Max Willens

This Gallup piece is interesting. On the one hand, it's disheartening, though not surprising, to see such a partisan gap in trust in media. Has anyone studied why this is? Can (should?) anything be done about this? On a perhaps separate note, it's encouraging is to see how Rs and Ds both seem to have a lot of trust in local government: https://lnkd.in/gKdePu-M. Maybe if you see government in action, you trust it. Would something similar be true for journalism? Genuine questions.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SWIFT IMPACT: POP SUPERSTAR'S ENDORSEMENT MAY BACKFIRE, SAYS LEADING U.S. MEDIA EXPERT Michael Levine Cites Poll Showing Taylor Swift's Support for Harris-Walz Ticket Turning More Voters Away Than It Attracts According to leading U.S. media expert and best-selling author Michael Levine, Taylor Swift's recent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz might not be the vote-swaying move some expected. It could be driving more voters away than pulling them in. A new YouGov post-debate poll released on Saturday reveals that while 8% of voters said Swift's endorsement makes them "somewhat" or "much more likely" to vote for Harris and Walz, a staggering 20% said they are "somewhat" or "much less likely" to vote for the Democratic ticket now that Swift has thrown her weight behind it. A majority of 66% reported that Swift's endorsement will not influence their vote in November. Swift, a Grammy-winning artist with a massive social media following of 283 million, clarified her position shortly after the recent debate, stating, "I've done my research, and I've made my choice," in an Instagram post. Levine, renowned for his media and public influence expertise, suggests this polling data reflects a growing backlash against celebrity involvement in politics. "It's a fascinating example of how public figures may be miscalculating the influence they wield," Levine said. "While Swift's voice carries weight in popular culture, political endorsements may be an entirely different beast—one that could alienate more voters than it engages." As the 2024 election intensifies, this celebrity endorsement raises fresh questions about the power of star influence on American politics. https://lnkd.in/gM38yqZD #taylorswift #2024election #careeradvice #selfgrowth #motivationalcoach #businesscoach #personalcoach #michaellevineconsulting #michaellevine #whatisyourwhy #losangeles #wisdom

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For this podcast, the Confident Retirement, there's a twist: I was the one interviewed, not the one asking the questions. (I like it better the other way - but that was fun - thanks for inviting me on, Kristopher Flammang CRPC®AIF®BFA®) Oh - and I'm not retiring :) Some of the things we talked about: * My early journalism career change to being a juvenile probation office for three years; • Why and how the Business Observer has made a transtions to #digitalfirst — and why we keep the focus on that; and • The lessons I've learned from interviewing hundreds of entrepreneurs ands business owners Take a listen!

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Ok so really this is just about everyone wanting to be Bloomberg News And why not? High-quality journalism-led by the print side Niche but large target audience Also has its own billionaire exec convening execs But recreating all of that isn’t really feasible Yet you still want to be part of the news game Bezos (of The Washington Post fame) certainly does So, what is the opportunity if you’re maybe not so bullish on WaPo? Well, mass appeal broadcast TV – especially news – is on the decline And getting folks to a new platform for streaming news (aka CNN+) is too difficult So why not just have them watch it on a platform they already have Like Amazon Prime? Which will potentially be ‘testing the waters' with special election night coverage With Brian Williams who will lead a ‘non-partisan’ discussion of it Will people watch? Eh Regular folks have said for ‘eons’ that they have wanted TV political coverage to be Non-partisan Less sensational But that’s not reality especially at a time when boot-strapped, scrappy YouTube-based political creators are cutting into mainstream tv broadcast political audiences You can certainly be corporate but there must be an edge to the coverage So, the clips can also go viral on social media And folks tune in If I was Amazon Prime, and wanted to build a streaming news commentary service in the future, I would act almost like I was in pro wrestling and try to recruit talent from the ‘Independents’ aka large YouTube channels with dedicated followers, etc., to anchor coverage / programmatic aspects And leave some distance from the main company brand, some elbow room for them to have their own biases I would just ensure that those biases are balanced against another anchor’s And ensure everyone is supported by a fleet of homegrown reporting talent Whose profiles you really invest in And if they go off one day to do their own thing and have their own real following for that? Good – in this day and age that means you’re probably winning 

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For crisis communications and media professionals: How do you navigate advising clients or upper management when they opt for crisis spin messaging over addressing the actual root cause of the crisis? 🤔 We've witnessed various scenarios where organizations either successfully managed this approach or faced challenges. From President Biden's health concerns to NYC Mayor Adam's scandals, and companies like Boeing, Meta, Nike, Tesla, Samsung, and the Secret Service-the importance of handling crises transparently cannot be overstated, especially if you want to maintain your credibility, brand, customers, clients and stakeholders.📰💼 #CrisisCommunications #MediaPros #PublicRelations #Transparency #CrisisManagement

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Leveraging its always-on social listening market intelligence platform, Endeavor Business Intelligence recently released a Topic Scorecard capturing perceptions of the BEAD high-speed internet program. The big takeaway: There’s still a lot of room to shape opinions and stake leadership claims. And potential bonus opportunities appear to be out there once more money starts to move. Hope you’ll take a look below. #internet #infrastructure #BEAD #highspeedinternet

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I've written thousands upon thousands of headlines in my #journalism and #media career, and helped brainstorm many more. One clear conclusion from the data and anecdotal evidence collected over the years: Clear, simple, straightforward headlines work best. New research, published today in the journal Science Advances, confirms this. Some 30,000 A/B tests by The Washington Post and by Upworthy, all analyzed by outside scientists, finds readers pay more attention to simple headlines that use common language, and they click on those more often than more complex headlines. Problem is, most #journalists and other #writers suck at headline writing, the research also revealed. Get the full story plus headline how-to advice in my latest Writer's Guide newsletter post: https://lnkd.in/gwaWGxgd

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AI-powered data analysis and visualization have in no small measure impacted the journalism profession by making the work less cumbersome for journalists working on data-driven reports. A tool like Google Pinpoint uses the best of AI and Search technology to help journalists easily go through large amounts of documents, audio files, and video. With Pinpoint’s latest feature, you’ll be able to quickly export structured data into Google Sheets. You’ll also learn how Pinpoint can help transcribe audio and video in multiple languages.

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As GenAI and LLMs change the way published content is consumed, publishers face questions as to how to shift their monetization structure. This article dives into how publishers can maximize value.

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You're probably already taking in a lot of information on how to cover this year's elections. These guides are aimed at helping you talk through that information with your news organization, and strategize or decide on how you'll navigate different scenarios long before they arise and leave you thinking, "I wish we'd talked about how we'd actually handle this." Our first two guides help you consider your coverage of misinformation and polling, and we've got more in the works! Let us know if there are other topics you'd like to see addressed.

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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 from me: The House Judiciary Committee has been intensifying an antitrust probe into the Global Alliance of Responsible Media and its members, which includes major advertisers, agencies, and platforms. The Committee alleges GARM's members have been colluding to defund conservative media. While the ad industry insiders I spoke to felt the allegations were without merit, they are concerned about the chilling effect the probe -- and its numerous document and interview requests -- could have on GARM's work around brand safety and online misinformation. Read more over at Business Insider #garm #brandsafety #advertising #gop https://lnkd.in/ePpYBcRa

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I've seen quite a few debates on this platform about journalists vs. PR professionals. Recently, I had the chance to chat with some PR colleagues, and we discussed our pain points, common goals, and ways we can collaborate better. Here are a few key takeaways: 🤝💬 1. **Realistic Deadlines** ⏳: PR pros often go through multiple approval cycles before they can send quotes or align calls with the right spokesperson. Giving them at least a week can help.      **Journo pain point**: Not all stories can wait. Some are breaking news or trending, requiring immediate attention.      **Solution**: PRs should stay updated with the news cycle and prepare their clients for potential queries. Phone calls with spokespersons against email interactions could save everyone time! 2. **Irrelevant Queries** 📞📧: Both PRs and journalists face this issue. Journalists get overwhelmed with calls and emails, while PRs sometimes don't keep us updated on their client movements.   **Solution**: PRs should send updated client lists regularly. Journalists can maintain updated profiles on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) to help PRs find them easily. This ensures better, more relevant communication. 3. **Challenging Clients** 🏢: Many spokespeople find talking to the media daunting due to the risk of misinterpretation.   **Journo pain point**: Building sources and getting timely inputs can be tough without direct corporate connections.   **Solution**: PRs should train their clients well and build trust with journalists. Remember, we are trained professionals who value your insights. Trust us to represent you accurately without needing to review drafts or telling other players who are participating in a story. By setting realistic expectations, maintaining clear communication, and building mutual trust, journalists and PR professionals can create a more effective and collaborative working environment. Let’s work together to achieve our common goals! 🌟✨ If you have more suggestions or are seeking solutions to certain queries, do let me know in comments :) #PR #Journalism #Collaboration #MediaRelations #CommunicationTips

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Communications best practices apply to IR, just as they do for all strategic communications. Learn more about IR website essentials in the in-depth guide from PR Newswire ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e9wW2QaH #IR #InvestorRelations #Comms

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I wrote a piece for Politico on major trends buffeting the media including artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and fighting disinformation in an age of dwindling resources. The conclusion is that founders, CEOs, politicians and others in the public eye now face an exponentially increasing threat of reputational damage. In today’s media landscape, a single negative review can quickly go viral, a poorly phrased statement can trigger a global backlash and an ill-judged joke can wreck careers. While the media world’s pace of change is dizzying, the words written by businessman Warren Buffett almost a decade ago have never been more relevant: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” Article here: https://lnkd.in/dtTNY4PU

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The Role of Trusted #Journalism Has Never Been More Critical – With the craziness of upcoming elections and recent revelations about culture in parts of media, it’s clear our industry isn’t always painting itself in glory, sometimes it feels far from it. From concerns about transparency to questions of integrity, bias, agenda, misrepresentation, or just straight-up garbage... the media landscape faces immense scrutiny and criticism. However, this isn’t a fight for journalists or those working in the #media industry. It’s a fight for all of us - for an informed, engaged and empowered public that can think critically, not be fooled and make well-rounded decisions. All of our industry must do better and rise above. Our society must demand better, as being informed is essential. I argue that there has never been a more crucial time to understand what is happening around us. I read some recent industry studies highlighting a major shift in news habits among younger audiences, with social media becoming a primary news source. In the UK, 71% of 16- to 24-year-olds rely on social media for news, with 47% of adults doing the same. Instagram (44%) and TikTok (29%) lead the pack. Think about that for a second... What a scary thought: without editorial checks, anyone can say anything and algorithms create echo chambers that reinforce beliefs. It’s no wonder divides are growing and real debate is taking a backseat. We’re making people dumber by prioritising clicks over truth. And many major media companies have been forced to follow suit in the name of staying "competitive"... adopting tabloid styles, click-baiting and chasing cheap eyeballs. As a result, getting to the trustworthy, in-depth reporting from their great journalists (of which they have many) has become challenging (almost impossible) amid all the noise and distraction. This dangerous cycle must be broken. #News should inform, enlighten and elevate conversation, not dumb it down or exploit impulses for clicks. We need to reclaim news’ essence, where facts matter and well-researched stories are valued. Now, more than ever, we must advocate, fund and support high-quality journalism. This means supporting (subscribing to) outlets committed to fact-checking, balanced reporting and genuinely informing their subscribers and readers. Decent #journalists should refuse to put up with demands to "dumb it down", stand up and be seen, be loud and proud. When news falls into click-driven traps, we should call it out and demand better. It’s up to all of us – for an informed, engaged and critically thinking society. I want my kids to grow up to be part of a WA that is well informed, values truth, critical thinking and meaningful conversation. I demand that from myself every day, I demand it from our team at Business News (and I'm so proud of how they take it so seriously) now I demand it from our industry - for all of us and for the generations to come. Would love to know what you all think...?

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Since X seems to be prioritizing engagement only those who pay for verified accounts and is an otherwise hellhole of right-wing bigotry, and since Meta is de-prioritizing political content, I'm trying something new tonight by writing in a live chat on my Substack newsletter, American Doom. We have a small but, I think, loyal following, so it will be interesting to see who shows up. You can subscribe to Doom below and join in.

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