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The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE): Protecting the freedom of speech for all Americans

Attacks on free speech and expression — including the role of journalism and the people’s right to know in a free-thinking society — are constant, regardless of the swings of the political and cultural pendulums. Advocating for those rights and educating Americans to understand them better has been the mission of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression since its founding in 1999.

Implementing new revenue streams, from events to newsletters to podcasts to philanthropy — and even T-shirts — has been the goal of many news publishers for several years. Some don’t require much investment, while others require a major commitment in money and staff time. Some have worked, and others haven’t.

Launched in 2010, Honolulu Civil Beat began as a for-profit news business, charging $19.99/month per subscription, but the model proved unsustainable. In 2016, they reorganized as a nonprofit and honed their editorial mission, publishing on several platforms: a website, newsletters and podcasts.
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If you visit the web page of The Intersection Magazine, you’ll notice something unique. The subject titles contain pairings: “PG Politics + Religion” and “Health + Politics.” This is intentional, said its founder, Delonte Harrod: “As a Black reporter trained in the  Black press, that is how Black people live their lives. I will say I think it’s universally how people live their lives.”
Two champions of investigative reporting, Mother Jones and the Center for Investigative Reporting/Reveal, announced their Feb. 1, 2024, merger. They are combining to counter the attacks on the press and reveal more of what many public and private institutions, monied interests and those hiding behind false patriotism would rather keep hidden from journalistic scrutiny and the public’s view.
The Department of Labor (DOL) has updated how employers are to consider if a worker is an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act, starting March 11. The rule provides guidance on six factors instituted by the DOL for relationships between a worker and a potential employer.
The United States is just a few months into what will undoubtedly be a contentious election year. Leading up to the November election, polling will help news media publishers tell the election story, and what the public thinks about the candidates and the public policy issues most important to them. How reliable are polls today — political or otherwise? E&P asked the experts.
Over the last few years, news leaders have discussed diversity at conferences and launched initiatives to address historical disparities in their reporting and their ranks. However, a recent study shows little traction in making actual change in the most elite sector of newsrooms.
Design services are vital in the publishing industry. And one of the ways publishers are choosing to get their vital ads built and pages crafted is outsourcing the entire creative process. However it is crucial to evaluate first the advantages and disadvantages before deciding to outsource.
Providing in-depth coverage of what is already a tumultuous and historically significant election year will require persistence, late nights, and good old shoe leather. Accessing independent resources with tips and explainers of election topics will be of equal importance, from the science of polling to identifying misinformation to understanding how to report on local ballot measures.
The University of Kentucky has emphasized its support for rural journalism for two decades. Housed in the heart of one of America’s 60 largest cities, the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues (IRJCI) is celebrating its 20th year on campus. The IRJCI is designed to help students prepare for journalism work in rural areas and to provide training and other resources for small news organizations.
Are AI-powered chatbots covered under fair use laws, or are they stealing copyrighted content at the expense of the newsrooms that paid to produce it? Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, has been partnering with Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal on legislation that would help news organizations grapple with quick-moving changes in the tech world.
As the entire world seemingly rushes to embrace the latest iteration of generative AI, whether ChatGPT, Bard or the many similar apps, media sales teams must take a more measured approach. That starts with realizing it is a tool and is not the answer to all needs and challenges. Additionally, the parameters of its use and protections from its erroneous and malicious misuse are not yet set.
“Justice through journalism” is MLK50’s mission. Celebrating seven years in Memphis, Tennessee, the nonprofit newsroom honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, courageously producing journalism for the city’s marginalized communities.
The Public Radio Program Directors Association (PRPD) recognized the need to rebrand itself in 2022 when its board and President Abby Goldstein developed a new strategic plan. An essential element of that plan was changing its name to the Public Media Content Collective (PMCC), which took effect on Jan. 1 of this year.
It’s time again for one of our favorite salutes — E&P’s 25 Under 35. In some way, it showcases our future — one that’s inspired, passionate and innovative — reinvigorated by fresh ideas and talent. There were so many deserving nominees this year that we stretched our 25 to include two more. Cheers to E&P’s 2024 class of 25 Under 35!
Today, with an almost overwhelming amount of information we must sift through on news sites, social media and third-party aggregation sites, like Apple and Google News, it’s nice to have information curated and summarized for us and delivered to our inboxes. That kind of sounds like a newspaper.
Investigative journalism has fallen by the wayside at too many newsrooms across the country. Investigative journalism is labor- and time-intensive and often expensive to produce. It also requires skilled journalists to do the work. What does it take to create and lead an investigative team today? E&P asked five investigative editors that question.
New York is credited with a lot of American newspaper firsts and milestones. Michelle Rae, executive director for the New York Press Association/New York Press Service, says: “New York is different from most states because we don’t have the publicly traded ownership percentages that many other states have. New York probably has the smallest percentage of chain ownership of anybody.”
Forum Communications, a family-owned newspaper company in the upper Midwest, rolled out a weekly newspaper in St. Cloud, Minnesota, in October. The print product was launched a year after unveiling a news website, stcloudlive.com. The move cuts against the grain of a shrinking industry.
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Freedom of speech is one of the greatest achievements of the Founding Fathers. They understood that if the people were the ultimate rulers, not kings or despots, they must be able to criticize the government and its officials. Like the other freedoms embodied in the U.S. Constitution, freedom of speech has some limits. Using that freedom to defame or libel another party can lead to being sued. These concepts are taught in journalism schools, and publishers, editors and journalists understand where to draw the line.
While news media organizations have decreased the number of journalists assigned to statehouse reporting in a number of states, nonprofits are stepping in to fill the void. These nonprofit startups are often tiny news operations funded by a mix of philanthropy dollars, donations and memberships. In many cases, these organizations were started by journalists. So, while the journalism is often top-notch, leaders may need more knowledge in other areas.
In a recent interview with Editor & Publisher, Richard Rinehart, corporate vice president of operations at McClatchy, expressed his excitement about his upcoming role as president of the International Newspaper Group (ING) board of directors. With his extensive background in operations, Rinehart hopes to use his expertise to assist ING in their mission to promote excellence in the journalism industry.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, newspapers have delivered both types of content for over a century. Television took content one step further with motion, sound and color. Today, video content has exploded across multiple TV platforms and escaped from the TV environment to be available almost everywhere and created by almost anyone.
“Let's start a newspaper!” It is a very challenging idea even for an experienced publisher, editor or journalist with the necessary business acumen and sources of capital. However, when a 16-year-old high school student declares such an intention, few would bet on its success — unless they were betting on Michael Glenn.
Patrice O’Neill is on a quest to destroy hate. At a time when hate crimes and hate speech are shockingly at the forefront of public discourse and demonstration, she’s taken on this task not with a sword but with a film crew. O'Neill is the executive producer of the documentary “Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life,” which takes the audience to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the aftermath of the Tree of Life synagogue murders.
Today is a cynical time, and trust is challenging for all media. But what if you could rebuild the trust in the community toward your newspaper, including all the diverse parts of the community that most media didn’t care enough about in the past? Here are five steps that will begin to get you there.
When I was asked to write some predictions for the upcoming year in journalism, the name Clifford Stoll immediately began ping-ponging around my brain. Stoll, an astronomer, systems manager and professor, wrote an infamous column in Newsweek in 1995 where he predicted the internet would have no impact on newspapers and called the then-emerging worldwide web a “trendy and oversold community.”
Perfect strangers feel like they know Ayesha Rascoe. Currently, Rascoe hosts NPR's “Weekend Edition Sunday,” and she co-hosts NPR’s “Up First” podcast with Scott Simon. The roles allow her to tell stories across genres. She interviews artists, authors, musicians, public officials, politicians and experts in a spectrum of subject matters.
2023 has been a year rife with layoffs, buyouts and a continuation of a difficult media sales environment. It takes resilience, grit and out-of-the-box thinking to succeed. The 2024 class of E&P Media Sales Superstars stand out in their ability to stand up against these challenging times, stay focused and get the job done for their customers, their communities and the companies they represent.