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Original article from December 12, 2018. Revised November 10, 2021 by News Media Alliance staff.

Ever wondered what to get the journalist in your life? It’s no easy feat, since journalists live on coffee and Election Night pizza and crave little more than truth, justice and the occasional deadline extension. But if you feel up to the task of giving the news professional in your life a holiday gift, we’ve rounded up some options that even the most jaded journalist will love almost as much as they love breaking news and scooping the competition – maybe more!

“Democracy Dies in Darkness” T-shirt

Those working in the news media can literally make a statement with this t-shirt. The Washington Post‘s slogan, “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” is what press freedom is all about. What better way to show support for our right to be informed? It makes a great gift for everyone in the family. Also comes in charcoal grey.

Portable Charging Bank

Journalists are always on the go, and these days, they use their phones as portable offices. After all, not every story can be covered from your desk. But what happens when your story takes you so far from the office that you can’t find an outlet to charge your phone and keep working? That’s where this handy power bank comes in. Not only will you get multiple charges out of this compact bank that has more than 9,000 Amazon reviews, but it’s so small and lightweight, you can slip it in your pocket and charge as you work, no matter where your story takes you.

Indestructible Notebook

Even if you have a fully-charged phone, no journalist would dare go into the field without a good notebook – it’s unheard of! But you don’t want to send your journalist to work with some slipshod notebook that will fall apart on its first use. Instead, spring for the Rite in the Rain notebook. The size and shape is perfect to shove in your back pocket as you run out the door to follow the action, and the pages are waterproof, so even a hurricane won’t ruin your notes. (Editor’s Note: I got my first Rite in the Rain from a U.S. Marine combat artist, and if it can survive a tour of duty in Iraq, it can survive anywhere.)

A News Book from Your Birth Year

Newspapers tell the stories of our lives – sometimes literally, and sometimes by teaching us about the world around us at a given moment. Celebrate your journalist with a collection of front pages from their birth year. You can get a New York Times birthday book, or you can choose to get a book created from Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, or Dallas Morning News clips. Whichever collection you choose, your giftee is sure to enjoy re-reading the news for years to come!

Paperback Perfume

The smell of old paper may be a turn-off to some, but to a journalist, it’s practically an aphrodisiac. Give a reporter or editor a pile of vintage newspapers and the first thing they’ll do is take a sniff, nostalgic for all the things those old papers represent. So why not let them get that joy with less of a fire hazard? Demeter Fragrance’s Paperback scent smells just like an old library full of yellowed books and newspapers, and your journalist is sure to love it. The only smell better is a fresh pot of coffee when you’re on deadline – and Demeter has that scent, too!

Literary Insults

No one can burn you with their words like a journalist. The sharp-witted and equally sharp-tongued writers of the news media love a good turn of phrase, and the writer in your life will get endless joy exploring all the many insults on this bright poster. Now, they’ll have new ways of silently snubbing the sources who don’t return calls and the editors who kill their darlings.

Newspaper Charm Necklace

Journalists are not often known for their keen fashion sense. Most of us would live in sweatpants and t-shirts if we could get away with it. But that doesn’t mean the journalist in your life doesn’t like getting dressed up now and then. And there’s no better way to accessorize for a night out – or even a day at the office – than with this cute charm necklace from the GSakowskiStudioLite shop on Etsy. The mismatched set of gold-plated studs includes a news microphone and a camera, and while the earrings don’t match each other, they will match whatever outfit your journalist wears with them! More journalist jewelry options here.

“Can I Quote You?” Mug

Everyone knows you can’t just talk in front of a writer – you’ll end up in all their stories! So why not let your journalist know you’ve figured them out by getting them this coffee mug that saves them the trouble of asking, “Can I quote you on that?” They’ll be the hit of the newsroom and will never have to remind anyone that they are always on the record. Here‘s another witty option to show your pride as a journalist while you sip your morning joe.

Editor T-shirt

Don’t worry, we didn’t forget your favorite editor! This snarky t-shirt is perfect for any editor in the newsroom, whether they work in print, digital, audio or television. Every editor has had a day where they’ve cursed the writers and reporters they work with and the fact that they have to somehow crank out polished copy on deadline with such unreliable staffers. Usually, they get over it by the next deadline, but they won’t let their writers know. Let them remind the journalists they work with just how important they are with this t-shirt, which is sure to go into regular rotation in their wardrobe.

“I Will Write 500 Words” Print

Nothing will make your writer smile as much as seeing this print on their desk as they approach yet another deadline. Based on The Proclaimers song, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” this cute print will get a classic song stuck in your journalist’s head and make them hum as they work… and help relieve at least a little of the stress that comes with being a journalist. Just don’t expect them to write 1,000 words for you, or you might not get a gift in return.

Printing Press Blueprint

This blueprint of the patent drawing for a 1914 vintage printing press patent is perfect for anyone who works in newspaper production, and it will warm your media worker’s heart that you still appreciate print in this increasingly digital age. Sold by the Neue Studio Art Prints shop on Etsy.

Trust Me, I’m a Journalist Flask

Some news days are rougher than others, so let your reporter know you care by gifting them this classic flask – maybe pre-filled with their favorite adult beverage. Sure, it feeds into stereotypes about journalists being boozehounds, but your newshound will appreciate the joke, especially if they’re working through the holidays to meet their deadlines.

The post The Perfect Holiday Gifts for Your Favorite Newshounds appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

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“Collaboration” became a buzzword in journalism in 2020, but the Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News were thinking about how they could partner up to better serve communities in and around Dallas before everyone else started talking about it.

For Jamie Hancock, the North Texas editor at The Dallas Morning News, and Cheryl Smith, the publisher of Texas Metro News, collaboration was an obvious next step when they spoke in 2019. Both women saw holes in coverage from their outlets that they knew their counterparts could help fill. Not to mention, they saw a great opportunity for their teams to learn from each other, helping to shore-up any gaps in their coverage and build a community with their readers.

How It Started

Hancock, who leads coverage of suburban Dallas, noticed a lack of Southern Dallas coverage from Dallas Morning News. “We felt like we couldn’t just start covering that area after really not paying enough attention to the needs of readers in those communities,” Hancock said. So, she and her team met with leaders from the communities to figure out the best way forward, and one of them happened to mention Cheryl Smith.

Hancock was familiar with Smith and the Texas Metro News, so it was a no-brainer that she would reach out to her about a potential collaboration. Their first meeting was exploratory, with a lot of questions and answers from both publications, but Smith said she felt like the collaboration was a good fit from the start.

“This is not seen as a ‘little sister, big sister’ type venture, but equals,” Smith explained.

Hancock agreed, noting, “It was really important to us that The Dallas Morning News [wasn’t] coming in and trying to Bigfoot or tell anybody what to do, or say, ‘Hey, we’re doing this thing and you guys are along for the ride.’”

“I’m big on collaborations,” Smith added. “This isn’t something that just hit me this year.”

Smith was slightly concerned that people, upon hearing about the collaboration, might think the Dallas Morning News was trying to take over Texas Metro News, which has been growing and receiving more local acclaim. With Texas Metro News being a Black-owned publication, she knew people would be watching, especially as more Black-led publications have been sold to white-owned companies in recent years. One industry leader went so far as to tell Smith that “the leaders of the Black press would be turning over in their graves” because of the collaboration. But after getting to know Hancock and the Dallas Morning News team, Smith knew she didn’t have to worry. “We were doing good journalism before, and it’s only getting better,” Smith said. Now, when asked about the collaboration, Smith said, “I tell people, ‘Oh no, to the contrary, I bought The Dallas Morning News,’” Smith joked with a hearty laugh.

Another concern was that people would think this collaboration came about after the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. However, both Smith and Hancock are clear that this partnership is not an effort by the Dallas Morning News to reach out to the Black community because of recent events – the two publications discussed the partnership at the start of 2020 and, although it wasn’t formally put into place until June, they had been building the framework for months beforehand.

What the Partnership Entails

The partnership kicked off with staff development trainings for reporters from both publications on a variety of topics, from how to cover certain types of stories to finding new sources and covering the current news events like COVID and the new civil rights movement.

“I’m really happy that we have Cheryl’s voice and the voices of her team members in the room when we have these training sessions, because it really matters to us that we get it (coverage of the Black community) right,” Hancock said. “We don’t want there to be issues with our coverage. We want to speak to the community and hear from them before we even cover a thing. So that’s part of why we’re in this partnership. I think it’s going to strengthen the coverage of the Black community in Dallas. And that’s something that’s really important for us going forward.”

“We’re having some really good conversations,” Smith added. “When we get out of these sessions, we’re talking about what we learned, what we need help with, and we’re sharing different perspectives.”

The partnership also involves content-sharing, which has only recently launched. Texas Metro News has a “DMN Stories” tab on their homepage with short blurbs about and links to recent Dallas Morning News stories that may interest them. Meanwhile, Dallas Morning News has worked with Texas Metro News to source stories and has cited their reporters on some of their local news.

Collaboration in Action

One prime example of how this collaboration works was a piece about the recent death of the mayor of DeSoto, a Dallas suburb. Hancock heard the news of the mayor’s death directly from Smith. Hancock said, “That allowed us to have a story up much, much sooner than we would have otherwise. And it would not have been as well-sourced if not for Cheryl.” Dallas Morning News published a story that night, while Texas Metro News published their own story the next morning.

It never occurred to Smith to keep the news of the mayor’s passing to herself so that she could “break” the story.

“I want to be respectful and not take something that Cheryl wouldn’t want us to,” Hancock explained. “I wouldn’t post anything from Texas Metro News if I wasn’t sure it was okay to put on our site first, and I think she would be the same way. She wouldn’t tweet out a tip that we gave her … without knowing it was okay.”

The partnership is still in its infancy, but Hancock is certain that even when the relationship is tested by breaking news, their positive working relationship with Texas Metro News will keep things from getting competitive.

“There are just fewer journalists on the street these days than we used to have. It’s a basic fact and an unfortunate fact. But that means … that we all work together to collaborate and get the best stories out there and tell the best stories to our audience to help them help them live better lives and know about their communities,” Hancock explained. “And if the best way to do that is to collaborate with each other … rather than compete with each other, than that’s what we do.”

Smith wants her staff to form relationships with the Dallas Morning News staff, as well as to help them. She wants to make sure that she leads by example, so she checks in with Hancock and her team whenever she can to make sure they’re offering as much help as they can.

“If The [Dallas] Morning News suffers, journalism suffers,” Smith added. “We’re in the business together.”

An aerial view of Dallas, Texas by RoschetzkyIstockPhoto via iStock/Getty Images Plus

The Partnership at Work in the Community

The two newsrooms have also held events for the community together. Their main event this year was called “Vote About It,” a voter-registration drive. Thanks to their partnership, they were able to reach more members of the community.

The event also ended up being much more diverse – and much more representative of the community – because of their partnership. Smith pointed out to the Dallas Morning News marketing department a lack of diversity on a panel they were arranging for the event. In this instance, Smith especially wanted to see some younger people on the panel, because, as she put it, “I don’t want to hear from all these [old] folks!”

“I’m proud to say that the panel we ended up with [thanks to Cheryl] looked really great,” Hancock said. “It was very representative of what I think Dallas looks like.”

What the Future Holds

“When I think about other cities trying to do this, [I think] ‘every city needs a Cheryl,’” Hancock said with a laugh. “If your city doesn’t have a ‘Cheryl’ leading a Black-owned newspaper, then I think it’s going to be a tougher lift, because she’s somebody who has a deep commitment to journalism and to getting things right.

“She has the connections in the city to make it happen and the foresight to think about [others],” Hancock added. “I hope that other cities have that type of person.”

The ease of the relationship between Hancock and Smith has certainly made the partnership easier to maintain, both admit, though the commitment from their newsrooms also helps.

While their formal partnership launched amidst the pandemic, neither publisher has “sat around idly waiting for this to be over,” Smith said. Both newsrooms have taken active roles in the workshops they’ve attended (virtually) together, and both have worked to make sure they’re offering real value to their new partners.

During their weekly meetings, Hancock and Smith discuss their individual coverage, chat about new ways to enhance their partnership, and catch up with each other, as both colleagues and new friends.  They also plan for the future of their partnership. Smith is looking forward to doing more community events with the Dallas Morning News, while Hancock is looking forward to collaborating on more community-focused journalism. Hancock has even asked Smith to be part of the team at the Dallas Morning News to help them better focus their reporting efforts in South Dallas and in the suburbs that Texas Metro News serves.

“I’m really looking forward to doing [stories] that will benefit the community and to involving Cheryl and her team in that process,” Hancock said.

“We often talk about the stories we go into other communities to tell, and all the negative stories about these [communities], but we don’t seek them out when we have a regular story to tell, and that’s what we want to be doing,” Hancock added. “We’re doing that more and more now. A lot of our journalists are now committed to getting diverse sources and people of color in their stories and not just [for stories like] ‘your community is a food desert.’ We want to tell stories that resonate with those communities. I’m really looking forward to that.”

“Dallas is so diverse, and there are so many stories to tell,” Smith said. “And I’ve come to the realization that I can’t [cover them all] on my own. But guess what? Between the two of us, we can do a whole lot more.”

The partnership so far has been incredibly beneficial to both newsrooms. “In a short amount of time, I think we’ve done a lot, but there’s still so much that we haven’t done and so much under the surface that we haven’t scratched yet,” Hancock said. “I’m excited for the future.”

“I am so optimistic about it,” Smith agreed. “I get giddy just thinking about the possibilities because there are no limitations.”

Keep reading: The Dallas Morning News/Texas Metro News collaboration is featured as a case study in the News Media Alliance’s Collaboration Guide, Tips for Successful News Publishing Partnerships

The post How Two Texas News Outlets Are Taking Collaboration to the Next Level appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

Photo via iStock/Getty Images Plus by Kritchanut

One of the biggest challenges facing newspaper publishers today is building an audience among Gen Z and younger news consumers. Thanks to social media and the tech platforms, younger generations of news consumers have access to a wide range of sources and can easily view news from dozens, if not hundreds, of outlets in a matter of minutes. But that abundance of news means that many younger readers don’t have the same relationship with their local newspaper that their parents have. The Star Tribune is looking to change that.

Expanding News in Education

Last month, the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune launched their expanded News in Education program, which offers free digital access to the Star Tribune to every school district across the state of Minnesota. The program, supported in part by a grant from the Google News Initiative (GNI), seeks to increase name recognition of the Star Tribune among a new generation of Minnesotans, and to teach them the importance of quality local news.

“Young audiences are important to us because they represent the news audiences of tomorrow,” said Steve Yaeger, chief marketing officer and senior vice president of circulation for the Star Tribune. “I want young people exposed to the Star Tribune brand because I want them to know that it’s vibrant, it’s relevant, [and] it’s useful. And I need them to know about us. I need them to know how to find us, how to access us and to come back.”

But Yaeger and his colleagues aren’t just seeking to build up their own audience. With the News in Education program, they’re trying to bring local news into the classroom.

The New York Times, USA Today, The Seattle Times and others have programs that provide high school and/or college students with free or discounted digital access, as well as partnerships with restaurant chains and hotels (e.g. Starbucks offers free digital access to several news sites to customers in its cafés), but as Yaeger learned, not many local news outlets offer the same level of access, at no cost, to students or educators.

To ensure the Star Tribune was helping their community, they conducted a listening tour of school districts around the state to hear from teachers and students about how they wanted to use Star Tribune content.

“We had a number of focus groups. Then we went out and we did classroom observation. We just spent a lot of time learning about how educators are using news and using Star Tribune specifically in the classroom,” Yaeger explained. “We heard from educators that [having access to the national outlets] is great, but they’re not local, they’re not telling you anything about life in Minnesota. And kids today are very interested in decisions that are being made about their lives and their futures close to home.”

Knowing that the intended audience was eager to partner with Star Tribune, Yaeger and his team determined that digital access would be most beneficial to the school districts. They applied for (and got) a GNI grant to help them develop the technological infrastructure needed to provide access to a large population using a variety of digital education platforms.

“[Google helped us] not only take away all the barriers [to access], but take away all the friction as well, making [accessing the Star Tribune] as easy as logging into Google Classroom,” Yaeger explained. “To do the things that need to be done to enable that easy one-click access for every student in the district at one time is just a massive leap forward compared to the digital access that we were offering before.”

Replicating the program at other local and regional news outlets

The Star Tribune will also be creating a public playbook to help other local and regional news outlets develop similar education programs to get their names – and their news – in front of the next generation of news readers. They will also create a “roadmap” of the technical aspects of the project so newsrooms will know from the start how to tackle some of the more complex elements of providing access to such a broad audience.

“This is a program with a lot of short-term wins and excitement built into it, but it also is very, very much a long-term investment for our business,” Yaeger said.

And so far, that investment is paying off. After launching the pilot program in their first school district this past spring, Yaeger reported seeing the amount that students are reading go “way, way up.” Star Tribune plans to provide access to all interested school districts by the end of the 2021-22 school year. “That’s what it’s all about,” Yaeger said. “It’s about getting more students easier access so they can be better informed.”

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If you, like your intrepid Alliance reporter here, have been properly social distancing, you’ve likely spent a lot of time with the TV on in the background or binging your comfort film favorites to get you through the past few months. And our time at home has not yet ended, so get ready to cozy up with some more of your favorite streaming services this fall.

To help you get through the next few months, I’ve watched some of the newer journalism films (and a couple older ones) so you don’t have to, and put together a list of some past favorites for when you need something familiar to get you through the day.

The Good

Marie Colvin is a hero to many women in the industry, and should be to so many more, so A Private War could have really gone either way. It could have been a hot mess, or it could have been a gripping look at a brave and spirited journalist. Thankfully, it’s the latter. I knew little about Colvin before the film came out, knowing instead her work rather than her personality and her life (I firmly believe in knowing little about my idols lest they disappoint as humans), but found her as fascinating as her work. For more amazing women, consider Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, which I’m told very accurately recreates the experience of being a woman reporter in Afghanistan, and which manages humor without being a farce.

It may seem like the Iraq War is a topic already been done to death by Hollywood, but Official Secrets, about a British whistleblower who came forward about the NSA’s actions ahead of the 2003 Iraq invasion, is a fascinating look back at a time when it felt like there was only one story worth following. Focused on the leaker rather than the journalist, it’s an interesting way to understand a story – and a situation – we often see from our own POV. If you want more like this, watch The Whistleblower, Fair Game or Snowden.

The Bad

Most Wanted came out in July, when we all were desperate for some new films. Unfortunately, the based-on-a-true-story flick about a Canadian investigative reporter in the 1980s didn’t really live up to expectations. Star Josh Hartnett feels less like the star than his source, and the jumps in time between the investigation and the incidents being investigated make the film more complicated to follow than it should be. This is one to skip. If you’re jonesing for some investigative journalism, re-watch Spotlight or Kill the Messenger (which Most Wanted clearly wanted to replicate, but couldn’t).

Last winter, Richard Jewell got all the bad press it could ask for after screenings showed that it wrongly portrayed former Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs in a less-than-favorable light. The AJC wrote about the failures of the film and the cruelty to Scruggs, who is no longer alive to defend herself against the film’s many flawed views of her. It hit theaters during the holiday season, and was quickly forgotten about once the pandemic hit, so if you missed this one, you’re in luck. In addition to perpetuating disgusting clichés about women reporters, it’s also just a boring film. While we can all stand to learn something from the way Jewell was treated – by law enforcement and the press – none of that can be learned from this fatally flawed film. If you want a movie about journalism gone wrong, go for Shattered Glass, the ultimate “bad journalist” movie, or Truth, the controversial and flawed – but still worth a re-watch – movie about some questionable fact-checking by some of the biggest names in journalism in the early 2000s.

The Familiar

The Newsroom got a lot of flack in its day for being too idealistic, too verbose, too… everything. But right now, with the world seemingly on fire, that idealism feels pretty nice. It feels good to sit back and watch a team of mostly young journalists get it mostly right, and to see their leaders supporting them as they struggle to figure it out. Because in real life, deadlines and bottom lines often get in the way. So why shouldn’t we indulge in some idealism in our downtime? Also consider watching The Bold Type for young women being idealistic magazine writers, and Murphy Brown (the original run, not the not-so-great revival season).

When asking my Twitter followers what movies they loved about journalism, The Paper was a hands-down winner. I mean, come on, the “stop the presses!” scene alone is worth re-watching 100 times a week. It’s news the way we all imagined it would be when we were growing up and heading to J-school. It’s about journalists caring and digging and somehow pulling it off at the 11^th hour. And it’s about the sacrifices we make in the industry to do all those things. And it’s just thrilling. You know you love it. And if you don’t yet love it, you will. Just give it another watch. Or check out Broadcast News for the love-triangle broadcast version of the story.

Ready for more? Click here for more journalism movie binge-watching suggestions, organized by genre.

The post Journalism Movies to Binge… and Skip appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

What is Mission Greenlight, and how does it work?

Getting people interested is definitely exciting, but I think how we’ll know if this is working is if it is able to sustain. Can we create a community that wants to fund these Greenlights on their own, and wants to collaborate with these journalists and editors? I think that’s the success metric.

Where did the idea for Mission Greenlight come from?

From the very beginning, it was something I wanted to get to. The idea was that social media could be a democratizing tool for news, and that was a big reason why we invested so early in social media. [Then it was a matter of,] Is the community ready for it? Are journalists ready for it? Is the product there? I think it’s just taken us some time to get there, and with the shift in our approach… we’re in a position to try an experiment like this. So, I think the timing is good for us, and the timing is good for [the community]. (Editor’s note: Within two weeks of announcing the project, Mission Greenlight had already received nearly 1,000 applications for funding. The first round of applications is now closed.)

How does Mission Greenlight help on issues where people want more detailed information, like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?

I think what we’ve seen with COVID and the coverage around that is there are a lot of places to find [information] that scratches the surface on a lot of topics, but it’s really hard to find a place that can do a deep dive with a group of experts that go in and really help you stay informed – and I mean informed in a sustained way. You do see a lot of great reporting that happens where they flip the lid on something, but everyone then moves on. A lot of times, though, [people want more]. How do we continue to dig in on that? I think what [Mission Greenlight] allows for is that sustained effort to continue… This allows for us to do a better job digging in and sustaining reporting on something that we’ve identified people are interested in, but there’s just not a place for them to [keep getting information] on the topic.

I think we’ll always have [that day-to-day reporting]. I think it’s important to meet people where they are and inform them of the different topics that are in the news and are important. But then, it’s being able to extend that. I think a lot of times news is disjointed and your curiosity is piqued and then you’re directed to another article on a completely separate topic, but maybe [you] want to spend the next few hours just diving really deep on one topic. How do [you] do that? And how do [you] support journalists going in and digging in on that topic that has piqued [your] curiosity? I don’t think there’s really a good mechanism yet that does that.

IJR has evolved a lot since its founding in 2012. How does Mission Greenlight fit in with where IJR is going and how you want people to view IJR?

We tried something [similar] a few years ago with Red and Blue (IJR’s now-inactive, partisan-style verticals that were designed to offer news to consumers based on which “bubble” they felt aligned with), [where we tried to] pop the filter bubbles and have people reading news that normally they wouldn’t be exposed to on our site.

Where do you see yourself and IJR in the post-COVID media landscape?

I’ve thought [about] this for a long time, and I think [the future of media] is independent; journalists that work for themselves. I think Substack has done a good job of building momentum there. I think Twitter has done a good job of scratching the surface, and Facebook, too. But a lot of the challenges with the social networks are that they don’t have the tools to monetize what these journalists do. So, I think the future is finding some organizing entity that helps to [act as an intermediary] between the journalists and the readers and helps connect them directly. But there’s obviously a huge importance to having editors and having oversight, so that will need to be a part of whatever comes next for it to really scale. You need that oversight, that structure.

I think that journalists are happy to experiment. They’re never doing the same thing every day. Every story is different. They’re constantly having to create something new. Journalists are some of the most entrepreneurial people on earth. Every day is a different mission, every day is a new story. So I think that journalists have always been eager to do these experiments, but a lot of these organizations have been holding journalists back by being afraid to rock the boat financially.

I think IJR is in an interesting spot where we’re flexible enough to experiment. Some of them will crash and burn and fail, and some of them will work out. What we did on social media obviously worked out, and some of what we’ve done with video is there. I think we’ve made some really interesting bets – some have worked, some haven’t, but that’s what we enjoy, is being nimble and being able to [take those chances].

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While impactful news can be many things, we often think of it as being investigative in nature and shining a light into a dark corner that others want kept hidden. For The Nevada Independent, that dark corner involved a questionably run water district, and the flashlight belonged to reporter Daniel Rothberg.

When Rothberg began reporting on the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center (TRIC) General Improvement District’s (GID) water district, he wasn’t expecting to find anything peculiar. He was simply following up on an “eminent domain” story in which companies housed in the industrial park attempted to get a right-of-way for a pipeline that would bring them more water via treated effluent and wastewater.

One of the landowners who had been approached to have the pipeline built on his land filed a challenge to the eminent domain request, and in doing so it became clear that there was no information about the GID in question. What Rothberg found was a unique-to-Nevada situation: In Nevada, general improvement districts are semi-public organizations or utility managers that help provide essential services – such as water, sanitation, streetlights, sidewalks, etc. – for the businesses and residents of that area. The situation at TRIC raised questions about whether governmental powers such as eminent domain were being wielded by a private entity.  Rothberg soon discovered the TRIC’s management and board were comprised of some unexpected members. “It did not cross my mind that the board would be composed of employees of the developer and, moreover, that members of the board would reside at the developer’s brothel,” Rothberg said.

Untangling the mess of the TRIC water district took time. “What was revealed to me was how the line between government and business was blurred at the industrial park because of the tax incentives [offered to the companies housed there],” Rothberg explained, noting that many of the companies in the district were large tech companies that were lured to Nevada with the promise of tax breaks. “To that extent, it echoed larger themes I was seeing in the state’s development policies.”

As Rothberg uncovered more about the TRIC General Improvement District, he began to question why the water district was allowed to be considered a public entity in the first place. “They said they wanted to avoid being regulated as a private utility, but that raises questions about how Nevada statutes allow people to avoid regulation,” Rothberg noted.

Rothberg knew his readers would have many of the same questions. What was happening in the TRIC GID demonstrated the ways in which Nevada’s government could be circumvented by private companies claiming to act in the interest of residents while instead doing only what was best for themselves. If one water district was allowed to act this way, it was possible that others would follow suit.

“My philosophy is that to be a good journalist, you should be a good member of the community. You need to be out there doing things, talking to people,” Rothberg said. So, he knew his fellow residents would be interested in the story.

Since he published his story in November 2019, Rothberg says a lot of people have been taking a more proactive role in matters of their community, asking larger questions about the role of government in business, and vice versa. “At the water district’s first board meeting following publication [of the story], board members began reading conflict of interest statements before voting on issues,” he explained of the story’s impact. “In addition, the public water district is pursuing reforms. I’d expect legislation looking at the loopholes and the structure of public utility districts that operate as political subdivisions of the state of Nevada.”

You can read The Nevada Independent’s story, “For years, a public water district blurred the line between business and government — with a developer’s brothel workers at the helm,” here.

The post News Impact Project: Nevada Reporter Uncovers Potential Corruption by Quasi-Government Business appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

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Editor’s Note: This article should not be used in place of medical advice from a health professional. If you are experiencing depression or other mental health problems, please contact a qualified health professional.

May is Mental Health Month, and nothing is more important for reporters working around the clock than having the resources to stay healthy, both physically and emotionally.

It’s long been known that a journalist’s job can have a massive impact on his or her mental and emotional well-being. Acting as a conduit for stories of tragedy and trauma is no easy feat, and numerous studies have found that journalists – whether covering everyday events or massive tragedies – may experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress. But the psychological toll of their work doesn’t just affect their mental health; it can affect their physical well-being, too. A systematic review published in European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology in 2015 found that journalists experienced bone and muscle pain related to their line of work and the stress they experience because of their work.

In today’s journalism environment and amid a global health pandemic, stress comes not only from reporting on the tragic stories and from working long hours, but from the economic uncertainties and extreme physical risks reporters now face because of the novel coronavirus.

We’ve rounded up some essential tips and resources that may help journalists to get through these trying times.

First up, a few basic tips to remember as you work through the coming weeks:

1. Stay connected. As many of us has learned during the past few months, it’s incredibly difficult to be socially distant. That’s because humans are social creatures. Observational studies have suggested a correlation between our physical health and our relationships with family, friends and community, as well as between social connectedness and mental health. While it’s understandable that staying connected can feel much harder right now (Zoom fatigue is real), it’s important to keep reaching out – for your own sake and the sake of those you love. So, call your mother, FaceTime your BFF, email your coworkers, and text or tweet your friends as often as you can. You’ll all feel a little bit better afterward.
2. Get plenty of sleep. When you don’t get enough rest, it can be harder to focus and to do your job well. Lack of sleep can also make it harder to deal with your emotions. While the amount of sleep an individual needs varies, most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep every night. For tips on sleeping better during COVID-19, see these sleep guidelines from the National Sleep Foundation.
3. Keep moving. You don’t need to hear that exercise is good for your health. Exercise helps you mentally and physically in so many ways. But you don’t need to spend hours in the gym to get the benefits. Getting your heart rate up for 30 minutes a day is all it takes to reap the rewards of physical movement, whether that’s all at once or spread throughout the day, such as taking a walk after each meal, climbing the stairs instead of using the elevator, or throwing yourself a solo dance party between interviews.
4. Eat up and stay hydrated! Journalists are known for their love of pizza, coffee and snacks, but we all know you can’t live on office freebies and takeout forever. Making small changes to your diet add up (read more on incorporating more nutrient-rich options here) and it’s important to eat regularly, whether you prefer three squares or several, smaller meals throughout the day. Limited research has also suggested that dehydration may affect cognitive performance or potentially act as a stressor. However, it is generally advisable as a healthy habit to get plenty of fluids. So, keep a bottle of water handy whenever possible.
5. Think positively. Yes, that sounds overly simplistic, but we’re not suggesting you become an uber optimist overnight. Positive thinking can be pretty basic, like practicing gratitude or doing something that makes you happy, whether it’s playing a song that makes you smile, listening to some comedy that makes you literally LOL, or scrolling through cute animal pictures on Instagram.
6. Get help if you need it. There’s no shame in seeking help from a mental health professional. Whether you just need someone to talk to, need medication to help you, or want to seek some other form of treatment, you are not alone. The National Institute of Mental Health offers hotlines to call, treatment providers and tools, and advice on how to find the right professional for you. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also offers a comprehensive guide to finding help. Or you can call your primary care physician for a recommendation.

More Resources:

Want to know more about how to take care of your mental health during these difficult times? Below are some resources specifically for journalists.

“How to stay mentally well while reporting on the coronavirus” by First Draft includes an incredible graphic that you can print out to remind yourself of what you can and should do to stay mentally well. The first and most important tip in their guide is “Be aware of the stigma around mental health,” something we all need to be reminded of from time to time.

The Radio Television Digital News Association has a Newsroom Mental Health Resource Guide that includes articles from mental health experts and first-hand accounts by journalists and their newsroom colleagues on their experiences with mental health issues; practical tips on helping yourself and your colleagues during tragedy; and advice on how to head off issues before they start.

“How journalists can take care of themselves while covering trauma” from Poynter lists some signs to look out for that will alert you to your own or a colleague’s depression, as well as questions you can ask yourself.

The Lenfest Institute’s “Self-care advice for journalists” includes articles from a diverse group of experts and publishers, such as the Columbia Journalism School (tips on self-care during disaster); the Online News Association (tips on community-based self-care); a clinical psychologist (advice on staying mentally fit during quarantine); and many, many more.

Nieman Storyboard has “5 Tips for Journalists Covering Mental and Behavioral Health,” which focuses on reporting on mental health. However, much of how you report on mental health applies to how you think and talk about it – to yourself, your colleagues and your loved ones.

You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 for anonymous help with any issues you’re facing. They can be reached by calling 1-800-273-8255.

The post How to Protect Your Mental Health During Times of Crisis appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

As we enter the second month of social distancing due to COVID-19, many people will be getting cabin fever (if you haven’t already), especially kids. With schools closed and remote learning taking up only a fraction of the day, many parents are struggling to keep their kids occupied while they deal with new responsibilities of their own at work. We know it can be difficult with everyone under one roof 24/7, so we’ve rounded up some fun “news”-themed activities your kids — or you! — can do when things get dull.

Newspaper Activity Sheets from ThoughtCo. will help keep elementary- and middle-school-aged children busy learning about the news business. The website, created by veteran educators to share learning resources for teachers and homeschoolers, has a lot of content, but we’re particularly fond of their newspaper printables. From vocabulary worksheets and crossword puzzles to newsy coloring pages, there’s a little something for everyone, from tots to tweens. Access them here.

FeltMagnet.com has nearly five dozen Newspaper Crafts to keep people of all ages, from toddlers to grandparents, from going stir-crazy during this pandemic. From super simple newsprint paper dolls to complex paper wigs and decoupage, you’ll make use of every page of your daily paper – after you finish reading it, of course! The 59 projects come from crafty bloggers around the world and will keep you crafting long after the pandemic ends. See the full list of crafts here.

Want something more educational? The Oklahoma Press Association has shared a Newspapers in Education Booklet that you can use to supplement your child’s at-home education. There are newspaper-based activities for elementary school, middle school and high school students, and they cover multiple areas of study. Whether you want your new homeschooler to learn about language arts, social studies or math, there’s a news-related activity here to help them learn an important lesson or skill. Download the activity book here.

If your child is studying English as a second language (ESL), Busy Teacher has rounded up 11 Newspaper Activities for ESL Students. The near-dozen activities offer ways to use the newspaper to help your child brush up on their English, from writing stories to understanding what headlines mean to playing word search games throughout your daily paper. Learn more here.

Looking for some creative ways to recycle your old newspapers? The Alliance previously rounded up Eco-Friendly Uses for Old Newspapers around the house that will help you as you tackle your spring cleaning and gardening.

Want more? We’ve got a free set of News-Themed Coloring Pages that will appeal to anyone in your household who just needs a break and wants to do something calming. Download them here.

The post Newsy Activities for Family Fun During Social Distancing appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

Presented with:

You can view a full video of the webinar here.

All publishers want to become indispensable to their audiences, especially now. They want to effectively serve their communities to get them the information that matters. They also want to know what drives engagement and subscriptions, how to make their work part of a reader’s daily habit and how deeply to cover those topics that matter. Those questions are not easily answered with conventional web analytics that were never intended for journalists.

What people click on, spend time with, subscribe to and share can reveal why they rely on a publisher for their news and information. But data overload can become overwhelming, even paralyzing, to decision-makers.

In a webinar with the American Press Institute’s Metrics for News team, we’ll discuss which measures of engagement to focus on (hint: not just pageviews) and how to define success. Through a series of 11 lessons on using metrics for newsroom change (gathered from the Metrics for News team’s work with 100+ newsroom partners), participants will learn how to prioritize which metrics they track and tips for leveraging the data-collection tool(s) they already use.

Additionally, API has created a new coronavirus dashboard in Metrics for News that automatically pulls trends and insights about how your audience is engaging with your COVID-19 coverage. In this webinar, you’ll get a peek at that dashboard and learn how to gain access to this tool if interested.

Resources:

Full Webinar Video
Metrics for News Slides
News Media Alliance Slides
MFN Coronavirus Dashboard Preview

About Metrics for News:

Metrics for News gives news organizations powerful journalism analytics that go beyond traditional traffic metrics. It’s a strategic tool built around newsroom priorities to grow audiences, deepen engagement and drive subscriptions, and it’s designed so every user can see how their work contributes to larger organizational goals.

Speakers:

Liz Worthington, Director of Content Strategy, American Press Institute

Liz manages API’s program to help publishers create data-driven content strategies. She joined API after nearly 10 years as a reporter and editor for various newspapers and digital platforms. Just before joining the team, Liz served as the Senior Editorial Trainer for Patch.com where she built an editorial curriculum that focused on enhancing the field’s digital news, social media and audience development skills. Prior to training, Liz served as a manager and editor at Patch. She always loved community news and before jumping into the world of online journalism, Liz worked as a reporter for the Island Packet in Hilton Head, SC, and the Culpeper Star-Exponent in Culpeper, VA. Liz is a 2005 J-School graduate from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Katie Kutsko, Partner Development Manager, Metrics for News / American Press Institute

Katie Kutsko is a ​graduate of the University of Kansas and the partner development manager for the American Press Institute​’s Metrics for News program. She empowers prospective and newly-signed partners to understand how MFN’s suite of products can help them build a loyal and engaged audience over time. While at KU, she served as editor-in-chief at the University Daily Kansan, where she led a newsroom transformation from a print mindset to a digital-first operation. She has interned at the Chicago Tribune, Indianapolis Star and Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World.

Moderator: Jennifer Peters, Reporter, Trends & Insights, News Media Alliance

Jennifer Peters is the trends and insights reporter and social media manager at News Media Alliance. She is focused on the ways in which the news media industry is changing and how those changes impact the way journalists create new work. With the News Impact Project, she and the Alliance are working on showing the value news media has in local communities across the country. Prior to joining News Media Alliance, Jen spent more than a decade in journalism, both in print and digital, working for glossy magazines and digital news outlets. She has written hyper-local news stories, as well as stories of international interest, and her work has covered every aspect of human existence, from love and sex to war and death.

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The post Webinar Recap: Using Data to Inform and Improve Your Journalism – Including NEW Information on Tracking Your Coronavirus Coverage appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

A 2018 study found that when communities lose their local newspapers, city finances are dealt a major blow. This is why the work done by the Jackson (Tenn.) Sun is especially important and impactful.

A series of investigative news stories published in late 2019 follow reporter Adam Friedman as he explored the city’s revenue and expenses, as well as the loans it was taking out to maintain the city, revealing a situation he calls “absurd.”

The pile of documents Friedman and his colleagues examined, including 20 years-worth of city audits and 12 years of budget amendments, exposed “a pattern of over-funding nonessential projects as well as deliberate complexities that made it so only professionals could discern what was taking place.”

First, Friedman noticed that the construction and repair of essential elements (parking lots, sidewalks and sewer systems) for a proposed new animal care center had been cut from the budget. To get the price down, Friedman learned, (now former) Jackson Mayor Jerry Gist had cut these essential items  from the proposal.

But the animal care center wasn’t the only victim of Gist’s extreme cost-cutting measures: He also cut line items for “parking lot, sidewalks, a stormwater system and internet access” from the city court’s final cost projection, all of which are required for the court to operate.

Friedman, who had only been on the beat for six or eight months at the start of the story, believes that being new helped him. “Coming in from the outside made it easier to see things with fresh eyes,” he explained. “I wanted to focus on hyperlocal [issues] and get to know everything I could about the local government so I could be a resource for the community.”

Friedman’s desire and drive to be part of the community helped him stay on top of the story, even when digging deep complicated his relationships with readers and with city council. “When I first started, it felt like people didn’t like or trust [the newspaper staff], but as we’ve done more work, it seems that they’re seeing the value we add to the community,” he said. “Holding people accountable has gotten us respect from the community.”

Friedman’s commitment paid off: His articles led to “a series of reforms by the city council to reign in the power of the mayor through a new budget and audit committee. The council also adopted an ordinance that brings all payments over $10K to the city council for approval, essentially ending the practice of hidden payments.”

Seeing that their work was in the best interest of the community, city council members realized they could trust Friedman and his Jackson Sun colleagues – even if it sometimes made things harder for council members. The new mayor was also impressed and has committed to being more transparent in how his administration handles things – a win for the Sun and the people of Jackson.

Post-series, Friedman is back on the beat every day, continuing to keep his neighbors informed. “Being on the beat like usual has helped the government see me as a decent reporter and has made the community want to keep reading about what’s happening,” he said. “People are engaging now and reaching out more, and that helps me as a reporter.”

You can read the Jackson Sun’s full story, “How Jackson’s city finances fell into disarray,” here.

The post Tennessee’s Jackson Sun Proves the Importance of Local News on City Finances appeared first on News/Media Alliance.