Shop Talk

A journalist in the Philippines and a reporter in Russia have won the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

Chicago Public Media, which oversees public radio station WBEZ, is in talks to acquire the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Los Angeles Times recently ran a story about criticism of Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who attended a lavish event wearing a white gown with “Tax the Rich” written in bold, red letters on the back.

NPR reported that a man who disrupted NBC News correspondent Shaquille Brewster's live coverage on Hurricane Ida faces a variety of charges.

Poynter recently shared an update on The Philadelphia Inquirer's project, "Inquirer for All." The project's aim is to transform the newsroom into one that is inclusive and antiracist.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law Senate Bill 134, which creates the Local Journalism Task Force. A release from the governor's office said the Task Force will conduct a comprehensive study of the status of journalism and make recommendations for improvement to the Governor and General Assembly.

The Associated Press reported that a once-prominent anchor at one of Iowa's biggest local television stations has filed a lawsuit alleging she was let go last year because of her gender and age.

Shop Talk panelist Will Buss recently wrote a column for The McDonough County Voice about newsroom closures across the U.S. He wrote some publications blame their shutdown on the economic strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The New York Times reported on a dilemma CNN faced in recent weeks. The network's top-rated anchor is Chris Cuomo, whose brother Andrew faced a harassment scandal that ultimately led to his resignation as New York's governor.

An article in Poynter reported that Gannett says its digital subscriptions grew by 145,000 in the second quarter. But at the same time, Gannett's circulation revenue fell 9.4% compared to the same quarter in 2020.

Columbia Journalism Review reported on the findings from a couple journalism-related researchers. Jacob L. Nelson and Seth C. Lewis said they conducted 60 Zoom-based interviews with a diverse sample of adults in the United States. They said they wanted to understand the relationship between the sources that people turn to for their news, the stories that they tell themselves about the news, and the steps they take to distinguish fact from fiction.

The new law will require Illinois public schools to teach students skills to identify misinformation.

Vice News reported many of the journalists who survived the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol are still covering Congress. But things don't feel normal to them.

Poynter recently noted that UFOs have landed in mainstream media coverage. NPR and other outlets reported on a preliminary assessment from U.S. intelligence agencies looking into unidentified aerial phenomena. And Poynter noted that the New York Times ran a story a few years ago about what was described as a shadowy Pentagon program that investigated reports of UFOs. 

Inside Radio reported that Purdue University has agreed on terms to sell news/talk WBAA-AM and classical WBAA-FM in West Lafayette, Indiana to Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Media.

Poynter has been reporting a series of stories about reporters who have lost their jobs. Those former reporters each have their own story to tell but they're similar in the how they underscore the challenges facing the profession of journalism and the people who work in the industry.

The Chicago-based Better Government Association handed out awards for investigative reporting. The top prize went to WBBM-TV for a story about a police raid on the wrong home, which the City of Chicago tried and failed to suppress in federal court before it aired.

Poynter examined a story ProPublica reported about the taxes paid by the wealthiest Americans. The ProPublica story said billionaires pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing.

RTDNA reported that it has joined more than 100 other groups in urging the Justice Department to include “treatment of the press” in its reviews of the Minneapolis Police Department, Louisville Metro Police Department, and any future inquiries the Justice Department might pursue. 

AP reported that Prince William and his brother Prince Harry harshly criticized the BBC and British media for unethical practices after an investigation concluded that one of the BBC's journalists used "deceitful behavior" to secure Princess Diana's most explosive TV interview in 1995.

As WBBM Newsradio in Chicago reported, the city's mayor, Lori Lightfoot, is calling for more diversity among the news media who cover local government. She kicked off the discussion with a controversial move.

NPR is marking the 50th anniversary of its first on-air original broadcast.  The network's All Things Considered debuted on May 3, 1971.

The Guardian reported that a journalist at the New York Post said she was ordered to write an incorrect front page story about Vice President Kamala Harris. The reporter later resigned.

The student newspaper at Illinois State University has printed its final edition. The Vidette is switching to a digital format. Shop Talk's Will Buss is familiar with that transition because the Western Courier made the switch a bit more than a year ago.

Reporters Without Borders has released its latest World Press Freedom Index. The group called journalism the main vaccine against misinformation. However, that vaccine is not getting through in many parts of the world.

Journalist Abigail Higgins wrote a piece for Business Insider under the headline, "The FBI used my journalism to charge a January 6 insurrectionist. I have complicated feelings about that."

RTDNA ran a piece a few weeks ago about a study conducted by the Center for Media Engagement. The Center looked at the content of nightly network news broadcasts on ABC, CBS, and NBC and of primetime cable news network shows on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC between January, 2020 and June, 2020.

Poynter is holding a series of seminars about the future of the newsroom. Poynter, which bills itself as the world’s leading instructor, innovator, convener, and resource for anyone who aspires to engage and inform citizens, is examining what we’ve lost and learned in a year of remote journalism.

Editor & Publisher magazine reported the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill includes funding for economically disrupted industries to help keep their retirement plans solvent. Those disrupted industries include America's community newspapers, which Editor & Publisher said are weighed down by underfunded pension liabilities.

The BBC reported that a few months ago, millions of TV viewers across South Korea were watching the MBN channel to catch the latest news. At the top of the hour, regular news anchor Kim Joo-Ha started to go through the day's headlines. It was a relatively normal list of stories for late 2020. Yet, the BBC said, this particular update was far from normal.