Media critic Margaret Sullivan made an error recently. No big deal — we all do it. But her account of what happened next is worth thinking about. First, the error. Sullivan writes in her newsletter, American Crisis, that she recently appeared on economist Paul Krugman’s podcast and said that Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong … Continue reading "How Margaret Sullivan’s erroneous slip of the tongue became (briefly) an AI-generated ‘fact’"| Media Nation
We recently decided to make a return trip to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown after a too-brief visit in August. While we were looking for other things to do, we noticed that the museum was hosting a jazz combo called Dueling Vibes on Saturday evening. What we didn’t realize was that we were going … Continue reading "Catching the vibes in the Berkshires"| Media Nation
We’ve been hashing out the pros and cons of ending the government shutdown on Facebook this week. My position has been that the Democrats shouldn’t have caved, but that it was a close call. Certainly the shutdown couldn’t have gone on too much longer, especially with families in danger of going hungry and federal workers … Continue reading "One good reason the shutdown should have continued; plus, a settlement in Kansas, and Kara Miller’s new podcast"| Media Nation
On the latest “What Works” podcast, I talk with Kade Krichko, the founder of Ori magazine, a beautifully crafted premium print publication devoted to grassroots storytelling across the globe. (Ellen Clegg is recovering from knee replacement surgery but is producing behind the scenes. She’ll return to the air soon.) Kade describes himself as a world … Continue reading "Kade Krichko tells us about the global localism of Ori magazine; plus, Jon Keller is at large"| Media Nation
Imagine, if you will, a public school, supported by taxpayer dollars, claiming that it’s a private corporation and doesn’t have to comply with the state’s public records law. It is absurd on the face of it. Yet that’s what the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School is arguing in a case before the Supreme Judicial Court. … Continue reading "A second Muzzle Award to the Mystic Valley charter school — this time over a public records dispute"| Media Nation
On several occasions recently, I’ve argued that The Boston Globe ought to make a few gift links available each month so that subscribers can share them. Among other things, it might entice some casual readers into subscribing. That’s the practice at The New York Times and The Washington Post, both of which allot subscribers 10 … Continue reading "It turns out that you can share Boston Globe stories with non-subscribers for free"| Media Nation
Even as major media organizations like ABC’s parent company, Disney, and CBS’s, Paramount, were settling bogus lawsuits filed by Donald Trump in order to demonstrate their submissiveness, an unlikely defender of the First Amendment has emerged: USA Today Co., which until earlier this week was known as Gannett. Sign up for free email delivery of … Continue reading "A ruling in favor of the Des Moines Register bodes well for defeating a bogus lawsuit brought by Trump"| Media Nation
The Plymouth Independent, a digital startup that ranks among the larger such projects in Eastern Massachusetts, has named a new executive editor. David Kidwell, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist from Chicago, will assume the Independent’s top editorial position in January. He succeeds founding editor Mark Pothier, who will remain as a staff reporter. According to the … Continue reading "The Plymouth Independent names a Pulitzer winner as its next editor"| Media Nation
It was sadly ironic that the death of McClatchy’s Washington bureau was announced on the same day as that of former Vice President Dick Cheney. Because it was McClatchy — then known as Knight Ridder — that did more than any news organization to expose the Bush-Cheney administration’s lies and falsehoods in the run-up to … Continue reading "Remembering the Iraq war: How Knight Ridder dug up the truth about Dick Cheney’s falsehoods"| Media Nation
This morning I’d like to call your attention to three outstanding recent examples of enterprise journalism in The Boston Globe. On Friday I shared my last gift links for the month to The New …| Media Nation
It’s that most wonderful time of the month, when I’ve got a few gift links to The New York Times that I haven’t used and I want to share them with my readers. These links will turn into pumpkins at midnight, which is appropriate on Halloween. (That is, they’d turn into unshareable pumpkins for me. … Continue reading "With midnight approaching, here are my last three New York Times gift links for October"| Media Nation
Old friend Jon Keller was laid off Thursday by WBZ-TV (Channel 4) as part of wide-ranging cuts at Paramount-owned CBS, writes Boston Globe media reporter Aidan Ryan (sub. req). Keller, a political analyst at the station for 20 years, was one of five staff members who lost their jobs, although he was the only on-air … Continue reading "A post-merger purge of 2,000 at Paramount claims WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller"| Media Nation
Larry Bushart is free, but he didn’t win. It was the forces of oppression that won after Bushart spent a month in jail, held on $2 million bail, for publishing a provocative Facebook post about the late Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump that Tennessee authorities decided to conflate into the felony of recklessly threatening mass … Continue reading "An anti-Trump meme poster is out of jail, but Tennessee authorities have sent a chilling message"| Media Nation
When Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013, there were fears that he would position its editorial pages to boost his various business interests and amplify his quirky political philosophy. Consider, for example, Shel Kaphan, an engineer who was Amazon’s first employee and later had a falling-out with Bezos. “It makes me feel quite … Continue reading "The Washington Post runs three editorials failing to disclose Jeff Bezos’ conflicts of interest"| Media Nation
On the latest “What Works” podcast, I’m flying solo because co-host Ellen Clegg is recovering from knee-replacement surgery. But fear not — she was behind the scenes making sure this episode got recorded properly, and she edited what you are listening to. She’ll be back on the air soon. Our guest is Rick Goldsmith, a … Continue reading "Rick Goldsmith tells us about ‘Stripped for Parts,’ his jeremiad against hedge-fund journalism"| Media Nation
The Midcoast Villager, an innovative weekly newspaper based in Camden, Maine, got The New York Times treatment last week. But though the Times lavished attention on the high-profile journalists who’ve been recruited to work there as well as the café it’s opened to extend public outreach, it missed entirely the Villager’s long history as a … Continue reading "The New York Times discovers Maine’s Midcoast Villager. Here’s the rest of the story."| Media Nation
Donald Trump is wreaking so much havoc and engaging in so much corruption that it’s hard to stay focused. But I urge all of us to keep our eye on this: He is killing civilians from Venezuela and Colombia in the Caribbean and, now, in the Pacific. The number is up to 43 victims. Charlie … Continue reading "Trump’s targeted killings of civilians at sea are the worst thing he has done as president"| Media Nation
A well-known Boston Globe byline will soon be appearing in The New York Times. Mark Arsenault, who came to the Globe in 2010, has been hired by the Times to report on education. He’ll leave the paper on Oct. 30. An email to the staff from editor Nancy Barnes and deputy managing editor Francis Storrs, … Continue reading "Mark Arsenault is leaving the Globe to report on education for The New York Times"| Media Nation
Boston.com, a free service of Boston Globe Media since its launch 30 years ago, is adding a paywall. According to a memo sent to the staff Wednesday afternoon and provided to me by a trusted source, the site is moving to a metered paywall that can be tailored “as we learn more.” I take that … Continue reading "Boston.com, the Globe’s free site since its launch 30 years ago, is adding a metered paywall"| Media Nation
Finding news in the annual State of Local News report from Northwestern University’ Medill School can be a challenge because, frankly, it’s always the same depressing thing: newspapers …| Media Nation
Photo (cc) 2014 by Jay Phagan.The surveillance state has come to Brookline, Massachusetts. Sam Mintz reports for Brookline.News that Chestnut Hill Realty will set up license-plate readers on Independence Drive near Hancock Village, located in South Brookline, on the Boston border. The readers are made by Flock Safety, which is signing an agreement with the Brookline Police Department to use the data. The data will also be made available to Boston Police.| Media Nation
For at least 15 years, local-news visionaries have been thinking about ways to build a media organization owned and governed by its staff and members of the community. The idea is to create a news …| Media Nation
As best as I can determine, in the 11 months since The Washington Post’s opinion section descended into Jeff Bezos-imposed turmoil, no one had been fired — until now. Some people quit in prot…| Media Nation
The Daily Herald of Provo, Utah. Image via Today’s Front Pages.On the afternoon that right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was murdered, three teenagers, including the shooter, were reported to be in critical condition following a school shooting in Evergreen, Colorado. The shooter later died.| Media Nation
Jeff Jacoby has a sharp column up at The Boston Globe on the dangers of physician-assisted suicide, writing that “a decent society does not enlist physicians to end lives; it strives to relie…| Media Nation
The Bedford Citizen, which may be the oldest nonprofit local-news startup in Massachusetts, is back on track after losing its top two newsroom employees earlier this year. Bill Fonda is joining the…| Media Nation
Major philanthropies are stepping up to offset some of the cuts to public television and radio, Benjamin Mullin reports in The New York Times (gift link). But will it be enough? And what possible d…| Media Nation
