Local News Day is April 9; it offers Americans opportunities to reconnect with the local news they trust

Thursday, April 9, is Local News Day across the USA.

Most Americans consider local media coverage to be their most important, trusted and reliable news source. On April 9, Local News Day will help millions of Americans in communities of all sizes reconnect with the local outlets they trust to provide coverage of recent events, hold leaders accountable and strengthen an overall sense of community. 

As part of the day, Rebuild Local News and the Online News Association will co-host “2026 State Policy Playbook for Newsrooms,” an online event for newsroom leaders and journalists offering a clear, practical overview of emerging policy models and guidance on how to engage policymakers effectively. Register here.

Local News Day also offers connection support and tools for nonprofit organizations and government offices that want to support their valued news resources. Local News Day will provide organizations with ready-to-use tools designed to engage communities and strengthen the trusted local news they rely on. Sign up by April 2.

Individuals looking to voice their support for the community strength local news provides can sign up for updates on Local News Day activities here. 

AI giants ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Grok all 'pilfer' stories from Canadian news outlets, a new audit finds

AI companies chose not to attribute their source materials.
(Photo by Markus Winkler, Unsplash)

ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Grok all hijack Canadian news stories to use in their databases without adding legal attributions to stories pilfered from authors or arranging for copyright payment to publishers, according to an AI audit by Canadian researchers at McGill University, reports Brier Dudley, Free Press editor for The Seattle Times.

Professors Taylor Owen and Aengus Bridgman at McGill "tested four major AI models to see how much they knew about current news stories in Canada and how much credit they give to outlets that originally reported the stories," Dudley explains. The audit proved that tested AI models were "quite knowledgeable about current news stories. But in queries involving web searches, they provided no source attribution in 82% of the responses."

Owen and Bridgman write, "They have [taken and used content] without compensation, without attribution, and without any obligation to sustain the infrastructure they are drawing from. The result is a system that accelerates the economic decline of the journalism it relies on.”

The lack of attribution by AI companies is intentional. "When asked about a story from a specific outlet, the responses named the source 74% to 97% of the time," Dudley adds. "That indicates the companies are technically capable of naming sources but are making a 'design choice' not to, the audit states."

AI's pilfered stories let people get news without visiting the publisher's site or paying for a subscription. Dudley writes, "AI companies get the subscription and advertising revenue, instead of news sites that paid to report, edit and publish the stories."

Through the Online News Act, Canada now requires tech behemoths like Google and Meta that profit from using news sources to compensate publishers. With the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, the U.S. tried to pass protections similar to those adopted in Canada, but the bill faded in Congress in 2023. 

Dudley writes, "It’s past time for a new version of the JCPA, addressing how AI companies are changing the way people get information and preventing them from suffocating the local news industry. . . . To help get the ball rolling, I encourage academics in the U.S. to connect with Owen and Bridgman, who are willing to share their models, and produce similar audits here."

Opinion: America isn't broken. It's a country where 'the vast majority quietly do the right thing every single day.'

Most Americans are too busy living daily life to hate
on other Americans. (Photo by Dyana Wing So, Unsplash)

TV commentary, social media or major news websites can leave readers wondering where our country went wrong and why Americans hate each other so much. But is that honestly how average Americans see their lives and each other?

Mike Allen doesn't think so. In his opinion for Axios, Allen declares that the blasts of newsy angst and misanthropic disgust are a "ubiquitous, emphatic, verifiable lie. . . . Most Americans are too busy for social media, too normal for politics, too rational to tweet."

The most American "Super Majority" isn't online 24/7 looking for ways to throw tomatoes at other busy Americans, Allen insists. They may be at their desks grinding it out, their kids' sporting events, attending a book club or helping their neighbor with lawn care, but they are not working on hating others.

"Most Americans are patriotic, hardworking, neighbor-helping, America-loving, money-giving people who don't pop off on social media or plot for power," Allen writes. "It's the terminally online news junkies who are detached from the actual reality."

Allen writes, "Most people agree on most things, most of the time. And the data validates this, time and time again. . . . The system feels broken. The people are not."

Instead of allowing any other people to tell you who Americans are, look around you. Allen writes, "In a given year, you see hundreds of people frequently enough to appraise their character. Are they good people? Would they help shovel after a snowstorm or lift groceries for an aging neighbor? . . .We bet the answer is a resounding yes. This is America's Super Majority."

In 2024, Americans "gave $592.5 billion to charity — a record, with individuals accounting for two-thirds of it," Allen adds. "This isn't a broken nation. This is a generous one, where the vast majority quietly do the right thing every single day."

Next time you consider how you feel about your country and "your screen tells you America is broken, close it," Allen writes. "Walk outside. Talk to your neighbor. Coach the team. Go to the town meeting. That's the real America — and it's a hell of a lot better than the one being manufactured for clicks, clout and cash."

News watchdogs report more 'pink slime' media sites, which can confuse readers and erode trust in local news

Pink slime can confuse and misinform readers.
(Graphic by Bill Miller, GBH Creative)

With its cluttered headlines and oodles of lower gas price offers, the North Boston News online website does its best to mimic a legitimate news organization. A deeper read of the site reveals articles written by nameless "staff" and stories credited to journalists who can't be found on the internet.

"North Boston News is one of a growing number of what journalist watchdogs are calling 'pink slime' journalism," report Phillip Martin and Nicole Dauphinee of GBH News, a PBS member television station in Boston, Massachusetts. These websites masquerade as local news websites, but their creators and funding stem from "partisan groups or hostile governments, largely with the help of automated services."

Most "pink slime" sites have titles that connect with the region they allegedly represent. "In Massachusetts, such sites include websites with names like the Bean Town Times, the Cape Cod Ledger and the Springfield Record," GBH reports.

In 2024, NewsGuard, a New York-based company that verifies information online, identified 1,265 'pink slime' outlets in the country. By comparison, there are only about 1,200 daily newspapers operating in the U.S.

A company called Metric Media owns North Boston News, along with "58 other websites that claim to provide community news across New England," Martin and Dauphinee explain. "The company says on its homepage that it has more than 1,300 sites across the nation, with an aim of giving 'every citizen a voice in their community.'"

But Metric Media doesn't seem to have any people for citizens to contact. GBH reports, "Nobody replied to GBH News’ emails requesting comment sent to the addresses listed on several of the 14 sites covering news in Massachusetts, including the North Boston News."

A quick look at the North Boston News doesn't tell a reader much about the area, but it does have repeated stories and jumbled jargon paired with political-looking photos. North Boston News and other sites like it can confuse people about what trustworthy, local news looks and reads like, which can erode overall trust in any media source.

Some organizations, like Newsguard, "are making efforts to better educate people about which webpages can be trusted. The information watchdog offers an online tool that helps readers determine the credibility of certain sites," GBH reports. "The app displays website trust ratings and scores next to links on search results and social media feed pages."

PBS and NPR executives pledge to push back 'very hard' against White House efforts to end taxpayer support

PBS’s Paula Kerger

PBS and NPR leaders say they are exploring legal options to protect their services from President Trump's executive order barring them from receiving taxpayer dollars through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

PBS’s chief executive, Paula Kerger, "told CBS News’s Face the Nation that Republican-led threats to withdraw federal funding from public broadcasters had been around for decades but are 'different this time,' reports Edward Helmore of The Guardian. NPR’s CEO Katherine Maher agreed and said that both services will be "'pushing back very hard, because what’s at risk are our stations, our public television, our public radio stations across the country.'"

The White House maintains that taxpayer dollars should not support biased broadcasting. Helmore writes, "The order added: 'Which viewpoints NPR and PBS promote does not matter. What does matter is that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.'"

NPR’s Katherine Maher

As the battle ensues, services to many rural Americans would be the first affected. Helmore reports, "Maher said in an April interview with NPR that rural stations would see the biggest impact. 'You could see some of those stations really having to cut back services or potentially going away altogether.'" NPR radio has historically been one place rural Americans turned to for emergency alerts and safety directions.

PBS stations in rural areas could also face shortfalls and possible cuts. Helmore adds, "A fact sheet from PBS says on average federal funds make up 15% of their revenue, but a funding cut would be especially acute for smaller and rural stations."

It's uncertain how Trump's executive order will be implemented. "The CPB’s budget is already approved by Congress through 2027, and in a statement to The New York Times, CPB’s president, Patricia Harrison, said the agency was not subject to the president’s authority," Helmore reports. “'Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private non-profit corporation wholly independent of the federal government,' she said."

On the whole, the CPB spends "more money on less populated states," reports Alex Curley of Current. "We can also say that, despite a few blue-leaning outliers like the District of Columbia and Vermont, public media stations in states that voted Republican in the last Presidential election tended to get more Community Service Grants, or CSG money, per person than in states that voted Democrat."

The CPB awards money through its Community Service Grants, or CSGs.
(Graphic by Alex Curley, Current, from CPB data)

Suffering from news overload? This six-step plan outlines how to avoid exhaustion while staying engaged.

Not all news sources are created equal. (Photo by Noah Berger, AP Images via The Conversation)

To avoid information overload, distress, fatigue or even exhaustion, a majority of Americans believe they need to limit their political media consumption. But how, exactly, can U.S. citizens remain engaged without falling into the overwhelming news swamp? "To stay informed while also arming yourself against misinformation, it’s crucial to practice what I call good 'news hygiene' by developing strong news literacy skills," writes Seth Ashley for The Conversation. A lightly edited version of Ashley's six-step plan is shared below.

Take note of algorithms. "Despite the illusion of neutrality, algorithms shape people’s perceptions of reality and are designed to maximize engagement," Ashley shares. Instead of reading "whatever appears in your feed. . . actively seek out a variety of sources to inform you about current events. The news shouldn’t just tell you what you want to hear. . . . People who simply understand that algorithms filter information are more likely to take steps to combat misinformation."

Consider how corporate news makes money. "For-profit newsrooms, which produce the bulk of news consumed in the U.S., rely heavily on advertising revenue, which can reduce the quality of news and create a commercial bias," Ashley explains. "Nonprofit newsrooms and public media provide alternatives that generally prioritize public interest over profit. . . . Countries with better funding for public media tend to have stronger democracies."

Create a habit of checking and verifying news sources. "Particularly with AI-generated content on the rise, source evaluation and verification are essential skills. Be cautious with content that lacks the author’s name, relies heavily on anonymous sources – or uses no sources at all – or is published by outlets with a clear ideological agenda," Ashley advises. "Watch out for news operations that routinely engage in these practices and obscure their motive for doing so."

Remember it's normal to have reactions to news, and it's equally OK to stop consuming or refrain from reposting it. Ashley writes, "When encountering content that sparks an emotional reaction, ask yourself: Who benefits from this narrative? What evidence supports it? Is this information informative or manipulative? If the answers make you suspicious, investigate further before acting or sharing."

Beware of propaganda, aka spin. Ashley explains, "Understanding the mechanics of propaganda – its use of repetition, emotional appeal, scapegoating, scare tactics and unrealistic promises – can help inoculate people against its influence."

Stay in the game, which should include time-outs. "Democracy relies on an informed and active citizenry to hold accountable their government and the officials who work in it as well as other powerful players in society," Ashley adds. "Rather than tuning out – what scholars call 'news avoidance' – you can practice critical consumption of news. . . . Look beyond headlines and short video clips, question the framing of stories. . . . Set goals for your consumption. Some experts say 30 minutes a day is enough."

Opinion: Gleaning facts can be a 'slippery' business. Even when the truth is messy, 'good journalism offers a way.'

Adobe Stock photo

Getting the facts right may sound like Journalism 110 class, but gathering and verifying a story can be like walking on shifting sands, writes Fergus McIntosh of The New Yorker. "Journalists put more stress on accuracy than ever before. The problem is, accuracy is a slippery idea."

Like many professions, journalism has a before and after social media story. Before Americans became absorbed in Facebook, Twitch, TikTok and podcasts, they listened to and read mainstream media. But once social media siphoned huge audiences, "people stopped paying attention to the news, or decided that they didn’t believe it anymore," McIntosh adds. "This story is not unsupported. Trust in many institutions has fallen over the years, but in journalism, it has plummeted."

Examining how little journalists are trusted, makes "fake news"and the harm it does to the news-consumer trust equation that much more worrisome. "'Many Americans now register displeasure with inaccurate or unverified information on social media, and a majority now think that somebody . . .should do something about it," McIntosh explains. "Despite endemic skepticism and distraction, there is an enduring thirst for reliable information. The question is, where can it be found, and how can its purveyors make themselves heard amid the noise?"

CBS and BBC have branded themselves as singular "purveyors" of the facts using an "'only we can provide accuracy' model," McIntosh writes. "For the first Presidential debate of 2024, The New York Times tasked 29 staffers with combing through the candidates’ statements in real time." Even with aggressive fact-checking, "the provision of facts does not, in itself, engender trust. . . . What is more certain is that, from time to time, every journalist, no matter how well-meaning, gets something wrong, or misses the point."

"Because The New Yorker, like many publications, trades on its reputation for accuracy, readers can easily feel cheated, even betrayed, when an error slips in," McIntosh explains. "In such circumstances, it becomes difficult to know what is true, and, consequently, to make decisions. Good journalism offers a way through, but only if readers are willing to follow. . . . Gaining and holding that trust is hard. But failure is not inevitable. . . . Any solution must acknowledge the messiness of truth, the requirements of attention, the way we squint to see more clearly. It must tell you to say what you mean, and know that you mean it."

Local newspapers may have only a few employees doing most of the work. PBS report focuses on one example.

Eads, Colo., mural on the side of the Kiowa County Independent
building. (Photo by Chase McCleary, Rocky Mountain PBS)

As many newsroom staffs shrink across the nation, some independent rural newspaper owners are working almost every job in the shop to maintain local news coverage with integrity and avoid the possible pitfalls of outside ownership. Reporter Chase McCleary from Rocky Mountain PBS met with Betsy Barnett, the owner, publisher, editor, ad-sales rep, designer and only full-time reporter of the Kiowa County Independent newspaper in Eads, Colorado. Because of other newspaper closures, Barnett's paper is reporting on five counties.

"In a span of about two weeks at the end of July and in early August, five local newsrooms in Colorado shuttered, all of them were located in the eastern Colorado plains: the Plainsman Herald, the Burlington Record, the Lamar Ledger, the Fort Morgan Times and the Brush News-Tribune," McCleary writes. "The Herald was independently owned and operated, as it had been since it opened in 1887, nearly 140 years ago. . . . " 

Barnett is wearing so many work hats to keep her paper open and community-centered. McCleary explains, "Barnett has been running the Kiowa County Independent since 2016. She intends to retain full ownership and independence to avoid the fate of some neighboring publications that sold, and were subsequently shuttered by larger media conglomerates." Barnett told McCleary, "They don’t have that community understanding of what a newspaper means in a community. To them, it's just a purchase. And if you don’t have your finger on the pulse of the community, you’re done.”

As local and more rural newspapers have closed in Colorado, news deserts have emerged, and like many places in the United States, regions with no news outlets are more likely to fall victim to misinformation or gossip mills. "According to a 2023 study from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Colorado newspapers had declined by over 20% in the last five years," McCleary reports. "Barnett noticed that areas without news sometimes became 'rumor wells,' where competing voices began spreading mis- or disinformation."

For smaller papers to survive several avenues can be explored. Corey Hutchins, a professor at the Colorado College Journalism Institute, "noted a few alternative business strategies newsrooms might take to stay alive, including exploring non-profit and public benefit corporation status and chasing alternative sources of funding," McCleary explains. "He noted that some newsrooms are also, perhaps surprising to some, focusing less on digital and more on print."

Smaller papers rely on community support and letting readers know their contributions are needed and appreciated can provide additional income. Hutchins told McCleary, "People should care about what’s happening to their own local source of news and information. How are you supporting news where you live?”

Team of former Wall Street Journal employees help to support smaller news organizations in U.S.

Photo by Scott Graham, Unsplash

A team of former Wall Street Journal employees is helping “small legacy and start-up news organizations around the country whose news teams have been depleted by shrinking revenue and cutbacks,” reports Jeff Rowe in the Connecting newsletter, which is distributed to many former and current Associated Press employees, and other journalists.

According to Rowe’s report: “Dubbed Pro News Coaches (PNC), the WSJ alums currently are at work in eight small news organizations scattered around the nation. The Journal alums typically help young reporters and their editors plan stories, conceive and manage projects, and edit. Journal alums are coaching in, among other places, Olney, Texas, Excelsior Springs, Missouri, and Signal Hill, California.”

“PNC offers its initial coaching services free but intends to segue into collecting modest fees,” Rowe reports. “PNC is based in New York but has no connection with The Wall Street Journal or its parent News Corp. Most of the coaching is done via Zoom, phone calls or email . . . .”

The support comes at a time when the number of journalists in U.S. newsrooms is in sharp decline. According to the 2023 State of Local News Report by the Local News Initiative at Northwestern University, “Newspapers are continuing to vanish at an average rate of more than two a week. Since 2005, the country has lost almost 2,900 newspapers, including more than 130 confirmed closings or mergers over the past year. All but about 100 were weeklies, which are often the sole provider of local news in small and mid-sized communities.”

Quick hits: Are media outlets ready for an 'extinction-level event'? A new National Park; the best rural water

Photo by Yosh Ginsu, Unsplash

Are media outlets ready to rethink and reinvent themselves to survive? That's a big question with so many possible answers. In her commentary for The New Yorker, Clare Malone recounts the rise and fall of U.S. news outlets and asks, "Is the Media Prepared for an Extinction-Level Event?" Malone writes, "Even as outlets have tried to complement news coverage with other offerings, they've faced a fresh dilemma: news subscriptions —the great hope of media — are now directly competing with entertainment ones."

Wikipedia map

America's National Parks are a source of national unity alongside land and historic preservation. The Amache National Historic Site officially opened as the newest national park this year. Amache is in southeastern Colorado, one mile outside of Granada. "It was one of 10 incarceration sites used to detain thousands of Japanese-Americans during World War II," reports Lauren Penington of The Denver Post. The park is meant to remind us of past injustices and provide a place of reflection and healing for our country's past mistakes.

With all the twists and turns life can throw at us, sometimes words of wisdom can give us peace and reassurance that this, too, shall pass. Progressive Farmer's "Faith" section reaches out this week with quotes to ponder and embrace, such as this one from Martin Luther King Jr.: "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

Kobu photo, Unsplash

Water, water everywhere, and the best sips are in Columbus, Wisconsin. "Many people know Wisconsin for its milk or beer, but did you know that the state is also home to some of America's best-tasting water? Earlier this year, Columbus Utilities in Columbus, a small city northeast of Madison, won the gold medal at the National Rural Water Association's 25th Annual Great American Water Taste Test," reports Claire Reid of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The taste test and awards ceremony took place at the NRWA's annual Rural Water Rally in Washington, D.C."

As younger Americans weigh the costs versus benefits of a college degree, some opt to work for companies that offer great-paying jobs that don't need a degree. "Walmart is giving bigger bonuses and adding stock awards to their annual pay packages, pushing the total compensation for the best ones to more than $400,000 a year," reports Sarah Nassauer of The Wall Street Journal. "The retail giant has thousands of store managers who act as midlevel executives. Each can often oversee a store with 350 workers and $100 million in annual revenue. Many start as clerks and climb the ranks without college degrees."

Case backlogs are a major source of criminal trial delays.
(Tingey Law Firm photo, Unsplash)

The case backlog in U.S. courts increased during the pandemic years, but the shortage of attorneys and judges pre-dates Covid-19. "The pandemic worsened problems that already had caused state and local court delays, legal experts say. The hurdles include insufficient funding, judicial vacancies, lawyer shortages and delays processing digital and physical evidence," reports Amanda Hernández of Stateline. In rural Vermont, "There were over 35,500 pending cases statewide, according to data from the Vermont Judiciary. About 42%, or 15,294 of those pending cases, are criminal cases. That's double the amount of pending criminal cases pre-pandemic."

The Institute for Rural Journalism thrives at the University of Kentucky; its outreach is for rural news nationwide

Benjy Hamm

Twenty years ago, some forward-thinking journalists began discussing the future of news in rural America. One of the more vibrant and committed conversations would take center stage at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues was created and thrives, with a continuing passion for helping "journalism work in rural areas and to provide training and other resources for small news organizations," reports Bob Miller for Editor & Publisher magazine.

Benjy Hamm serves as the new director of the IRJCI, succeeding Al Cross, who had spent 20 years developing the Institute's foundations. Hamm told Miller: "We have a mission that spreads across the country. The people who developed it at the time were well ahead of the curve and anticipated where we are today. They were interested in supporting and sustaining rural journalists and rural communities because of concerns about how things were going in those communities for local newspapers. Local newspapers were the only local news and information source in many areas."

In July 2023, The Institute's summit hosted live
and remote participants from across the country.

IRJ has hosted three national rural journalism summits, bringing reporters, editors, stakeholders and philanthropy representatives together to focus on problem-solving and share success stories while promoting a sense of community for people who are often hundreds of miles from each other.

Craig Garnett

The Institute also honors the courage, tenacity and integrity needed to do important reporting in rural communities through the Tom and Pat Gish Award. This year's award is going to Craig Garnett, the publisher of the Uvalde Leader-News newspaper in Uvalde, Texas. "The rural newspaper pushed for answers in the wake of the mass shooting at Uvalde Elementary School," Miller reports. "Hamm said the award recognizes that investigative and watchdog journalism can be more difficult in smaller communities where resources are spread thinner and the journalists may have to hold to account the very community members they see and interact with."

Why focus on rural journalism? Hamm told Miller: "One of the main reasons for that, historically and what led to the origin of the Institute, was the belief that there's a lot of great work being done in rural communities, but they don't always have the same support staff. They don't always have the same training opportunities, and they don't always have the same issues that are taking place in larger cities. So, for example, agriculture is huge in many rural communities in Eastern Kentucky and Western Kentucky."

Erika Engstrom

The Institute benefits from UK's vital campus and a growing School of Journalism. Miller writes, "Of the 30,000 students on campus, 719 are enrolled in journalism classes. That's larger than many small towns dotted across America. Of those, 204 are majors or pre-majors in the journalism program. . . ." Dr. Erika Engstrom, director of the School of Journalism and Media in the College of Communication and Information, told Miller that some of the program's entry-level courses have exceeded capacity.

While many news organizations across the nation have suffered setbacks and financial woes, the future for rural journalism is full of challenges and opportunities. Hamm told Miller: "With the state of local news and just how many of these smaller newspapers have gone out of business, that's one of the main reasons we're creating a new emphasis on helping us sustain the journalism in these communities. We work with newspapers, radio and online news sites, but it's still true that, in most rural communities, the primary if not the only source of independent news coverage is a newspaper."

2023 was a tough year in many ways, but saw significant positive developments in science and medicine

The first pill to treat postpartum depression was
approved in 2023. (Photo by Hollie Santos, Unsplash)

Despite wars, the most mass killings since 2006, and the hottest average temperatures in human history, "2023 also was a year with significant positive developments, including in scientific research and medicine," report Victoria Bisset and other Washington Post staff members. Not only does some good news about the past year provide comfort, the Post points out that "research has indicated that uplifting news can provide an emotional buffer against distressing news and feelings of hopelessness — and even encourage optimism or action." Here are some things the Post listed:

The World Health Organization approved a new malaria vaccine that has been shown to be much more effective than the only previous vaccine against the potentially deadly disease. The U.S. has about 2,000 cases of malaria each year, most of them contracted in other nations.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the first pill to treat postpartum depression, which affects up to one in five women who can "experience intense hopelessness and, in rare cases, psychosis — and it can last for years," the Post notes. "The new drug is taken once a day for two weeks and, unlike the existing treatment of an IV injection that may take as long as 60 hours to administer in a health-care setting, it can be taken at home."

The FDA also approved two gene-therapy treatments for sickle-cell disease, "a rare and debilitating condition that affects around 100,000 Americans, most of them Black. The disease causes extreme, constant pain and can drastically cut the life span of those affected," the Post notes. "Both are intensive, expensive procedures — and require chemotherapy, which has significant side effects. But patients who have received the treatments have spoken of its profoundly beneficial impact on their lives."

Scientists made progress in understanding dementia, the Post reports. One study "suggested that lifestyle habits, including regular mental and physical activity, eating a healthful diet, and regular social contact were linked with a slower rate of memory decline," the Post reports. "Another found that living in areas with more natural green spaces was associated with lower rates of hospital admissions for diseases including dementia, while separate research indicated that the use of hearing aids could cut the risk of cognitive decline by nearly half."

Meanwhile, the FDA approved, for the first time, a drug that modestly slows Alzheimer’s disease. While difficult questions about safety, effectiveness and cost remain, many neurologists say that having a drug that slows Alzheimer’s is nonetheless a milestone after years of failed trials.

Post office employees say they have been banned from mentioning Amazon deliveries as a cause of mail delays

Around 65 people gathered for the listening session.
(Photo by Annalise Braught, Bemidji Pioneer)

One of the U.S. Postal Service's greatest strengths -- connecting every delivery point in the United States to every other delivery point -- is what made a company like Amazon possible. But now, the massive task of servicing Amazon's contract is pushing some rural post offices to the brink.

Even limited research on Amazon packages and rural post offices shows how hard rural post office employees must work to fulfill the sheer number of Amazon packages and overall "last mile" package deliveries. Articles and petitions addressing the issue include details on how stressed postal employees are, including The Washington Post's recent story with this headline: "Rural post office was told to prioritize Amazon packages. Chaos ensued."

Since the Post article was published, mail carriers in their featured small town, Bemidji, Minnesota, say they have been censored for speaking out. "Mail carriers in a rural Minnesota post office [Bemidji] overwhelmed by Amazon packages say they've been warned not to use the word 'Amazon,' including when customers ask why the mail is delayed," Caroline O'Donovan of The Washington Post reports. "'We are not to mention the word Amazon to anyone,' said a mail carrier. . . . 'If asked, they're to be referred to as Delivery Partners or Distributors,' said a second carrier. 'It's ridiculous.'"

The directive was "passed down Monday morning from U.S. Postal Service management and comes three weeks after mail carriers in the northern Minnesota town staged a symbolic strike outside the post office" to protest "the heavy workloads and long hours caused by the sudden arrival of thousands of Amazon packages, O'Donovan reports. "On Tuesday, staffers from the offices of Democratic Minnesota senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar hosted a 'listening session' with Bemidji residents to "discuss ongoing postal issues related to package and mail delivery."

"In addition to being banned from saying 'Amazon,' postal workers have also been told their jobs could be at risk if they speak publicly about post office issues," O'Donovan adds. "Staffers were told they could attend Tuesday's meeting only on their 30-minute lunch break if they changed out of uniform, mail carriers said. One mail carrier said he'd been warned there could be 'consequences' for those who showed up."

"Tuesday's meeting in Bemidji lasted over an hour. Fifty people attended in person, and more than 180 watched a live stream on the website of the local newspaper, the Bemidji Pioneer," O'Donovan reports. "Multiple postal workers who recently quit or retired due to the ongoing issues attended, including one who identified herself only as Shelly, and received a spontaneous round of applause when she began to speak. . . . 'I worked at the post office for 30 years. . . Never in my life have I been treated so poorly. I go home at night crying. . . I was forced to retire.'"

To read the Bemidji Pioneer's coverage, click here.

Investigative journalism can be confusing and time-consuming; the pop-up community newsroom can assist

Photo by Christopher Edwin Nuzzaco via UM

Local journalists need to find the time and resources to conduct an investigation more than ever, but working out either can be difficult. Pop-up journalism training can help.

"The pop-up community newsroom is a tool designed to help small newsrooms meet the information needs of a community. For example, it can be used after local climate or public health emergencies when there's a demand for in-depth, original reporting, but where local newsrooms might lack the resources to undertake such projects on their own," reports Stacy Feldman for the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri. "This often involves quickly assembling a team of local subject matter experts and community members — often non-journalists — to participate in investigative reporting.

"So how can the editor in charge of the pop-up newsroom efficiently train these new reporters in investigative journalism, covering areas like interviewing, fact-checking, ethics and more?" Feldman shares some tools that her newsroom, Boulder Reporting Lab, has used to onboard pop-up newsroom participants:

Citizens Investigation Guide by the Global Investigative Journalism Network
"Particularly useful in this guide is its accessible primer on investigation planning and execution. While it does not replace the need for an experienced professional journalism editor in the pop-up, GIJN provides a crash course on the importance of selecting a line of inquiry before work begins. It also offers guidance on how to devise a research plan and schedule, interview effectively, and the importance of due diligence — including how to distinguish between primary documents and secondary sources.

Accuracy checklist by NPR
"Most non-journalists in the pop-up newsroom won't be full-time and will have busy schedules outside of the pop-up project. What distinguishes journalists from advocates or researchers is their unwavering commitment to accuracy through fact-checking and other journalistic practices. . . . NPR's suite of training articles is particularly well-suited for those with limited time and reporting experience. For instance, its articles on setting clear expectations with sources before you interview them and how to identify people correctly are part of the pop-up newsroom training toolkit.

A Reporter's Guide to Pre-Publication Review by Reporters Committee For Freedom of Press
"The more investigative a pop-up newsroom project is, the more crucial it becomes to address potential legal liability upfront. This prevents a lengthy pre-publication review process by your attorney, saving time and avoiding issues for both reporters and the newsroom. This guide highlights the importance of hyperlinking to relevant reports or public records to substantiate claims in stories. It also emphasizes allowing sources to respond to any and all allegations and including their responses, and how using precise and unambiguous language reduces the risk of legal disputes.

The Art and Create of Feature Writing by William E. Blundell
"Writing on complex topics can be a challenge, even for seasoned journalists. It can be especially perplexing for those new to in-depth journalistic writing. To make the process smoother, it's helpful to designate one or two experienced writers to the project from the outset. Having multiple writers can lead to confusion and create problems for the editor. The chosen writers should have experience distilling information and have a strong interest in learning journalistic writing.

Rural Newswire is launched; it's a 'new platform for finding and sharing rural stories that can be republished for free'

Image via Rural Newswire

To strengthen the national voice of rural journalism, Grist and the Center for Rural Strategies have launched the Rural Newswire, a clearinghouse for rural stories. The website, which opened today, was "created to help newsrooms that serve rural communities by providing a platform to both find and share stories that can be republished for free," reports Rachel Glickhouse of Grist. "Editors can use the Rural Newswire to source stories to syndicate and upload links to their own coverage. As part of this project, the Center for Rural Strategies and Grist are providing $100,000 in grants to report on rural America. The grants are open to both newsrooms and freelancers."

Center for Rural Strategies President Dee Davis, told Glickhouse, "As we saw rural reporting across the U.S. declining because of media consolidation, we organized a team of journalists and started The Daily Yonder, an online newsroom to fill the gaps. . . . But there is still plenty to do. We are committed to the sustained work of building new civic infrastructure and lasting relationships with rural publishers and audiences." Grist CEO Nikhil Swaminathan noted that climate change is first hitting rural areas and professions. She told Glickhouse, "Many times, they're also people who can be on the front line of the changes we need to take hold, from how rural electric cooperatives generate electricity for their members to regenerative agriculture practices that can cut down on carbon."

The Center for Rural Strategies and Grist are working with the Institute for Nonprofit News, home of the Rural News Network. Jonathan Kealing, INN's chief network officer, told Glickhouse, "Rural Newswire is yet another valuable investment in newsrooms serving remote populations across the country. It's an awesome resource for editors to share quality coverage with their audiences."

After political clamor, DirecTV will air Newsmax again

Photo by Patrick T. Fallon via Getty Images

After political jib-jabs in Washington, DirecTV will restore Newsmax to its lineup. "DirecTV dropped Newsmax in January over what it described as strictly a business matter — disagreement over Newsmax's demand that it receive fees for being aired by DirecTV, as other channels typically are," reports Paul Farhi of The Washington Post. "But the issue quickly became political; several dozen House Republicans signed a letter suggesting that DirecTV was shutting down a conservative voice and demanded that it be restored. . . . Some Republicans who rely on Newsmax for interviews and favorable television exposure called for the House to investigate the channel’s 'deplatforming'."

DirectTV said that their "'successful negotiation with Newsmax was based on economics and protecting our customers from higher costs — not politics or ideology,'" Farhi writes. "Newsmax founder and CEO Christopher Ruddy commended DirecTV, saying it 'clearly supports diverse voices, including conservative ones.'. . . DirecTV, which reaches about 13 million subscribers, said its programming would return without additional cost to customers."

Newsmax reaches around 50 million households via cable, but "distribution by DirecTV is important because it gives the network another broad platform to sell advertising," Farhi reports. "DirecTV had said in its negotiations with Newsmax that it was willing to continue carrying the channel without paying a cash fee for it. . . . Newsmax, however, held out for compensation, arguing that other channels receive it. . . . DirecTV did not release terms of the multiyear agreement."

Farhi explains, "Newsmax has often veered to the right of Fox News in its coverage and commentary. . . . Its ratings spiked at the end of 2020, after Trump expressed his dismay with Fox News's coverage of his false claims that the presidential election was stolen. Newsmax continued to emphasize Trump's narrative, winning disaffected Fox viewers. . . . After its brief post-election surge in popularity, Newsmax's viewership began to wane as President Biden assumed office. It averaged 184,000 viewers during prime-time hours, according to Nielsen figures, ranking it far behind Fox (2.4 million), MSNBC (1.2 million) and CNN (735,000)."

Sign up for live webinar tomorrow and dig into what matters to your business readers with Jim Pumarlo's practical tips

"The business of America is business!" President Calvin Coolidge famously said. It's also a reporting beat that can add value for your readers and to your bottom line.

Neswspaper consultant Jim Pumarlo will host a webinat Thursday, March 9 at 2 p.m. Register here. Here is his pitch:

Business news has gained greater prominence since the onset of Covid-19 and its impact on the economy and employment. The effects of the pandemic necessarily resulted in a range of stories focusing on our worksites – the places we earn a paycheck as employees and purchase products and services as consumers.

Business news certainly deserves extra attention during these extraordinary times. At the same time, this is a great opportunity to explore everyday business coverage during ordinary times, too.

Newspapers often are on the defense when it comes to business news: If they grant a story for one business story, are they opening the floodgates? How can they say “yes” to one request and “no” to another? My session provides some practical guidelines and ideas for news and advertising departments alike – to help the two departments be aligned on what is news and what is an ad, and to help them develop a plan for broader business coverage, which I believe can lead to increased ad revenue.

Jim Pumarlo understands that energized newspapers are at the foundation of energized communities. As a newsroom trainer, he underscores the need for solid news content whether delivered in print or digital formats. He worked 27 years at daily newspapers in International Falls and Red Wing, Minn., the last 21 as editor at the Red Wing Republican Eagle. He then served 16 years as director of communications and media relations at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the state’s largest business advocacy organization. He is author of three books: Bad News and Good Judgment: A Guide to Reporting on Sensitive Issues in a Small-Town Newspaper; Votes and Quotes: A Guide to Outstanding Election Campaign Coverage; Journalism Primer: A Guide to Community News Coverage for Beginning Journalists.

Newspaper publisher 'knew it was wrong,' used the law to be her own attorney and won her case

Darla Downs of the Northern Plains Independent in Wolf
Point, Montana. (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick, Daily Montanan)

Follow the law. Seems pretty straightforward, but in many cases, systems need astute citizens to get that job done. Darla Downs, owner and publisher of Montana's Northern Plains Independent, is a determined journalist who "took on the election of now-former Roosevelt County Attorney Frank Piocos. She couldn’t afford an attorney, so she filed a lawsuit pro se," reports Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan. "After both parties presented their cases, Judge Katherine Bidegaray ruled that Piocos was not a resident of the county when he ran for election in 2022, and therefore, he was ineligible for the office. She also ordered a new special election."

“This was outside my normal wheelhouse," Downs told Ehrlick. "I knew the law was on my side, and I had the help of plenty of county residents who were on my side. I believe in watchdog journalism, and people knew it was wrong and wanted me to do something.”

Ehrlick explains the conflict: "Piocos had previously been an assistant county attorney, which is not elected. Bidegaray’s decision said under the law, a qualified elector meant a person who has residence in a particular county. Residency is determined largely by where the person lives. . . . . Piocos had even rented office space in the county, but the judge said renting space is not the same as establishing residency, and therefore Piocos was not qualified to run for office in 2022. . . . . Piocos defended his win by claiming that Downs had not challenged his election properly. . . . the judge did not find that point persuasive."

Roosevelt County will now plan its special election, but meanwhile, "Roosevelt County Commission Chairman Gordon Oelkers said he’s been surprised at the number of people coming forward to either help in the interim, or consider running." Oelkers told Ehrlick, "There are not a lot of lawyers up here in this corner of the state. But I’m pleasantly surprised by the number who are willing to help provide guidance and move us in a positive direction."

Ehrlick noted that Downs presented and won her case as her own attorney. Downs told Ehrlick, "I wasn’t not surprised. I was relieved."

The Northern Plains Independent's main office is in Wolf Point, Montana, pop., 2,500. The paper reaches Roosevelt, Daniels, Mc-Cone, Valley, Sheridan or Richland counties.

Online News Association to hold virtual conference Oct. 1-16, Tuesdays through Fridays; diversity mentorships offered

Registration is open for ONA20, a virtual conference for the Online News Association to be held Oct. 1-16, on business days except Mondays. Click here for more information or to register.

ProPublica is organizing and hosting a Diversity Mentorship Event as part of the conference. Journalists from under-represented groups, including people of color, LGBTQ+ people, women, and people with disabilities, are welcome to apply to be a mentee. Click here for more information.

Partisan websites masquerading as local news are a growing trend; map shows whether any are near you

Screenshot of interactive map showing distribution of partisan media outlets. Red buttons and shaded areas are conservative; blue are liberal. (Nieman Lab map; click here for the interactive version.)

"The growth of partisan media masquerading as state and local reporting is a troubling trend we’ve seen emerge amid the financial declines of local news organizations. But what do these outlets mean for journalism in American communities?" Jessica Mahone and Philip Napoli report for Harvard University's Nieman Lab.

"Using previous research and news reports as a guide, we’ve mapped the locations of more than 400 partisan media outlets — often funded and operated by government officials, political candidates, PACs and political party operatives — and found, somewhat unsurprisingly, that these outlets are emerging most often in swing states, raising a concern about the ability of such organizations to fill community information needs while prioritizing the electoral value of an audience." The partisan media sites are particularly thick on the ground in Iowa, Michigan and North Carolina.

Conservative sites generally differ from liberal sites on other ways, Mahone and Napoli report: "We found that while the (few) left-leaning sites prioritize statewide reporting, right-leaning sites are more focused on local reporting, suggesting different strategies for engaging with targeted audiences and indicating the potential for these sites to exacerbate polarization in local communities."

Nieman Lab created an interactive map showing where the partisan news sites are anchored as well as the congressional district's political leanings. Click here for an in-depth explanation of how the map was created and what layers of data can be accessed.