May 26, 2022

This newsletter will be on holiday from May 27-31 and

will return to your inboxes on June 1. 

■ ‘We cannot sanitize these killings’: News media considers breaking grimly routine coverage of mass shootings (Vanity Fair) / Another gun massacre, the same grim news story (The Washington Post) / Temple’s journalism dean thinks we should see the carnage of the Texas school shooting (Philly Mag) / ‘Couldn’t have imagined saying this years ago, but it’s time - with the permission of a surviving parent - to show what a slaughtered 7-year-old looks like. Maybe only then will we find the courage for more than thoughts and prayers.’ (David Boardman) 

■ ‘At this press conference, Texas DPS: -lamented that investigators can't go home to hug their own kids -contradicted their previous statements that shooter was confronted by school police officer -declined to answer Qs in Spanish in a town where 60% of adults speak Spanish at home’ (Alexa Ura) / ‘It’s not unusual for there to be confusion after a horrific event like this, but this is another level.’ (Chris Megerian) / ‘I’ve started to use a lot of “police claim” in stories in the last year or so. No longer comfortable with “police said/say.” Police expect media to get stories right 100% of the time, as they should. But we should expect accuracy and honesty from them too.’ (Jay Skebba) / ‘At the end of this Uvalde press conference, Spanish media reporters are begging law enforcement spokesperson to answer questions in Spanish as he walked away.’ (Fidel Martinez)

■ Hosts on cable news struggled over Uvalde shooting (The Washington Post) / CNN's Erica Hill breaks down on air when asked how she's doing following Texas school shooting: 'It's getting harder' (Mediaite) / 'Emotional editorial meeting today. Professional and productive. But people moved to tears. Reminded coworkers we don't have to behave tough to cover tough events. We have to let in emotions to convey them to you. Glad to know we can turn to each other.' (Scott Simon) 

■ Journalists face growing mistrust and workloads, study finds (Media Post) / NEW POLL: 53 percent blame Fox News for spread of ‘extremist ideologies like white supremacy and anti-Semitism’ – 45% blame CNN (Mediaite)

■ For Online News Association, the thorny ethics of partnering with 3M (Nieman Journalism Lab)

■ Chicago man appears to point gun directly at news crew as reporter is talking about gun violence in city (Mediaite)

■ The true cost of a journalism job search (Editor and Publisher) 

■ Here's why the BuzzFeed News Union's contract includes protections from ghosts (Poynter) 

■ Frequent readers are more valuable to news outlets than occasional readers, new analysis reaffirms (Poynter)

■ BBC sets out blueprint for digital first focus (BBC) / ‘The bottom line is @BBC is moving lots of resources away from broadcast news and reinvesting the savings in video and digital news. ("While keeping spend flat.")’ (Sarah Scire)

■ Journalist-turned-fighter: I can't stand aside as Ukraine bleeds (Al Jazeera) 

Press freedom

■ Minneapolis settles lawsuit with Linda Tirado, journalist blinded in one eye during May 2020 unrest (Minnesota Reformer) 

■ Russia threatens to kick out U.S. journalists if YouTube blocks briefings (Newsweek) / Russia has killed nearly 30 journalists in Ukraine in three months, says the Institute of Mass Information (New Voice of Ukraine)

■ Palestinian probe finds Israel deliberately killed Al Jazeera journalist (News Wires via France 24) / Israeli president blasts CNN report blaming Israel for death of Al Jazeera Journalist: ‘Fake facts’ (Mediaite)

"If you’re a young journalist in a newsroom, I really encourage you to talk openly about the need to look after mental health and normalize that conversation, and you might find a like-minded group. I think pulling together ideas, resources, and coming up with ways to collectively look after one’s mental health can make a real difference.”

-- Dean Yates, former journalist and workplace mental health consultant, “Creating ‘sustainable journalists’: Six steps you can take to prevent burnout”

New York Times writer and author Elizabeth Williamson is among journalists confronting the rampant rise and spread of conspiracy theories through her reporting and research. Her current work has focused around unraveling the targeted misinformation and lies spread after the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Conn., the surviving families’ lawsuits against Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and the election disinformation fueling the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack. 

In this instructional program with the National Press Club Journalism Institute, Williamson will share her reporting and research process, along with insights she gained as she connected the dots on how conspiracy theories grow. Williamson, whose critically-acclaimed book “Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth” published this spring, will describe how she threaded together more than 400 interviews, 10,000 pages of court testimony and other records, and on-the-ground reporting to trace a line from conspiracy theories around Sandy Hook to Jan. 6, 2021. 

Registration is open for this program, which will take place on Friday, June 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.