we spoke with who helped shape this report: Becca Aaronson, Alicia Bell, Shannan Bowen, Jennifer Brandel, Cierra Brown Hinton, Chantelle Fisher Borne, Tim Griggs, Jesse Hardman, Damon Kiesow, Chris Krewson, Courtney Lewis, Tristan Loper, Melissa Milios Davis, Peter Plastrik, TRACIE POWELL, Carolyn Powers, Mike Rispoli, Karen Rundlet, Gabe Schneider, Richard Tofel, Mikhael Simmonds, Sonam Vashi and Mary Walter-Brown.

When creating a story for publication by the mainstream media, are you making use of the six W's? Who? Who is the story about? What? What is the main point of the story? When? When is it taking place? Date, time, day? Where? Where is it taking place? Why? Why is this happening? How? The silent 'W', how did it happen? A well written press release is more likely to be picked up by a journalist. If you're struggling to craft a compelling news story for your business, contact us at here at Poppy PR on hello@poppy-pr.co.uk

I’ve worked with journalism support organizations of all shapes and sizes over the years—but haven’t had the chance to go deep on the critical role they play in evolving the field of local news and information until now. When Anika Anand and I first started on this report we knew it’d be important to root our findings in the experiences of support organizations leaders *and* the field of news organizations that they support. We surfaced simmering tensions, workshopped solutions and, overall, found a journalism support ecosystem eager to build a more collaborative, field-led agenda for local news (and, in many ways, working to do so). What I appreciate most about this report is the diversity of thought from leaders across the journalism support space. Thank you to everyone who shared their early input on this report with us. We’ve incorporated that feedback in a quote-heavy executive summary alongside the report, “The Critical Role Support Organizations Can Play in Maturing the Local News Field,” published today on the Commoner Co. blog, commissioned by Democracy Fund and endorsed by Press Forward.