What: Are you using public ChatGPT or logging into your organization's private Copilot? Is Google Gemini safe? What about other AI tools? Do you have to disclose when you use an AI note taker at a board meeting? Is your valuable data protected? What does your AI policy allow? Learn from a cybersecurity expert how to use AI the secure way. Every level of AI user will learn something in this session.

Who: Matt Eshleman, Community IT Innovations

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Nonprofit Learning Lab

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Mon, Mar 9 - Legal Writing Seminar: With Some Not So Typical Topics

Who: Kenneth Bresler, Administrative Magistrate, Division of Administrative Law Appeals.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Social Law Library

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Tue, Mar 10 - Online Accessibility: Alt Text, Contrast, Descriptive Links, and Forms

Who: Kathleen Sullivan, Open Data Librarian, Washington State Library.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Washington State Library

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Tue, Mar 10 - Impactful - and Ethical - Storytelling for Nonprofits

What: Share simple, budget-friendly ways to incorporate video into your organization's communications strategy without compromising ethics. Whether you’re new to video or looking to improve your current approach, you’ll walk away with practical, ethical storytelling techniques that help your organization create videos that tell the real story of volunteer impact. In this session, you’ll learn: Video creation tips that are accessible to nonprofits of all sizes, budgets, and bandwidths; Storytelling prompts that spark great stories from every member of your community; and Ethical storytelling considerations that should stay top-of-mind.

Who: Natalie Monroe from MemoryFox; Jennifer Bennett from Idealist.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Idealist

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Tue, Mar 10 - Is AI Working For You? And If Not, Why Not

What: We’ll explore how AI is being used, implemented, and evaluated across different contexts. We’ll place special emphasis on evaluation, how to measure effectiveness, identify gaps, and use insights to drive process improvement, secure additional funding, and build stronger organizational support.

Who: Jack Phillips, Ph.D. Chairman, ROI Institute.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Training Magazine Network

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Wed, Mar 11 - The World of Social Media – Digital Marketing Masterclass

What: Whether you’re a small business owner, entrepreneur, or want to grow your marketing strategies, this session will equip you with the tools and strategies to elevate your online presence.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Small Business Development Center, Widener University

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Wed, Mar 11 - Teaching AI with Confidence: Skills and Strategies for AI Literacy Day

What: The session will highlight practical, age‑appropriate strategies for teaching AI and digital citizenship—from early digital habits to media analysis, responsible creation, and algorithmic awareness. You’ll explore how free resources like My Digital Life and the Digital Citizenship Initiative can anchor instruction, spark curiosity, and help students understand how AI influences their choices, creativity, and digital identities through ready‑to‑use lessons, interactive scenarios, and student‑centered activities.

Who: Tim Needles is an artist, educator, performer, and the author of STEAM Power: Infusing Art Into Your STEM Curriculum; Kim Allman is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in corporate responsibility, ESG strategy, and government affairs.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsors: Discovery Education & Gen, Norton

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Wed, Mar 11 - Detecting and Investigating Healthcare Fraud

What: We will walk attendees through a real Medicare fraud investigation that exposed a multimillion-dollar scheme involving fraudulent billing for medical supplies that patients never ordered or received. Participants will learn how to recognize red flags in healthcare billing, corroborate victim statements with documentation, follow financial and records trails and organize findings into a story that can withstand legal scrutiny. This session provides practical insight into how large-scale healthcare fraud is detected, investigated and built into a prosecutable case.

Who: Walter Smith Randolph, Executive Producer of Investigations, CBS News.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Sunlight Research Desk

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Wed, Mar 11 - The AI Black Hole (and How to Get Out of It)

What: We will explore why AI investments fail without proper data infrastructure and how training management systems solve the problem at its source. We will walk through real client use cases showing how aligning data strategy, training operations, and AI drives measurable business impact.

Who: John Peebles CEO, Administrate.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Administrate

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Thu, Mar 12 - Beat Academy: Facing a Tough News Audience

What: We will unpack findings from the Pew-Knight Initiative about how the public is drifting away from news, how they come across it, and what they do to check what they see.

Who: Jon Greenberg, Faculty, Pew Research Center.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Poynter

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Thu, Mar 12 - Codex for Software Engineers

What: Join us for a technical overview of Codex, the AI software engineering agent that can help developers write features, debug code, run tests, and navigate large codebases. In this session, we’ll demonstrate how engineers are using Codex to accelerate development workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and collaborate more effectively with AI during the software development lifecycle.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: OpenAI Academy

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Thu, Mar 12 - Unlocking AI in Government: The Governance Foundation for Secure Innovation

What: We'll explore compelling use cases for AI across both internal operations and citizen-facing services, then discuss how identity governance creates the foundation for secure innovation.

Who: Jerred Edgar, Chief Information Security & Operations Officer, Idaho; David Hinchman, Director, IT & Cybersecurity, U.S. Government Accountability Office; Ryan Murray, Deputy Director, State Chief Information Security Officer, Arizona Department of Homeland Security, Statewide Information Security and Privacy Office; Morgan Reed, Distinguished Strategic Advisor, Okta.

When: 2:00 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: GovLoop

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Thu, Mar 12 - Covering Communities at Risk: What Can Reporters and Outlets Learn from Ethnic Media

What: In this webinar, you will learn journalism strategies deployed by reporters and newsrooms participating in the Center for Health Journalism’s Engagement Initiative. Those efforts focus on centering community voices in innovative ways.

Who: Enrique Chiabra, news anchor at Telemundo 52 Los Angeles; Mariana Duran is a bilingual Spanish-English journalist for El Tecolote; Teena Apeles is the national engagement editor at the Center for Health Journalism at the USC Annenberg School of Journalism.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Online News Association and the USC Center for Health Journalism,

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Thu, Mar 12 - Tips to Build Your LinkedIn Brand

What: You’ll learn: Where in your profile to effectively incorporate keywords; How to clearly brand yourself to be memorable; How to evaluate your headline and add a USP; Free tools and resources for entrepreneurs and small business.

Who: Lynne Williams, Executive Director of the Great Careers Network.

When: 6 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Small Business Development Center, Widener University

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Thu, Mar 12 - Digital Security 101

What: This practical workshop covers encrypted messaging, social media lockdown strategies, device security, and how to defend against hacking and online harassment.

When: 6:30 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free to SPJ members

Sponsors: Society of Professional Journalists, Georgia & Freedom of the Press Foundation

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Fri, Mar 13 - An Introduction to Copyright Issues Affecting the Use of Film and Video in Libraries, Archives and Museums

Who: Members of OCEAN’s board.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Ocean (Open Copyright Education Advisory Network)

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Fri, Mar 13 - ChatGPT for Resumes and Interviews

What: We’ll walk through practical ways to use ChatGPT to prepare for new opportunities, from refining your resume to getting ready for interviews. We’ll explore how ChatGPT can help you organize your experience, practice interview questions, and build confidence throughout the job search process. This session is designed to be approachable and useful whether you’re actively applying for roles or simply looking to strengthen your career readiness.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: OpenAI Academy

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Fri, Mar 13 - Teaching Information Literacy

What: This content-agnostic training is based on New Jersey’s Four Pillars framework for information literacy and founded on the notion that information literacy is skills-based. You’ll have the chance to develop skills in using each of the Four Pillars: information need, identification and evaluation, use, and creation and distribution. In conversations with colleagues, you’ll have the opportunity to talk about how to apply what you’ve learned in working directly with learners of all ages.

Who: Linda W. Braun, a highly experienced youth services consultant; Jen Nelson, New Jersey’s state librarian.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Washington State Library

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Sat, Mar 14 - Digital Open-Source Investigations & OSINT for Journalism

What: Participants will learn how to verify images and videos by finding exactly where they were recorded using satellite and street - view imagery from platforms like Google Earth and Maps.

When: 6 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free to Members

Sponsors: National Association of Hispanic Journalists, USC Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism

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January 07, 2026

222 Movies about Journalism

January 07, 2026/ Stephen Goforth

2025

News Without A Newsroom - A documentary about journalism's uncertain future in the digital age.

Opus - Satire about the relationship between celebrity worship and journalism.

Words of War - Based on a true story of a journalist's brave crusade, fighting for an independent voice in Putin's Russia.

2024

Black Box Diaries - A Japanese journalist investigates her own rape leading to accusations against a prominent TV executive, triggering Japan’s #MeToo movement. Personal and compelling.

Civil War - In a dystopian future America, a team of military-embedded journalists race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

Impulse - A journalist uncovers a cult and shadow government. Low production, poor acting, and not much in the way of journalism.

Lee - (Kate Winslet) A fashion model becomes an acclaimed war correspondent during World War II. Based on a true story. Conventional and melodramatic but well-acted.

Monolith - A disgraced Australian journalist starts a podcast and follows a conspiracy theory that leads to herself. A slow-burn sci-fi flick set in one location.

No Other Land - This film was made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective and shows the relationship that develops between a Palestinian activist and an Israeli journalist.

Players - A group of single Brooklyn reporters spend their evenings scheming for short-lived hookups until one of them falls for one of his targets. Predictable.

See the entire list

November 10, 2025

Podcasts about Journalism

November 10, 2025/ Stephen Goforth

The 404 Media Podcast — A journalist-owned digital media company exploring the way technology is shaping–and is shaped by–our world.

The Digiday Podcast — A weekly show about subscriptions, commerce, the modern newsroom, content creation, audio, streaming, and more.

Freelancing for Journalists - How to approach freelancing, covering topics ranging from how to get started and what to include in pitches, to how to negotiate rates. Each episode includes guests on different career paths, and who have a variety of perspectives.

IRE Radio Podcast (Investigative Reporters and Editors) — Behind the story with award-winning reporters, editors and producers to hear how they broke some big stories.

It's All Journalism — The series talks to working journalists about how they do their jobs, the latest trends in journalism, and the changing state of digital media. (not being updated)

Journalism History — A scholarly journal covering the history of mass media.

The Journalism Salute — A spotlight on interesting and important journalists and journalism organizations.

The Kicker — This Columbia Journalism Review podcast explores serious and challenging topics related to journalism and media. (not being updated)

Longform Podcast (longform.org) — A weekly conversation with a non-fiction writer on how they tell stories. (not being updated)

Media Voices — Major media industry news each week from three experienced freelance journalists. The focus is on the business side of media and its impact on journalists’ work.

On the Media — Produced by WNYC radio, this is a weekly investigation into how the media shapes our worldview.

Reveal (The Center for Investigative Reporting) — A look at CIR’s investigative reporting, focusing on real-world impact—from civil and criminal investigations to new laws and policies, better-informed conversations and community-driven solutions.

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism — A discussion of the Institute's research on trends in media. Based at the University of Oxford, this think tank offers research on the future of journalism.

The Tip Off — A behind the scenes look at standout investigative reporting from the journalists themselves. (not being updated)

WriteLane (Tampa Bay Times and Poynter) — Some episodes explore a piece of the writing process: finding ideas, interviewing, seeking structure. Others dive deep into a single story, breaking down the how and why. Some include interviews with other journalists. (not being updated)

Examples of older podcasts about journalists doing journalism:

I'm Not A Monster (BBC Panorama and FRONTLINE PBS) — “How did an American family end up in the heart of the ISIS caliphate? Over four years, journalist Josh Baker unravels a dangerous story where nothing is as it seems.”

The Other Latif (Radiolab) — “How did this nerdy suburban Muslim kid come to be imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay?”

The Canary | Washington Post Investigates — “Two women and a shared refusal to stay silent. A seven-part podcast hosted by investigative reporter Amy Brittain.”

White Lies (NPR) — “In 1965, Rev. James Reeb was murdered in Selma, Alabama. Three men were tried and acquitted, but no one was ever held to account. Fifty years later, two journalists from Alabama return to the city where it happened, expose the lies that kept the murder from being solved and uncover a story about guilt and memory that says as much about America today as it does about the past.”

The Line (Apple) — “Explore the impact of the forever wars on the U.S. Navy SEALs through the lens of the Eddie Gallagher case.”

The Lazarus Heist (BBC) — “‘Almost a perfect crime.’ The hacking ring and an attempt to steal a billion dollars. Investigators blame North Korea. Pyongyang denies involvement. The story begins in Hollywood.”

In the Dark (American Public Media) — “We investigate the case of Curtis Flowers, a Black man from Winona, Mississippi, who was tried six times for the same crime. Flowers spent more than 20 years fighting for his life while a white prosecutor spent that same time trying just as hard to execute him.”

September 05, 2025

25 Professional Journalism Organizations

September 05, 2025/ Stephen Goforth

ACES: The Society for Editing

American Press Sports Editors

American Society of Business Publication Editors

American Society of Journalists and Authors

The Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association

Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism

Asian American Journalists Association

European Federation of Journalists

Global Investigative Journalism Network

Indigenous Journalists Association

The Institute for Independent Journalists

International Press Institute

Investigative Reporters and Editors

The Journalists and Writers Foundation

Local Media Association

Military Veterans in Journalism

National Association of Black Journalists

National Association of Hispanic Journalists

NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists

Online News Association

Public Media Journalism Association

Radio Television Digital News Association

Society for Features Journalism

Society of Professional Journalists

World Association of News Publishers

September 02, 2025

Places to Keep up with News

September 02, 2025/ Stephen Goforth

Major Broadcast Networks

Aggregate Sites

eNewsletters

Aggregation Apps

Flipboard (you’ll need to mute weak & non-news sites)

Explainer Journalism

Wonkblog (WaPo)

the Conversation (articles written by university and research experts)

National News

NPR (morning edition)

Washington Post (list of daily print articles)

New York Times (list of daily print articles)

Tech

BBC (future section)

Politics

Washington Post (politics section)

Investigative Journalism

ProPublica

Education

Chronicle of Higher Ed

Business

Economist (sub. req.)

Fast Company

Science

Live Science

SciCentral

New York Time (science section)

Religion

Religious News Service

Washington Post (Acts of Faith section)

Ministry Watch

Health

Stat

New York Times (health section)

News Media

Opinion

May 15, 2025

A Journalist’s AI 'Go Bag'

May 15, 2025/ Stephen Goforth

"What should be in a journalist’s AI go bag? For starters, the one basic thing that should be in everyone’s bag, the AI prepper’s equivalent of a flashlight and bottled water: skill at using AI tools. It is not enough to use it as a slightly better Google; you need to keep abreast of the latest releases and spend time every week pushing both its capabilities and your own. Trying to make it do your job is table stakes. Try making it write a children’s book, or invent a new game, or solve cold fusion. As with any learning process, the outcome is less important than the effort, because the effort is how you learn not just what it can do, but what you could do with it." -Megan McArdle writing in The Washington Post

April 17, 2025

27 Recent Articles about AI & Journalism

April 17, 2025/ Stephen Goforth

We need to bridge the fault line emerging in debates about AI and the future of news – Reuters

What news audiences can teach journalists about artificial intelligence – Editor & Publisher

How AI is steering the media toward a ‘close enough’ standard – Fast Company

The LA Times Has ‘Moved On’ From AI-Driven Bias Meter After KKK Snafu – The Wrap

The New York Times’ Zach Seward on embracing AI – Depth Perception

Audiences are still skeptical about generative AI in the news – Poynter

Will A.I. Save the News? – New Yorker

AI tools have fueled a rise in expert commentator—who are not real – Press Gazette

Bloomberg Has a Rocky Start With A.I. News Summaries – New York Times

Independent says readers ‘often prefer’ stories provided by new AI service to human-written versions of those articles– Press Gazette

How ProPublica Uses AI Responsibly in Its Investigations - ProPublica

AI search has a news citation problem - Digital Content – Digital Content Next

Newsquest now employing 36 ‘AI-assisted reporters’ – Press Gazette

AOL’s AI Image Captions Terribly Describe Attempted Murder – 404 Media

AI in the newsroom: What researchers learned from the AP and the BBC – Journalism Resources

What Journalists Should Know About Deepfake Detection in 2025 – Columbia Journalism Review

We Compared Eight AI Search Engines. They’re All Bad at Citing News. – Columbia Journalism Review

Gannett seeks AI sports editor amid union tensions, past controversies – Awful Announcing

Patch says it has expanded to nearly every town in the U.S. using AI – Axio

LA Times to display AI-generated political rating on opinion pieces - The Guardian

Key Questions for Journalists to Consider Before Using Generative AI – The Open Notebook

Meet the journalists training AI models for Meta and OpenAI – Nieman Lab

How DeepSeek stacks up when citing news publishers - Nieman Lab

The Dangerous A.I. Nonsense That Trump and Biden Fell For - New York Times

How AI “expert sources” have duped journalists and four tips on how to avoid being the next victim – Dynamics of Writing

Is this AI or a journalist? Research reveals stylistic differences in news articles – Tech Explore

5 ways science journalists can leverage AI in their work - International Journalists' Network

March 03, 2025

AI-generated Ratings for Opinion Pieces

March 03, 2025/ Stephen Goforth

Some Los Angeles Times opinion pieces will now be published with an AI-generated rating of their political content, and an AI-generated list of alternative political views on that issue. The AI-generated tool “operates independently” from the paper’s human journalists, and “the AI content is not reviewed by journalists before it is published.” - The Guardian

September 20, 2024

26 free (mostly one hour) Journalism courses

September 20, 2024/ Stephen Goforth

These short online courses will strengthen your journalism skills (and add a line to your resume). Most of these Poynter courses are one-hour in length or less.

Journalism Fundamentals: Craft & Values - A five-hour, self-directed course that covers basics in five areas: newsgathering, interviewing, ethics, law and diversity.

Telling Stories with Sound - Learn the fundamentals of audio reporting and editing in this self-directed course.

How to Spot Misinformation Online - Learn simple digital literacy skills to outsmart algorithms, detect falsehoods and make decisions based on factual information.

Understanding Title IX - This course is designed to help journalists understand the applications of Title IX.

Clear, Strong Writing for Broadcast Journalism - One-hour video tutorial

Powerful Writing: Leverage Your Video and Sound - In this one-hour video tutorial, early-career journalists will learn how to seamlessly combine audio, video and copy in captivating news packages.

Writing for the Ear - In this five-part course, you’ll learn everything you need to write more effective audio narratives.

Fact-Check It: Digital Tools to Verify Everything Online

News Sense: The Building Blocks of News - What makes an idea or event a news story?

Cleaning Your Copy: Grammar, Style and More - Finding and fixing the most common style, grammar and punctuation errors.

Avoiding Plagiarism and Fabrication

The Writer’s Workbench: 50 Tools You Can Use

Ethics of Journalism Build or refine your process for making ethical decisions

Conducting Interviews that Matter

Make Design More Inclusive: Defeat Unconscious Bias in Visuals

Online Media Law: The Basics for Bloggers and Other Publishers - Three important areas of media law that specifically relate to gathering information and publishing online: defamation, privacy and copyright.

Freedom of Information and Your Right to Know - How to use the Freedom of Information Act, Public Records Laws and Open Meetings Laws to uphold your right to know the government’s actions.

Journalism and Trauma - How traumatic stress affects victims and how to interview trauma victims with compassion and respect.

How Any Journalist Can Earn Trust (International Edition)

What news audiences in various parts of the world don’t understand about how journalism works

Is This Legit? Digital Media Literacy 101

MediaWise’s Campus Correspondents explain the fact-checking tools and techniques that professionals use in their day-to-day work.

The On-Ramp to Media Literacy

How Any Journalist Can Earn Trust

Dignity and Precision in Language

How to Avoid Being Sued: Defamation Law in the 21st Century

Conducting Interviews That Matter

Power of Diverse Voices: Writing Workshop for Journalists of Color

August 07, 2024

4 Fake News Signals from Outside the Website

August 07, 2024/ Stephen Goforth

Here are some tips for determining if a story is likely reliable. An organization does not need to tick off all these qualifiers in order to be considered authentic and accurate, but the more you see red flags pop up, the more a healthy skepticism is in order.

69. YOUR COMMUNITY. There’s no substitute for knowing people who are well-informed and will let you know when you’ve posted something questionable. These are people you can ask when you have your doubts. Don’t know any experts or researchers, or information junkies from various fields who are critical and helpful? Make some new friends! Developing such a support system is critical for navigating effectively through life. Read some books written by experts.

70. FACT-CHECKING SITES. Does a fact-checking site identify the assertion of the article as a hoax? Check one of the sites listed at the end of this article or type the article’s topic into a search engine and add “hoax” or “fake.”

71. THE OTHER SIDE. Take time to check sites that do not agree with your politics. If you discover they are wrong and perhaps not addressing the best arguments of your side, it is a confirmation you are on the right side of an issue. Or maybe you will discover a weakness in your own reasoning you haven’t considered. Either way, you'll know what other people are consuming, sharpening your thinking.

72. GOOGLING THE TOPIC. If you do a Google search for a topic, remember that reliable researchers do not write material answering questions like “Did the Holocaust exist?” Instead of decent sources, this type of search will bring up conspiracy theorists. Don’t be misled by a search that frames issues as secret plots and nefarious schemes.

More ways to spot fake news

August 06, 2024

12 Fake News Signals from the Publisher

August 06, 2024/ Stephen Goforth

57. REPUTATION. Is the writer’s reputation at stake if they are wrong? Does the organization risk losing reputation or losing finances if it becomes known for having promoted false news?

58. RELIABILITY. Has the organization been reliable in the past? Have you read other information from the organization confirmed to be accurate?

59. AMATEURISH. Data collected by an amateur is more error-prone than data collected by a professional scientist. Does a quick web search confirm whether the people who collected and organized the data have a good track record of collecting and distributing data?

60. RESPONSE TO CRITICS. Does the publisher respond publicly to its critics when there are reasonable questions? Does it acknowledge when the critics have a point?

61. DATA SOURCES. Look closely at the sources of data the publisher uses: is this material provided by for-profit companies, partisan organizations, or advocacy groups? While the material may be accurate, data from groups with agendas require greater scrutiny than data from nonpartisan organizations.

62. PAYING THE WRITERS. Content Farms (or Content Mills, if you like) pay very little in return for lots of writing. When news writers are focused on cranking out material to feed the beast, the quality of the work suffers. If you discover a site is considered a Content Farm by professionals or pays writers very little for their work, that’s a big red flag.

63. DIVERSE VOICES. Does the news organization offer diverse perspectives in its articles? A professional outlet will make a concerted effort to give voice to various ethnicities and political persuasions. The more a newsroom focuses on a single viewpoint, the greater the likelihood it will leave out significant perspectives from its news converge.

64. FEEDBACK. Reputable news publishers want readers’ feedback on stories for accuracy and look for help in determining coverage priorities.

65. AGREEMENT. Do you find yourself agreeing with everything your preferred news outlet says? If so, something is wrong. Find a commentator whose politics don’t match with your own—vary your media consumption to get a balance of perspectives.

66. EASY STORIES. Suppose a news outlet overlooks stories worth telling in favor of the stories that can be easily told. In that case, it may not have the resources to dive into investigative reporting or may not have the goal of getting beyond the low-hanging fruit.

67. ANONYMOUS SOURCES. Legitimate news outlets will only reference unnamed sources that would endanger them physically or put them in legal jeopardy. Overreliance on anonymous sources should be a red flag to be skeptical of the information, even if it comes from an otherwise trustworthy site.

68. FRAMEWORK. Some sites have a framework for all their stories (like the College Fix, which is focused on college campus outrage). Articles on these sites may leave out moderating information, so stories lean toward the framework.

More ways to spot fake news

August 03, 2024

12 Fake News Signals from the Website

August 03, 2024/ Stephen Goforth

45. ABOUT US. Check the site’s “About” page for information about who is behind the operation. If you aren’t familiar with the name, look for information about who owns it. For instance, the Russian government owns the RT network. There is a big difference between state media (RT) and public media in a democracy (like the BBC). If a website does not provide information on its mission, staff members, or physical location, it is most likely unreliable. The language used here should be straightforward. If it seems overblown, be skeptical.

46. ADDRESSES. There should be a mailing address (better yet, a physical address) and an email address. Any site concerned about making factual corrections (and avoiding defamation) needs a way for readers to contact them.

47. LEGAL NOTICES. Look for a legal section on the website. It may be called a “disclaimer.” Satirical websites sometimes disclose this information in those sections. A site without obvious legal notices (such as EEOC or FCC public file information for TV stations) is a red flag.

48. GOOGLE “FAKE.” Put the website name in quotes and then add “fake.” Something indicating the site is known for publishing fake news might come up.

49. DATES. Look for a date to make sure the event is recent. Sometimes real stories from several years ago are posted as if they were new. This happens with photos as well. Reliable news outlets want readers to know when the information is posted and will usually display the headline's date. If you are looking at an article on social media, go to the article and look first for a timestamp. Even an old article with good information at the time of publication can be problematic because a study (for instance) may have since been retracted.

50. WEB DESIGN. Poor web design is a red flag. Is the design out of date when compared to other reputable sites? Is the display navigable and professional?

51. DOWNLOADS. If the website contains advertisements, particularly pop-up ads, asking you to download software, it is likely to be an unreliable.

52. CORRECTIONS. Does the site make corrections as it receives new information, and does it make those corrections obvious? Typically, a note will be added to the top or bottom of a news article when even a factual change is made to a story. In a print or broadcast story, the original error should be clearly stated along with the correct information. The editorial process of a legitimate news organization catches and corrects many errors. If you don’t see corrections from time-to-time on a website, that’s a red flag. Corrections and updates are a part of journalism.

53. OTHER ARTICLES. Search for the information you know to be false in other articles on the site. Does the site offer quality information on different topics besides the one you are investigating?

54. COMMUNITY POSTS. Some sites allow individuals to post pieces under the banner of the news brand (ex: BuzzFeed Community Posts, Kinja blogs, Forbes blogs). The site editors typically do not vet these posts, making the material suspect.

55. PREVIOUS FAKE NEWS. Do Wikipedia, Snopes, or other such sites show the website in question as having a connection to spreading false information in the past? While Wikipedia is generally pointed in the right direction but can contain some questionable information, the links to other sites it provides can be invaluable in the hunt for the truth.

56. EMBARGOS. Does the publisher respect embargos? This is common practice in media, where information suppliers ask publishers to hold back new information until a certain time. It is considered common courtesy and accepted practice to honor embargos except in unusual circumstances. Ignoring these expectations could be a sign the publisher is more interested in rushing out material than operating by industry standards.

More ways to spot fake news

August 02, 2024

Fake News Signals from Website Addresses

August 02, 2024/ Stephen Goforth

38. DOT-GOV. Does the site have a dot-gov address? Generally, data provided by government organizations are more trustworthy. Official news agencies are often the starting place for establishing the truth of a matter.

39. DOT-EDU. Does the site have a dot-edu address? Generally, data provided by university research laboratories are reliable.

40. LO & DOT-CO. Websites ending with odd letters like “lo” (such as “Newslo”) or “.co” could be a red flag for fake news sites. For instance, abcnews.com.co is not the actual URL (web address) for the real ABC News. What looks like an .edu domain, followed by .co or “lo” is likely a fake or deceptive site. Sites like Clone Zone make this easy to do.

41. COM.COM. Another way to trick readers is to add a “com” so the web address almost looks right. For instance, “USATodaycom.com.”

42. PERSONAL BLOGS. A domain such as “.wordpress” or “blogger” usually signifies it’s a personal blog rather than a news source.

43. COUNTRY-CODE TOP-LEVEL DOMAINS. The end of some website addresses is a clue to the site’s originating country. For instance, “dot-au” means the site is based in Australia, and “dot-ng” means the site is based in Nigeria. Suppose you find a supposed article about your community on a website coming from a country far away. In that case, it probably means the writer isn’t likely to have access to the necessary sources to write a competent story.

44. ODD NAMES. Odd domain names generally equal odd and rarely truthful news.

23 Fake News Signals from the Writing

July 31, 2024/ Stephen Goforth

You’ll notice these are “tips” and not a checklist. Checklists can oversimply the nuances of discernment into black-and-white boxes.

1. ORIGINAL REPORTING. Does this article cite sources likely to know this information? Does the news organization have reporters attending news conferences in person, working in cities where the news is happening, and talking to key sources directly? Or does the organization have to rely on second-hand information from other sites?

2. LONE-WOLF REPORTING. Compare the information with other sites you trust. Are these sites reporting the same information? The site might have a scoop, but a lack of multiple independent accounts means it is more likely that the story is false. Sometimes lack of coverage is the result from writer and producer bias within a company or the result of the particular focus of the outlet (which may include not offending certain sponsors or other companies owned by the same parent company). Typically, you should expect more than one source reporting on an important topic or event. Plus, it’s always best to read multiple sources of information to get various viewpoints and media frames.

3. AP STYLE. Most legitimate news organizations will use the AP Stylebook as a writing guide (no Oxford comma, full name on the first reference and only last name thereafter, etc.). Some organizations have developed their own style guides (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, etc.). Most news organizations use an in-house style guide (to deal with writing issues unique to the publication’s area of reporting).

4. POOR GRAMMAR. When a writer makes obvious grammatical mistakes, they also may not have taken the time to ensure the article’s facts are accurate.

5. ADJECTIVES & ADVERBS. Objective journalism avoids adjectives and adverbs. The more of them used in an article, the more you should question whether the writer’s goal is to inform you or to convince you of something.

6. BALANCE. Did the writer engage with anyone who disagreed with the gist of the article? Quality news organizations are looking for both sides—and sometimes, there are more sides than that.

7. EXPERTS. Does the article quote not only more than one side in a dispute but experts as well? A he-said-she-said story without experts’ opinions in the field is weak reporting. When there’s only a single source for a news article, be hesitant to accept the information without further corroboration.

8. OBJECTIVE. Like the scientist aiming to discover the truth, having some bias does not mean a journalist cannot arrive at the truth through a tested and effective approach (as does the scientific method, despite the researcher’s bias). The complaint that “no one can really be objective” misses the point that it’s not the journalists themselves but the articles that need to be neutral. While bias websites can still post real news, carefully look at the specific evidence, they offer and see if reporting from other legit sites backs it up.

9. OPINION. Is the article part of an opinion section? Does the video feature a commentator? Commentary has a long history of having a part inside the pages of newspapers, but many readers confuse an editorial article with news reporting. The same can happen online or on TV news. There’s no need for an opinion piece to be neutral in its presentation. Just don’t confuse it with an unbiased news piece.

10. GENERIC ENEMIES. Does the article focus on vague foes who are never specified? “The media,” “supporters of (insert name of politician),” “The right,” “The left,” “Washington,” etc. Good reporting doesn't make these kinds of generalizations.

11. DOXING. Doxing is making private information public in order to hurt a person or organization. If the writer suggests anything like doxing, run the other way.

12. EMBEDDED LINKS. Quality journalism values clarity over style. Links in the article to original source material show a commitment to transparency and allow readers to make up their own minds about its use. Sometimes bogus stories will cite official or official-sounding sources and even link back to them that do not back up the claims in the article. An article without links or quotes from identified sources should be suspect.

13. SPONSORED CONTENT. Some legit news organizations publish articles similar to what they usually publish as real news—only, in this case, an advertiser actually sponsors the material. The intention could be to provide legitimate information about a subject while at the same time promoting the advertiser's product. Sometimes referred to as native advertising, reputable publishers will identify the article as “sponsored content” or “paid partner content” in a prominent location. A precursor to sponsored content was advertorials—a combination of advertising and editorial opinion. These placements were ads disguised as editorial content.

14. LOCAL REPORTING. If the story involved a particular locale, was local expertise included? Was the reporting conducted on the scene?

15. YOUR REACTION. Be sensitive to occasions when you become angry as you read an article. If you are outraged after reading something, the story may be written to manipulate your emotions. The more shocking and outrageous, the more work is necessary to confirm the information before passing it along.

16. PARTISAN APPEAL. If a story sounds big but appears only on hyperpartisan sites and seems designed for outrage, it could have significant flaws that stopped legitimate news outlets from covering it.

17. FIRSTHAND SOURCES. Use an article’s information to work back to original sources to verify what’s in the article. If the report references a lawsuit, it can often be found online through a Google search or third party like Scribd, CourtListener, or DocumentCloud. Or, if the article references something a company is doing, check that company’s website (or a government agency) to see if there is a news release about that topic or an announcement on a site like PR Newswire.

18. MULTIPLE SOURCES. Use keywords from the article (unique terms such as someone’s name) that are likely to bring up the same topic from another source using Google News search. The information from each story can be compared. It is unusual for a single outlet to have exclusive information, especially after several days have passed since the article was posted. To avoid generic, unhelpful search results, use unique keywords in your search—like the name of an unfamous person who’s quoted in the story.

19. TANTALIZING QUOTES. Search for a questionable quote by pasting the text (in quotation marks) into a search engine. If the exact phrasing doesn’t come up or if only a few small outlets have printed the outrageous quote (perhaps from a famous person or politician), then be skeptical about its authenticity. Look for the sentences before and after the quote that makes your blood boil. If the article fails to give them, that could be a warning sign. If the quote is taken out of context, the site (or writer) belongs on your naughty list.

20. SOCIAL MOVEMENTS. A social movement or political uproar can be manufactured artificially. Look for evidence that the people behind a petition or boycott are real people and the effort is organic. Social media posts shouldn’t come from obscure users or bots. There’s a difference between a few snarky tweets and an actual public outcry.

21. THE WRITERS CREDENTIALS. Does the writer possess specialized knowledge in an area, either advanced education or experience covering a particular beat? This is especially important for opinion pieces. A list of qualifications in a writer’s bio should inform the audience as to their expertise. If they are not knowledgeable about the topic, they rely on other sources. An article without quotes or information from experts raises red flags, especially if creators present themselves as experts when they’re actually enthusiasts.

22. ODD WORDING. AI-created text lacks the ability to write in a way that sounds natural—for now. When word choices or sentence structures are odd, it could be the product of a computer. The same is true with repeatedly using the same words and phrases or writing that lacks emotion. These are signs of machine-generated text.

OpenAI’s GPT-2 Detector is a tool that help to identify whether text is likely AI generated. While AI writing tools are not useful for reliable scientific texts without strong human intervention, it is likely predatory journals will exploit the quick production of scientific articles to generate low-quality content.

23. IMPROBABLE PRECISION. It’s a red flag when someone claims, "I drove from Chicago to Miami in 1.5847 hours." That kind of precision is unlikely.

More about spotting fake news

July 30, 2024

What Fake News is NOT

July 30, 2024/ Stephen Goforth

Some people will mislabel rumors, hoaxes, and real news stories they don’t like as “fake news.” Another area of confusion is stories that result from mistaken or bad journalism.

Sometimes well-respected news organizations get it wrong: sources can lie, documents can be faked, and reporters can mishear quotes. Sometimes new information changes the basic understanding of what is known publicly. You wouldn’t call this fake news since the motivation for posting the original (but mistaken) information wasn’t to deceive. What can make the situation worse: is the financial pressure of shifting away from legacy media (like newspapers) into the digital world, leaving the news industry scrambling to figure out how to support quality journalism financially.

Between the pressure to meet social media engagement quotas and competition with other publications, writers often don’t get the necessary time to craft thoughtful and nuanced stories—or possess the power to reject an assignment over concerns about amplification.

Inaccurate details, such as reporting that four people are dead in a plane crash instead of six, can result from an honest mistake. The wrong number might have been heard or written down.

During breaking news, information will quickly shift as bits trickle into news organizations. It takes time to get a clear overall picture of what’s happening. Sometimes law enforcement officials or public relations professionals get the story wrong and send inaccurate information. At those times, news organizations are simply repeating mistakes. This is most likely to happen when only one source of information available whenever a story breaks.

Legitimate news sources will report the truth—as best they know it at the time. But as new information comes in, the story can shift. Just like with scientific research, this meandering pathway is just part of the process of getting to the truth.

It’s worth noting that the approach of legacy news organizations (The Washington Post, CNN) differs from new media outlets (BuzzFeed News, Politico). Traditional outlets aim at objectivity or neutral-voice reporting, where the focus is on being balanced, keeping the journalist’s opinions out of reports. More recently launched news sites are likely to focus on immediacy and transparency over neutrality and update readers whenever more information is known. Each approach presents different weaknesses for reporters to overcome. Of course, commentators may reference news information but are not acting as neutral reporters. Opinion pieces are often confused with basic news reporting. Pay attention whether you are reading a news report, an editorial, a guest blogger, a review, a disguised ad, or a comment.

The bottom line: be skeptical and bring a critical mind with you to everything you read. Keep in mind that “fake news” can be about something else besides the truth. As University of Southern California media scholar Mike Ananny has said, it is often “a struggle between [how] different people envision what kind of world that they want.”

You’ll notice these are “tips” and not a checklist. Checklists can oversimply the nuances of discernment into black-and-white boxes.

More about spotting fake news

July 29, 2024

Four Kinds of News Sites

July 29, 2024/ Stephen Goforth

1-Quality news brands (like the BBC and The Washington Post) have earned their reputations over time as consistently reliable news sources (not perfect, but more trustworthy). Savvy readers don’t expect as much from 2-inconsistent outlets that sometimes show bias but are not “fake” (Huffington Post, Fox News). In these cases, some information may be misleading by the way an issue is framed. Then there are 3-satirical news sites (The Onion, Clickhole, and The Babylon Bee). The articles and videos are intentionally fake but intended to be funny or make a point. They aren’t designed to fool anyone. 4-Fake news sites deliberately fabricate stories. (RT News, The Globe) Packaged as legitimate journalism, these articles may mix some truth with outright lies to deceive readers or gain clicks. Fact-checkers distinguish between misinformation, where the sharer may not realize the information is fraudulent, and disinformation, where the creator/sharer knows the information is false. In each case, the motivation of the sharer can be different.

Google searches for “Fake News” since 2014

The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics encourages journalists to “seek truth and report” and “be accountable and transparent” while doing it. Looking for these qualities is an effective way to separate the fake and the real.

July 01, 2024

Where AI Might Take Journalism

July 01, 2024/ Stephen Goforth

Imagine having a written news story converted into a video by AI. The AI would not be taking away from the journalism but providing more options to access the information. Perhaps the story can be adjusted based on preferences. For instance, perhaps the reader doesn’t know much about economics and wants the material delivered in simple economic terms. Or the reader might want more detail in a story related to their field. AI would be used to adjust the complexity of the delivery. This may be the kind of journalism we are headed toward.