Adam Lashinsky

A Bloomberg reporter was fired for breaking an embargo. It’s a nightmare that fuels paranoia whenever someone is working with sensitive information. What if a reporter, despite promising, file a story earlier than planned? I think what’s happened here – a dangerous, very unfortunate action that could have jeopardised an international prisoner exchange – shows us why we don’t have to worry too much. By far the most common reason to give reporters access to information early is so that they have additional time to plan and report a story. We want to make sure they have the ability to put the news in context, hopefully by speaking to someone and adding more context. Time is also a consideration – the ability to release the story at the soonest possible moment. Even though the news hopefully will be covered by others, you desperately, in this world of thousands of sites and accounts, want people to hear it there first. All of this is understandable and, at some level, benefits everyone. What doesn’t is breaking that agreement. I’ve never had a journalist knowingly break an embargo. And a couple of times, something has gone up quicker than expected, it’s usually been because there’s been confusion over a changing embargo time. (Note: don’t do this.) Moreover the vast majority of pieces of news are interesting to a specialist audience. They are noteworthy, yes, but there’s no massive fame and fortune to be made by leaking. On the contrary, the consequences of being iced out of future deals – and potentially even facing legal action are far more dire. Even in the Bloomberg case, there’s been an impassioned response from the reporter in question about how she never, ever would maliciously break a pre-agreed break time. It seems that what happened – while not acceptable – was somewhere in the process of writing and editing. So breathe easy, and let people with trusted relationships have time to review and report on forthcoming stories.

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The Taiwanese model of rebutting fake news and creating counter-narratives is in direct contrast to a more authoritarian response that involves censorship and takedown of content in India. Second, the way in which the response evolved in Taiwan was bottom-up, with a citizen and civil society campaign being adopted and further empowered by the government. These concerted efforts can work only in an environment of high levels of public trust. Moreover, by involving more people it only further reinforces that trust. Amber Sinha via Tech Policy Press https://lnkd.in/ganVMq2Z

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The Wall Street Journal editor Paul Beckett’s account in the Columbia Journalism Review of how the Journal mobilized to free Evan Gershkovich after 16th months as a prisoner in Russia is a tour de force and “a free press triumph” and well worth the read. Some excerpts: A phone call to a senior government official who knows this terrain provided the answer: “There are times to be quiet and there are times to be loud—and this is a time to be loud.” “Yet on days like August 1 (when he was freed), the values that underpin democracy and are the foundation of a free press triumph.” “Few countries that are not democracies could point to such care for their ordinary citizens abroad, let alone noncitizens imprisoned for their political beliefs.” “news organizations must continue to assess and calibrate the risks their reporters face when operating in dangerous terrain. Perhaps they need to make more hard-nosed choices on whether it is necessary to deploy in person to countries that target journalists or whether that terrain can effectively be covered from outside, given advances in technology and communications.” “And they could ensure that press freedom around the world—an issue so fundamental to their existence that it is often taken for granted—is a subject they cover as if their livelihoods and their liberty depended on it.” https://lnkd.in/etZTVCeB

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New review by Zachary Shore of Andrew J. Bacevich's _On Shedding an Obsolete Past: Bidding Farewell to the American Century_. https://lnkd.in/dkEcDV67 "If you ever worry that America is being run by a bumbling mass of venal nincompoops, or fret that American society is slouching toward self-destruction, Andrew Bacevich’s collected essays will provide ample fodder for your fears. _On Shedding an Obsolete Past: Bidding Farewell to the American Century_ is not a work of scholarship, but rather a compilation of learned opinions. Bacevich peppers his pieces with a sprinkle of sarcasm and a dash of venomous invective, pulling no punches, barbs, or jibes as he excoriates the United States’ institutions, most notably its military, media, and political elites. Unfortunately, he has no shortage of material, and not just regarding President Donald Trump, a 'bozo of such monumental proportions as to tax the abilities of our most talented satirists' (129). Bacevich himself might qualify for membership in that club of humorists. When discussing the efforts to impeach the former president, he quips that replacing Trump with Vice President Mike Pence is 'the equivalent of exchanging Groucho for Harpo' (304). But Trump is just the lowest hanging fruit. The author reaches much deeper. Bacevich’s primary concern is with the eight-decade-old paradigm of America as the 'indispensable nation,' a notion he views as dangerously obsolete. As he sees it, a self-reproducing cadre of foreign policy gurus, sometimes called 'the Blob,' has convinced itself that US military dominance and overseas meddling are requirements of a stable world order, one that largely benefits the US. Although this notion does nothing to aid average Americans, it preserves the status of the establishment."

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California governor Gavin Newsom had a chance to make history by signing into law America’s first substantive AI safety act. Instead he's sided with Big Tech who said SB 1047 would stifle innovation, and has vetoed it. Here I explain his reasons, what the bill's author thinks, and what happens now: https://lnkd.in/eS2yYqQ8 If you're interested in the latest developments in generative AI, their impacts on human-made media, the ethics and behaviour of the AIs and calls to protect creators' rights then please subscribe: https://lnkd.in/exZ7d5di

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First interview in our three part series on how generative AI is impacting media. This was a great conversation on how to do something to solve a problem

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More good digital journalism thoughts via Nieman Journalism Lab, this time from Gina Chua How can we mitigate the affects of AI? She says: True exclusive information — scoops — will be critical.  Smart, unique insights will be hard to replicate.  Voice and personality can attract and retain readers. In-person events can't be carried out by chatbots. Never forget the importance of deep engagement with, and knowledge of, the community you serve https://lnkd.in/eQANtnWy

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While not as clear-cut as roads, clean water, and air, the democratic value to society of public interest journalism is, in my book and many others, a public good, writes Daily Maverick's Styli C.. "The recent tsunami of bad news about the news has raised an interesting question. Are we seeing the effects of a market failure playing out, or are we seeing the death of an industry that failed to innovate and keep up with the times?" #journalism #publicinterest #news #publishing

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The topic of corrections comes up a lot in comms. There’s some new research on this that is kind of interesting. Here is an excerpt from an article summarizing the findings: “…people generally trust journalists when they confirm claims to be true but are more distrusting when journalists correct false claims. Some linguistics and social science theories suggest that people intuitively understand social expectations not to be negative. Being disagreeable, like when pointing out someone else’s lie or error, carries with it a risk of backlash. We reasoned that it follows that corrections are held to a different, more critical standard than confirmations. Attempts to debunk can trigger doubts about journalists’ honesty and motives. In other words, if you’re providing a correction, you’re being a bit of a spoilsport, and that could negatively affect how you are viewed.” #mediarelations #psychology #sociology #PR

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After many years in the biz, I can attest everything here is true. Journalism is much more than a career. It's a noble profession and a contact sport that isn't for the faint of heart. And remember that news doesn't happen in newsrooms so get out of the office as much as possible! #journalism #reporters Southern California News Group https://lnkd.in/gzcY4tu5

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SEEKING YOUR NEXT BOOK CLUB OR READING GROUP TITLE? Is your group interested in discussing and analyzing historical themes and events as part of a broader exploration of literature and non-fiction? If so, this book To Tell the Truth: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent by Lewis M. Simons is likely your next read that fosters good discussion. https://lnkd.in/eNWhUbbn

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AI is the dominating idea of the present era

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The overall thrust of this article--waning influence of legacy media--is not new, but it's an interesting read in the context of Trump's election victory. https://lnkd.in/gX3nQV6k

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