The California Journalism Preservation Act would do more harm than good. Here’s how the state might better help news

[Nieman Lab: The Daily Digest] Wednesday, April 10, 2024 [The California Journalism Preservation Act would do more harm than good. Here’s how the state might better help news]( “If there are resources to be put to work, we must ask where those resources should come from, who should receive them, and on what basis they should be distributed.” By Jeff Jarvis. [“Fake news” legislation risks doing more harm than good amid a record number of elections in 2024]( “Whether intentional or not, the legislation we examined created potential opportunities to diminish opposing voices and decrease media freedom — both of which are particularly important in countries holding elections.” By Samuel Jens. What We’re Reading Washington City Paper / Vince Morris [Washington Post web traffic numbers keep sinking →]( “An internal ‘traffic sheet’ obtained from a source with access to the numbers shows 55 million monthly web visits in February 2024, the paper’s lowest in several years. By comparison, the number of Post web visitors is below the New York Times (82 million), USA Today (63 million), and Forbes (60 million).” CalMatters / Sonya Quick [CalMatters makes AI-powered database on California state government free and available to public →]( The “Digital Democracy” database tracks every word uttered in public hearings, every dollar given to a politician, every bill introduced, and every vote taken. A smart AI tool searches the data and generates news tips for journalists. The Hollywood Reporter / Scott Roxborough [Why the CEO of Getty Images made an AI deal with Nvidia →]( “What concerns me is that not everyone wants there to be more creators, some want the creators to be automated away…I think this technology can be incredibly beneficial to society, but if it’s not harnessed correctly, if it’s not managed correctly, it could be quite detrimental.” Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism / Murillo Camarotto [Under attack from so many quarters, press freedom in Brazil is now threatened by some judges too →]( “Although the environment of press freedom has flourished significantly in Brazil since the end of the military dictatorship in the mid-1980s, journalists still face many setbacks when their work goes against the interests of the judiciary. It is not uncommon for judges at all levels to censor reports or take legal action against journalists.” NPR / David Folkenflik [NPR defends its journalism after senior editor says it has lost the public’s trust →]( “Given Berliner’s account of private conversations, several NPR journalists question whether they can now trust him with unguarded assessments about stories in real time. Others express frustration that he had not sought out comment in advance of publication.” [Here]( is NPR’s memo to staff. Awful Announcing / Sean Keeley [SB Nation shuts down its podcast network: “We’re all extremely blindsided by this” →]( “Vox Media, which owns SB Nation, had a series of layoffs and cutbacks last year that involved shuttering various sites and podcasts. The podcasts that survived those cuts were the ones that ended Thursday.” (Last year, The Athletic also [cut most of its local sports podcasts]( The Washington Post / Cat Zakrzewski, Nitasha Tiku and Elizabeth Dwoskin [OpenAI prepares to fight for its life as legal troubles mount →]( “Under siege, OpenAI is turning to some of the world’s top legal and political human minds. It has hired about two dozen in-house lawyers since March 2023 to work on issues including copyright, according to a Washington Post analysis of LinkedIn. The company has posted a job for an antitrust lawyer with a salary of up to $300,000.” The New York Times / Katie Robertson [Fortune magazine names a new C.E.O. →]( Anastasia Nyrkovskaya, who was previously Fortune’s chief financial officer and chief strategy officer, is the first woman to run the company since it was launched in 1929. Slate / Aymann Ismail [Haaretz reporter Ido David Cohen on press freedom in Israel and threats of an Al Jazeera ban →]( “I am most concerned that the government could rely on this precedent to hurt local Arabic-language broadcasters in Israel. Freedom of speech for Arabs has slipped since the start of this war.” Financial Times / John Reed [BBC splits its operations in India after coming under regulatory scrutiny →]( “The new independent media company, Collective Newsroom, will be owned and operated by Indian BBC journalists who are leaving the corporation, and will provide news and other programming on a service contract with the UK news outlet, which broadcasts in English and six Indian languages, as its main business partner.” Axios / Sara Fischer [Robinhood, the retail trading app, launches a news site called Sherwood →]( “Sherwood News wants to be a revenue-driving business for Robinhood, not just a customer acquisition tool.” [Nieman Lab]( / [Fuego]( [Twitter]( / [Facebook]( [View email in browser]( [Unsubscribe]( You are receiving this daily newsletter because you signed up for for it at www.niemanlab.org. Nieman Journalism Lab Harvard University 1 Francis Ave.Cambridge, MA 02138 [Add us to your address book](