Questions about diversity and seniority swirl after LA Times layoffs

[Nieman Lab: The Daily Digest] Thursday, January 25, 2024 [Questions about diversity and seniority swirl after LA Times layoffs]( Disagreements between the LA Times and its Guild over seniority protections ended in more than 60 journalists of color being laid off. By Hanaa' Tameez. [A tuition-free J-school? CUNY aims to be one by 2027]( Thanks to a $10 million gift from Craig Newmark Philanthropies announced Thursday, the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY will cover full tuition for half of its class starting in August 2025. By Sophie Culpepper. [Ten young journalists open up about their struggles to break into the news industry]( Emerging journalists across Europe, North America, and Latin America tell similar stories. By Gretel Kahn. What We’re Reading TheWrap / Natalie Korach [Business Insider to lay off around 8% of staff →]( Staffers departing the outlet today will receive a minimum of 13 weeks pay and medical coverage through May. Poynter / Steven Waldman [How AI could sap – or save – local news →]( “The only way to combat a pink slime site pretending to cover a town is to have a humanoid reporter at every town hall meeting. Every weirdly attractive synthetic local news anchor needs to be joined by a new badly dressed local reporter. The only way to defeat a bad guy with a chatbot is with a good gal with a notebook.” The Washington Post / Clarissa Ward [Clarissa Ward calls for Israel to let journalists freely report the news in Gaza →]( “Gaza’s journalists should not be left to cover this war alone. In a conflict where information has been weaponized, where every claim is met with a dizzying counter claim and misinformation is thriving, international journalists can add an invaluable perspective.” Rolling Stone / JOSEPH HUDAK [Country stars Eric Church and Morgan Wallen plan to relaunch Field & Stream magazine →]( “The country singers purchased Field & Stream magazine and will relaunch the outdoorsy brand as a print magazine, website, and apparel company alongside plans for a live music festival. Subscribers to the new Field & Stream 1871 Club can choose from three tiers ranging from $15 to $95 annually that each provide online access to new stories about hunting, fishing, and the outdoors, and the F&S archives.” Current / Tyler Falk [How anti-diversity laws are jeopardizing pubmedia’s DEI efforts →]( “The laws have banned measures at public universities such as the posting of diversity statements, the creation of DEI offices, hiring DEI staff, requirements for diversity training, and identity-based hiring preferences, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, which has been tracking the bills. Legislatures in more than 20 states have considered similar bills. While the bills do not directly target public media, many stations are licensed to public universities. In states where anti-DEI laws have passed, stations licensed to public universities must comply with the legislation.” The New York Times / Tiffany Hsu and Sheera Frenkel [From opposite sides of war, a hunt for elusive facts →]( “Fact checkers face post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by ongoing exposure to violent and graphic imagery; some are mourning colleagues and relatives who have been killed. The emotional burden presses hard on Baker Mohammad Abdulhaq, a journalist and fact checker in Nablus, a Palestinian city in the West Bank less than 50 miles from Jerusalem. Eight years ago, he founded a fact-checking initiative called Tahaqaq Observatory, which translates to ‘verification.’ Between Oct. 7 and Dec. 25, he and his team of nine fact checkers published an average of nearly two reports a day — nearly four times their September rate.” The Verge / Emilia David [I love my GPT, but I can’t find a use for anybody else’s →]( “Though I’ve come to depend on my GPT, it’s the only one I use. It’s not fully integrated into my workflow either, because GPTs live in the ChatGPT Plus tab on my browser instead of inside a program like Google Docs. And honestly, if I wasn’t already paying for ChatGPT Plus, I’d be happy to keep Googling alternative terms. I don’t think I’ll be giving up ‘What’s Another Word For’ any time soon, but unless another hot GPT idea strikes me, I’m still not sure what they’re good for — at least in my job.” The Wall Street Journal / Alexandra Bruell and Jessica Toonkel [Vice’s Refinery29 and BuzzFeed’s Tasty are up for sale as digital media contracts →]( “BuzzFeed, whose stock has lost more than 97% of its value since the company went public in 2021, is looking to sell its food sites, Tasty and First We Feast, according to people familiar with the situation. Meanwhile, Fortress Investment Group, which took over Vice in bankruptcy last year, is in talks to sell its Refinery29 women’s lifestyle-focused site, other people said.” Axios / Sara Fischer [Forbes union to stage 3-day walkout protest from Thursday →]( “It would represent the first walkout at Forbes in its 106-year history. The Forbes editorial union is protesting what it believes are management’s attempts to union-bust and slow-walk contract negotiations.” The Guardian / Pamela Rontziokos [“It’s an expression of identity”: the TikToker taking the western Sydney accent to the world →]( “[Mahmoud] Ismail says he would like to pursue a career in journalism, but fears being stripped of the sound and aura that stems from his Lebanese background. He added while Asian-Australians, Muslims and other non-white Australians are appearing on mainstream social media platforms and TV, there is still a ‘white-washed’ sound. ‘Why are we trying to diversify media but not letting them be themselves?’ he says.” Substack / Richard J. Tofel [How to share bad news with a newsroom (and how not to) →]( “The first thing to remember in talking to your own newsroom is that it is full of professional skeptics. So, where obfuscation is rarely an effective communications technique with anyone, it’s especially unwise when talking to reporters and editors. They will smell it, and either pounce (if they think they can) or just trust you less.” Texas Public Radio / Josh Peck [San Antonio Report staffers walk out after “illegal” layoff of colleague during union organizing →]( “Journalists at the digital nonprofit newsroom announced their union last week, they and have sought voluntary recognition of their union from their management, despite management’s failure to meet a Jan. 18 deadline to recognize them.” (See also: [The Texas Tribune has also moved to unionize.]( The New York Times / Katie Robertson [Journalists at New York Daily News walk off job for a day →]( “Newsroom workers at The Daily News Union, which formed in 2021, are in negotiations for their first contract. The union called a one-day work stoppage to protest staffing cuts, as well as a new policy that requires workers to get advance approval for overtime….In 2021, its parent company, Tribune Publishing, was purchased by Alden Global Capital, an investment firm that has bought up hundreds of newspapers across the country, acquiring a reputation along the way for making deep cuts to newsrooms.” [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](