Blogs

Media Nation. An indie journalist in Worcester avoids having to identify his confidential sources — for now

Superior Court Judge Gillian Feiner decided not to force This Week publisher Thomas Marino to identify his sources at this time, and she urged Marino and the plaintiff, Officer Thomas Duffy II, to work out a pre-trial settlement. Feiner did not rule out requiring Marino to identify his sources later on.

Poynter. What 100-plus federal actions reveal about the Trump administration’s campaign against the press

For 18 months, Poynter has tracked federal actions affecting journalists and news access, revealing a rapid, sweeping change in the media landscape.

ABC News. Kansas town will pay $850K to end reporter's lawsuit over 2023 raid

A small Kansas town has agreed to pay $850,000 to a now-retired Marion County Record reporter Phyllis Zorn to end her federal lawsuit over a police raid of the paper’s offices in 2023 that ignited a national furor over press freedom.

Courthouse News Service. Wall Street Journal urges judge to toss Binance defamation suit

The Wall Street Journal says the world's largest cryptocurrency platform failed to show the newspaper acted with actual malice when it published three articles about Binance's termination of internal compliance investigations.

E&E News. Journalists urge National Park Service (NPS) to ditch ban on reporting deaths in national parks

The National Park Service issued new guidance limiting park communications with news organizations.

Guardian. “Outrageous” handcuffing of New Orleans journalist sends “chilling message,” says media group

Danny Monteverde had been protesting the closure of a courtroom during indictment of state attorney general.

Calgary Journal. Mount Royal University journalism wins international recognition

Heather Johnston’s magazine piece about psychedelic-assisted therapy takes second prize in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Student Magazine Contest.

Arizona State University. Cronkite School expands offerings to help students succeed in evolving world of communication

The profession of journalism has evolved dramatically since Walter Cronkite sat behind his anchor desk at CBS. News outlets have changed over the decades for a variety of reasons, including shifts in news delivery and advertising models.

The National Press Club. The Pudding journalists awarded 2026 Pamela Tobey Award for Excellence in Visual Storytelling

The winning project, “Sizing Chaos,” was reported and produced by Amanda Sakuma and Jan Diehm. Judges commended the team for its powerful execution, creativity in presenting in-depth data, the user experience, and strong research.

Guardian. Trump sued over $100,000-a-month early-access offer to Truth Social posts

The suit alleges subscription offers aimed to sell privileged access to information generated in the president's official capacity.

CNN. After Trump plane ruse, White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) presses White House on press pool safeguards

The WHCA has asked President Donald Trump’s administration to “work with us on a protocol for handling extraordinary security circumstances in the future,” now that his secret plane switch last month has been revealed by leaks to news organizations.

MIT Technology Review. How the “censorship-industrial complex” is changing the Internet and US policy

Senior reporter Eileen Guo has been following an idea that moved from the fringes of the right-wing Internet to drive Trump policy.

Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. From patron to persecutor: The evolution of the US government’s role in disinformation research

Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, including legal filings and decisions, executive orders, congressional hearings and testimony, news releases, agency decisions, and government reports, this article documents the ongoing governmental assault on disinformation research.

Ukrainian News. Russia announces capture of non-existent Ukrainian village

The Russian Ministry of Defense is spreading a fake story about the capture of the village of Shcherbakivka in the Kharkiv region. The settlement was liquidated in 1997 due to the absence of residents.

The Mountaineer. Intelligence operation labeled top GOP leaders Russian disinformation “conduits”

GOP figures labeled after pushing for investigations into the Biden family.

The Economic Times. Singapore removes hundreds of fake government websites after impersonation campaign

The incident highlights the ease with which official branding can be copied online and the importance of rapid detection, public vigilance and domain verification.

The Intercept. “Total whitewash”: New Pentagon report claims US killed no civilians in boat strikes

Government officials told The Intercept the War Department’s latest civilian casualty report was “sickening” and a “joke.”

Reuters. Russia exploits Poland-Ukraine dispute to step up disinformation campaign, officials and experts say

Campaign plays on tensions over World War II massacres, experts say. Polish officials say Russian-linked messaging surged. Moscow denies interfering in Polish-Ukrainian relations.

NYT. Richard Lingeman, cultural historian and biographer, dies at 95

He spent decades as a magazine editor and wrote an acclaimed history of small-town America, as well as biographies of the novelists Theodore Dreiser and Sinclair Lewis.

NJ.com. Longtime NJ sports reporter Greg Tufaro dies at age 59

A lifelong Edison resident and graduate of St. Joseph High School in Metuchen and Rutgers University, Tufaro spent nearly 30 years in journalism working for the Home News Tribune in East Brunswick and the USA Today Network New Jersey.

Rolling Stone. Dave Marsh, legendary rock biographer and critic, dead at 76

Pioneering Creem and Rolling Stone journalist wrote essential biographies on the Who and Bruce Springsteen.

SF Gate. Researchers, advocates rail against government's efforts to end workforce data collection

Civil rights groups and researchers at a public hearing called on a federal agency to continue its annual collection of workplace demographic data, arguing that a proposal to end the practice will undermine efforts to fight discrimination.

The Washington Post. Scientists say US will suffer if White House bars research with China

A proposed Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rule will ban all research funding for US science collaboration with China, which has surpassed the US as the world’s top investor and producer of science and engineering research and development.

Guardian. Trump administration finalizes rule to end federal support for gender-affirming care

Move blocking funds through Medicaid and Chip to make it harder for vulnerable children to get healthcare, experts say.

Nature. NIH limits funding for research on the health effects of public policy

According to internal NIH documents, policymakers (who make health-impacting decisions on Americans’ access to abortion, clean air, firearms etc.) are not “in scope” of NIH research. Restricting federal funding to policy-focused research “risks safety and effectiveness,” one scientist told Nature. 

Inside Higher Ed. Concerns Remain Over ED’s Plan to Spend Expiring Institute of Educational Science (IES) Dollars

The Department of Education says it will spend the $316 million in research funds that it has failed to obligate for fiscal year 2025, but education advocates suing the Department and the OMB argue that the new spending plan “lacks clear detail about where funds are going,” and is short by $10 million. 

TPM. A New Draft Rule for the Census Seeks Sweeping Changes to How Political Power Is Allocated

Talking Points Memo’s (TPM) analysis of proposed changes to the Census concludes that, by no longer counting undocumented immigrants and halting race and ethnicity data collection, the Trump administration would “diminish blue states’ representation in Congress,” and make it harder to enforce voting rights.

Forbes. NIH Proposes Big Change In How Grant Applications Evaluated

The NIH has proposed to stop sharing the scores assigned to grant applications by their peers, instead sorting applications into vague categories like “Competitive,” and “Not discussed."  This adds a layer of opacity to a grant review process that is becoming more influenced by political appointees.

Seattle Times. Trump administration denies nuclear safety watchdog crucial access

The Department of Energy is preventing the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board–“the nation’s only independent safety agency for work on nuclear weapons”–from fulfilling its duty to oversee nuclear weapons sites by denying access to records and meetings, and refusing to approve the safety board’s reports. 

Grist. The EPA's data on cancer risk from air pollution has gone dark

The Environmental Protection Agency left cancer risk estimates out of its latest air pollution data.

Neiman Lab. The Society of Professional Journalists proposes edits to its code of ethics for the AI age

The committee also highlighted the “dramatic rise” in the use of generative AI in newsrooms, citing a study that found 56% of journalists now use AI tools at least weekly.

Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. Donations are becoming a lifeline for local newspapers, but not without tension

Some for-profit newsroom leaders believe reader support is a chance to keep pace with rising costs while keeping their publications available to the public.

NYT. Forbes fired top editor after discovering he received secret $6 million payment

Randall Lane, the magazine’s chief content officer, received the money from the founder of Shook Research, which has worked with Forbes on content about wealth advisers.

Investing Live. Apple in talks to pay publishers for content to power AI Siri, WSJ says

Apple is in talks with publishers over multiyear content deals to power its AI-driven Siri overhaul, the Wall Street Journal reported. The company has proposed a variable, pay-as-used model with a possible nine-figure budget.

CJR. Axios wants to save local news with AI

“At the end of the day, if someone’s going to pay you for content, you say: Well, how much are you going to pay me?” Jim VandeHei, the chief executive, said of his company’s deal with OpenAI. “If that payment feels like it’s a fair transaction price, you say yes.”

Stockholm Center for Freedom. Turkey investigates veteran journalist for allegedly insulting Erdoğan

Turkish prosecutors have opened an investigation into veteran journalist Ertuğrul Özkök over remarks authorities say may have insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during an online political discussion, the Bold Medya news website reported.

Guardian. Judge signals Trump’s defamation lawsuit against Wall Street Journal may be dismissed again

The Obama-appointed judge seemed unmoved by Trump attorneys’ arguments in the case also naming Murdoch.

MPR News. Don Lemon, Georgia Fort seek dismissal of charges tied to St. Paul church protest

One of Lemon’s motions argues that the prosecution is vindictive and resulted from President Donald Trump’s repeated public criticism of him.

Deadline. Judge clarifies that reporter doesn’t have to pay $800-per-day contempt fines as she pursues Supreme Court appeal

The judge, Christopher Cooper, had imposed the fine. She had been found in civil contempt after she declined to reveal the source for her 2017 Fox News stories that reported on a federal investigation of Yanping Chen, a naturalized U.S. citizen who founded the University of Management and Technology in Virginia.

ProPublica. ProPublica hires four reporters to expand Washington and national security coverage

ProPublica has hired four reporters — Cate Brown, Aaron Davis, Joel Schectman and Byron Tau — to join the Washington bureau. The team, led by Assistant Managing Editor Peter Finn, will pursue accountability journalism focused on national security issues and the financial and other interests driving foreign and military policies.

E&P. Center for Investigative Reporting announces partnership with The Bell Project

Will serve as fiscal sponsor for organization archiving allegations of law enforcement-involved torture.

E&P. The Tassadduk and Anneliese Moghul Charitable Fund will help support public radio programming at WVIA

This funding is crucial as it comes at a time when the current administration has zeroed out funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a major source of revenue for public media.

E&P. With new gifts, the Center for Integrity in News Reporting (CFINR) expands state journalism awards to Iowa and Ohio

The center's state press association awards now cover 22 states.

Guardian. Pakistani authorities ban international media from reporting in most of country

Rules were brought in soon after the killing of dozens of protesters, news of which was reported only by overseas outlets.

CPJ. How subpoenas against journalists threaten press freedom

Journalists rely on confidential sources to uncover information that governments, corporations, and powerful individuals often want to keep hidden. When authorities subpoena journalists in attempts to compel them to reveal their reporting sources, they undermine one of the core functions of a free press in a democracy.

Guardian. Pauline Hanson has knocked another brick out of our creaky political system. It’s not good for anybody

By deciding who gets to ask questions and who is barred, the One Nation leader is upending the democratic role that journalists are supposed to occupy.

Science Literacy Project. Wikipedia has assembled an informative list of fake news websites from across the ideological spectrum

Fake news sites deliberately publish hoaxes and disinformation to drive web traffic inflamed by social media. These sites are distinguished from news satire (which is usually intended to be humorous) as they mislead and sometimes profit from readers’ gullibility.

Guardian. Google Earth’s potential disinformation nightmare

A new feature briefly allowed Google Earth users to overlay AI-generated images on locations of their choosing.

Reuters. Russia steps up disinformation before German elections, security sources say

Russian-backed disinformation campaigns are escalating in Germany ahead of state elections, ‌often targeting local political rivals of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, German security sources said.

Le Monde. Russian disinformation campaign targets French presidential candidate Gabriel Attal

A separate Russian-linked propaganda network has also recently targeted two other presidential candidates, Edouard Philippe and Raphaël Glucksmann, according to French authorities.

Barrons. How online disinformation fuelled Ceuta Migrant surge

An online campaign that generated 11 million views from early July fuelled the surge, according to a report published by Chema Gil, a security and intelligence analyst at the University of Murcia.

DW. Hundreds of fake posts targeting German elections

German security authorities are monitoring Russian attempts to influence regional elections in September. 

The Straits Times. EU tells Meta, TikTok to boost monitoring, fact-checking

A wave of social media disinformation is believed to have played a large part in the deadly rush of tens of thousands of men, women and children into Spain’s north African territory, after a rumour that the Ceuta border was open spread on social media.

Toronto Star. Longtime Canadian journalist Lloyd Robertson dies at 92

Lloyd Robertson, former chief anchor at CTV, covered events from royal weddings to the 9/11 terrorist attacks during a career in broadcast spanning over six decades.

Amsterdam News. Florence “Flo” Anthony, longtime AmNews columnist, trailblazing celebrity journalist dies at 74

Her weekly “Go With The Flo” column became a fixture in The New York Amsterdam News dating back to 2001, as well as in publications including the Philadelphia Sunday Sun and the Columbus Times. She also contributed entertainment news to the New York Daily News, served as publisher and editor-in-chief of Black Noir magazine, and acted as editor-in-chief of Black Elegance magazine.

NYT. Appeals Court says EPA cannot block billions in climate grants

The funds have been frozen since early in President Trump’s second term.

Guardian. Meet the army of amateur archivists racing to save US history in national parks

Save Our Signs aims to document every sign in the more than 400 national parks and historic sites across the country before the Trump administration removes them. According the Guardian, the Save Our Signs archive now contains over 17,000 images, including “before” and “after” photos of park signs that have been altered.

Stat News. NIH plans to block international researchers on visas from accessing key funding avenue

“Pathways to Independence” awards are historically one of the few options available to non-US citizens.

MedPage Today. Trump's gain-of-function policy may suppress key pandemic research

Fearing funding cuts, institutions may avoid critical projects, experts say.

Science. NIH Director Bhattacharya kills more health disparities grants

Now that the Trump administration has laid the groundwork to revoke funding for research projects that are not “in alignment with its priorities,” Science argues that a few recent grant cancellations signal a coming wave of de-funding.

Wired. Census Proposal Would Stop Counting Undocumented Immigrants—and Ignore Race and Sexual Orientation

The proposed rule from the Department of Commerce states that, “illegal aliens (among others) should not be included in the apportionment count, they are not true inhabitants, members of the body politics [sic], or persons with ‘usual residence’ in the United States,” setting a chilling precedent for targeting populations the administration doesn’t consider to be “true inhabitants.”

Forbes. Education’s McMahon Asks All U.S. Colleges For Trump-Approved Reform Commitments By Year’s End

While less strict than the Trump administration’s previous demands for academic institutions, McMahon’s letter appears to target affirmative action programs, student protest movements, and the entire field of humanities studies. The letter also demands that university leaders “ensure that the research enterprise is oriented toward advancing the U.S. national interest,” emphasizing support for the military and economic growth.

Deadline. Ari Emanuel has a plan to quell fears about “Larry Ellison controlling CNN & CBS”

In the wake of Paramount CEO Ellison breaking his long-held public silence on the suit in a punchy New York Times op-ed, the outspoken TKO Group boss recommended an “editorial board” be put in place to run CNN.

E&P. CherryRoad revives 135-year-old community newspaper

The Examiner will publish three days a week, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Kentucky Lantern. When the last reporter leaves: Kentucky’s spreading news desert

A 2025 landscape study commissioned by the Appalachia Funders Network found that where the average American county has 2.5 news outlets, rural Central Appalachian counties have 1.2. Ninety-three of the region’s 249 counties do not have so much as one full-time-equivalent local journalist working inside them, and of the 60 counties in the Appalachian Regional Commission’s original Central Appalachia, 39 have less than one.

Deadline. FCC removes key limit on media ownership, raising potential for major consolidation of broadcast TV stations

The FCC’s 2-1 vote was to repeal a restriction that limits companies from owning stations reaching more than 39% of TV households. But it faces a potential court challenge, amid warnings that only Congress has the authority to remove the restriction.

AP. Azerbaijan court convicts 9 journalists and activists in a case seen as an attack on media freedom

Toplum online TV founder and director Alasgar Mammadli was sentenced to 14 years in prison by the court in the capital of Baku. It gave 15-year prison terms to activists Akif Gurbanov and Ruslan Izzetli, who co-founded the outlet. Other journalists and activists associated with Toplum TV received sentences ranging from 12 to 14 years.

The Intercept. House investigation of BreakThrough News Is an attack on all journalism

Favorable coverage of U.S. adversaries is constitutionally protected speech.

Bianet. Pro-government TV pundit Cem Küçük detained for “spreading disinformation” and “blackmail”

Küçük is reportedly accused of sharing social media posts about businesspeople for financial gain.

The Nation. Universities say they value a free press. Student journalists tell a different story.

The student press is facing a growing wave of censorship and institutional obstruction.

CNN. Trump’s FCC targeted ABC. Viewers rushed to its defense.

The eight local ABC television stations targeted by President Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission have generated a staggering amount of public support in recent weeks.

Rebuild Local News. Vermont governor becomes first to sign executive order prioritizing local news in state advertising

A pragmatic step from Republican leadership that strengthens local news, builds bipartisan momentum and advances a growing national movement in government advertising

WEKU. WEKU, partners launch Appalachian News Exchange, expanding coverage of Eastern KY

The collaborative seeks to expand free, public service and investigative journalism to Appalachian Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.

UNESCO. To protect the planet, we need to protect journalism: UNESCO World Trends Report

UNESCO's latest World Trends Report in Freedom of Expression and Media Development was featured at two of the leading journalism events this year, underscoring the vital role of independent journalism and information integrity in tackling the climate crisis.

Temple Now. Temple journalism alum earns a Pulitzer in the pursuit of the truth

Temple journalism graduate Julie K. Brown is honored with a Pulitzer Special Citation for investigative reporting involving the Jeffrey Epstein case.

E&P. Massachusetts legislature takes steps to adopt shield law protecting journalists

The Massachusetts Senate unanimously adopted language that would create a shield law to help shield journalists from being forced to reveal confidential sources. Massachusetts is one of nine states that currently lacks a shield law.

Boston Herald. Senate unanimously passes amendment to protect journalists’ sources

The legislation would prohibit state and federal government bodies from compelling journalists to reveal their sources.

The Independent. GOP senator signals to Capitol Police that reporter who asked him about Mitch McConnell’s health should go thru security

TMZ's Charlie Cotton was following Nebraska Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts while looking for answers about the 84 year-old from Kentucky, who has been hospitalized since June 14.

NYT. Justice Dept. subpoenas NY Times freelancer in effort to identify sources

A previously undisclosed subpoena, involving reporting on a failed SEAL Team 6 mission in North Korea, reflects the government’s expanding campaign to investigate leaks.

Sierra Club. Trump and Republicans peddle false claims about wildfires

Republican politicians, including President Donald Trump, accused Canada of “willful negligence” and forest mismanagement while threatening to impose sanctions or tariffs on the Canadian government.

Poynter. South Korea wrote a fact-checking code into law. Korean fact-checkers are wary.

The law took effect July 7 and could make IFCN-accredited fact-checkers eligible for government funding.

Nieman Lab. AI authentication tools are built without adequate journalist input, new report finds

The Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) published a report offering insight into the “fight for facts in the AI age.” 

France 24. France threatens to expel Russian journalist Fedorova over alleged Kremlin propaganda

France has ordered Russian journalist Xenia Fedorova to leave the country, the interior ministry said, amid accusations that she spread Kremlin propaganda on French television and radio. Fedorova's lawyer said she would “immediately lodge an appeal,” while her employers condemned the order as a “particularly serious breach of freedom of expression.”

Polish Radio. Russian-fueled disinformation blames Ukraine, Polish government after airspace breach

Claims blaming Ukraine and Poland's government spread online after an unidentified object entered Polish airspace early on Thursday, a state cybersecurity expert said.

The Independent. Journalist Rod Liddle dies at 66

The veteran journalist worked in the media industry for decades, where he started his career at the South Wales Echo. During his extensive career, he wrote for The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The Spectator and The Sun and hosted his own Times Radio show.

Guardian. Vicki Wickham dies at 87

Journalist, producer, talent manager, and driving force behind the 1960s pop music TV show Ready Steady Go!

Stat News. Visa time limits on foreign Ph.D. students and postdocs will harm U.S. science, experts warn

The new rule would require Homeland Security approval for stays longer than four years.

CBS News. Trump administration has quietly throttled an agency devoted to the safety of American healthcare

The Trump administration has effectively shut down most of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's activities, closing the spigot on federal funding estimated to have saved thousands of lives and billions of dollars over the past 27 years by improving medical practice.

Politico. Senate finalizes funding patch that would block Trump’s grant overhaul

Language is included to delay the president’s move to put political appointees in charge of grant approval.

Stat News. Syphilis spreads while researchers contend with federal constraints and a drug shortage

“NIH restrictions on foreign research collaborations have complicated the team’s infectious disease monitoring, and a shortage of intramuscular penicillin makes full treatment for these patients less certain.”

Gov. Executive. Staffing cuts are leaving federal statistical agencies stretched thin

According to a report from the American Statistical Association, all of the 13 federal statistical agencies have been impacted by staffing cuts. The National Agricultural Statistics Service and the National Center for Education Statistics (which lost roughly 96% of its employees last year) have been hit particularly hard.

MedPage. NIH Funding Flows Slowly to Cancer Centers

In an Association of American Cancer Institutes survey of its members, 86% of cancer centers reported a delay in NIH grants. The funding uncertainty is being linked to fewer jobs, and less opportunities for “an entire generation of researchers.”

Reuters. US farm agency staff warn trade, research, aid programs at risk from reorganization

Morale at the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is plummeting as staff, already managing a heavier workload due to last year's departures, face unemployment if they can't uproot their lives said one employee.

C&EN. White House bans agencies from funding some research on pathogens

A new policy prevents the federal government and private organizations in the US from funding “dangerous gain-of-function” research (DGOF). The policy follows the White House’s push of the “Lab Leak” origin theory of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the conspiracy narrative that government scientists knowingly funded, and then covered-up, DGOF research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.