Illumination Blog

Innovation and traction in the news space

The Week of March 10, 2025

NiemanLab. New subscription service benefits journalists
A subscription platform for journalists to share their own original reporting with a paying audience in a scrolling, social-media-like format. Noosphere launched last week in the United States with 15 independent journalists on the platform, including Ferguson and her co-founder Sebastian Walker. - ab

Axios. Beehiiv launches multi-million dollar journalism fund
Journalists get a health stipend and access to insurance partners, pre-publication legal and professional liability insurance. - gjw

NiemanLab. Inside a network of AI-generated newsletters targeting “small town America”
Good Day Fort Collins is just one in a network of AI-generated newsletters operating in 355 cities and towns across the U.S. Not only do these hundreds of newsletters share the same exact seven testimonials, they also share the same branding, the same copy on their about pages, and the same stated mission: “to make local news more accessible and highlight extraordinary people in our community.” - ab

WNET. Public Television calls press integrity an essential ingredient of good citizenry
The PBS website describes ways in which a trustworthy press can help citizens distinguish between reliable reporting and disinformation campaigns. News organizations, as public opinion influencers, have especially compelling obligations to guide readers and viewers to the truth when so much information is now available to them. - dg

The Week of February 24, 2025

Freedom Forum. Where America Stands: report on First Amendment
Most Americans are concerned about the First Amendment in the 2024 election, with divided views on free speech, religion, misinformation, and campus protests. - jy
Freedom Forum. A celebration of student journalism
Programs like Scholastic Journalism Week and the Free Spirit Conference inspire and train future journalists. - jy
ABC News. Journalist, American among 3 prisoners freed from Belarus
Belarus released journalist Andrei Kuznechyk, an unnamed American citizen, and others in a prisoner release, with U.S. and Lithuanian support playing a role in the negotiations. - jy

The Week of February 11, 2025

CJR. In a Volatile Mix of AI and Labor Rights, Journalists at ABC Secure a Win

ABC News journalists approve a contract with protections against AI-related job losses and management transparency requirements. - jy

Idaho Capital Sun. Idaho Legislature introduces bill to protect confidential sources for journalists

A new bill introduced in the Idaho Legislature aims to establish a media shield law to protect journalists and their confidential sources from being compelled to disclose information in legal proceedings. - jy

JOE. A brilliant new journalism thriller movie is available to watch now

September 5 is a thriller about the ABC Sports crew covering the 1972 Munich hostage crisis, showcasing the rise of 24-hour news. - jy

The Week of February 4, 2025

International Women’s Media Foundation. Home page and resources

There are a variety of opportunities, fellowships, internships, employment programs, and the like on this site. - dg

MVJ. Home page and resources

A worldwide center that promotes research on press pluralism and evaluates rules and standards and provides knowledge resources for journalists. The center is funded by the European Union. - dg

ASJA. Member success stories

Author Susan Shapiro writes: “I revised my book to make it revolve more about the piece that Salon took, changed the subtitle, hired a ghost editor to help me vamp up the proposal, pitched editors myself. Though an editor at Skyhorse Publishing rejected the book, I saw that editor left. Since I’d worked with them before I emailed the ASJA wining piece and a few other excerpts to the editor-in-chief who I knew from last time, along with some great advance blurbs. He said yes — in a two-book deal.” - dg

iPolitics. One quarter of Canadian online traffic vulnerable to NSA sweeps

Canadians, beware! A great deal of internet traffic originating in Canada passes through the nosey technology and spies of the U.S. National Security Agency. Don’t say you weren’t warned - dg

FIRE. Home page and resources

Established in 1999 as the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), the organization is a watchdog for suppression of news. FIRE has become the nation’s leading defender of fundamental rights on college campuses through a mix of programming, including student and faculty outreach, public education campaigns, individual case advocacy, and policy reform efforts. After successfully giving it the ol’ college try, in 2022 FIRE announced an expansion initiative into off-campus free speech advocacy and legal defense. America’s leading defender of free speech, due process, and academic freedom in higher education is expanding its free speech mission beyond campus. The $75 million expansion initiative will focus on three main areas of programming: litigation, public education, and research. - dg

The Week of January 28, 2025

Editor and Publisher. MacArthur announces more than $6 million in support of climate journalism

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced January 28 it will award grants totaling $6 million to 15 journalism organizations to support initiatives in the field of climate journalism. The MacArthur Foundation has provided grants for the past decade to support local environmental journalism and newsroom collaborations, and the new grants to 15 journalism institutions will include reporting on clean-energy initiatives and growing economic opportunities in the field. - dg

19th. The 19th turns five: Half a decade of critical journalism and a bold vision for the future

The 19th celebrates its fifth anniversary with significant growth, including a national impact in journalism and $70 million raised to support its mission of empowering women and LGBTQ+ communities. To ensure long-term sustainability, the organization has launched a $20 million funding campaign, starting with a $2 million leadership gift establishing the Ronya Kozmetsky Legacy Fund for Representative Journalism. - jy