Laura Washington: Journalism jobs may be in decline but local news still has a bright future
Journalists are filled with fear and loathing over the threats facing the Fourth Estate.
Money has corrupted national media icons and poisoned the waters for news consumers. Some, including the once-vaunted Washington Post, have bowed down to the illicit demands of President Donald Trump. '60 Minutes,' the once-hallowed CBS newsmagazine, appears to be kowtowing to Trump, who has sued the network for $10 billion, accusing it of 'unlawful and illegal behavior.'
Too many buy into Trump's claim that we are the arbiters of 'fake news.' Trump signed an executive order commanding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to 'cease federal funding for NPR and PBS.' On Truth Social, he labeled those public networks 'RADICAL LEFT 'MONSTERS' THAT SO BADLY HURT OUR COUNTRY!'
Legacy media operations are enduring debilitating buyouts, layoffs and shutdowns. The nation has lost more than one-third of its newspapers since 2005, with 130 newspapers closing in the most recent 12-month period, according to a 2024 study by Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University.
The current political climate has made journalists the boogeymen for all that is wrong with our nation. When Democracy is at its greatest threat, the media is at its weakest.
So, Chicago Women Take Action, a multigenerational activist group, convened a discussion with prominent media makers and communicators.
Last week's virtual program, 'Is the Press Still Free?' posed questions about the role of media in our democracy, the state of journalism, and swirling controversies about media ownership and coverage.The perils are nothing new, but there is hope for new solutions, Sylvia Ewing, vice president of journalism and media engagement at the Public Narrative, told Laurie Glenn, the moderator and president and CEO of Thinkinc.
'I'm here to say that we are at the best of times and the worst of times. … When we look at legacy media, things were not perfect. We always had bias, we always had point of view. We always had fewer Black women or people of color or women leading newsrooms, leading editorial shops. And what we see now, with the advent of the implementation of Project 2025, is frightening, but not insurmountable.'
Now, our imperfect media is suffering from massive losses in advertising revenue and intense competition from the digital explosion and AI. Under Trump's corrosive attacks, some are surrendering, Tracy Baim said. Baim is the founder of the Windy City Times, which reports on the LGBTQ community, and a former publisher of the Chicago Reader.
'I think the problem we've had with some of these national organs is they've never really had to face an administration trying to control them in the way that this one is. And we see how fast they cave because of their business interests. They want mergers. They want, you know, favorability,' Baim said.
She now serves as executive director of Press Forward Chicago, a pooled philanthropic fund housed at the Chicago Community Trust. The plan is to pour millions of dollars into revitalizing local, community-based, independent media organizations in the Chicago area.
'For me, all politics is local,' Baim said. 'All news is local. Everything bubbles up from there.' The water crisis in Flint, Michigan 'was a local story that bubbled up nationally. And then you look to how the trends are across the country with clean water. Well, that's what I believe in: strong local media.'
Fresh out of journalism school, I yearned to hone my craft at one of Chicago's big dailies. Instead, I spent much of my career at The Chicago Reporter, then one of only a handful of nonprofit news outlets in Chicago. Today, there are dozens. These small but mightily independent and award-winning news shops have popped up like tulips in spring.
They represent journalism's bright future. They include the Invisible Institute, which advocates for police and criminal justice reform, and won a Pulitzer Prize last year.
Borderless reports on thorny immigration issues. Chalkbeat is the go-to education watchdog. Block Club Chicago covers city neighborhoods on a micro level. The Investigative Project on Race and Equity deploys data to expose racist and economically unjust policies and practices.
Unlike the bad old days, many actually join forces to collaborate.
No city in the nation boasts as rich a media ecosystem as Chicago. Therein lies the hope. Journalists and media advocates like Ewing say they will 'expand our horizons of what it means to be in journalism and media.'
'How do we … curate and aggregate the existing voices that are reaching lots of people, and then also make sure that others are growing?' Baim asked. 'To me, I'm focused on the local but there are some national voices that are, are, kind of making it through the noise.'
What is happening to the media? Local and independent outlets are well positioned to drown out the noise of capitulation and amplify local, independent voices. Bring them on.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pfizer CEO details talks with Trump administration on tariffs, Most Favored Nations pricing
Pfizer (PFE) CEO Albert Bourla said Tuesday he has a "special relationship" with President Trump, cemented during the COVID-19 pandemic when the two were in regular contact to help speed up vaccine production. That relationship, he said, has created a direct line to discuss some of the headwinds the company faces out of Washington, D.C. In his second term, Trump is targeting the drug industry for high prices and overseas production — threatening tariffs as high as 250% on imported drugs. But Bourla told Yahoo Finance he believes Trump and other officials in D.C. are having productive conversations with industry leaders about tariffs and drug pricing. "I think [Trump] is educated, of course he doesn't go into the details, it's not his job, but he understands the dynamics [of the industry]," Bourla said. When asked about the tariff threat, Bourla shared his understanding from his ongoing discussions. "I don't want to speak for the president, but what he said today, which was very important also, was that it would be a very small tariff in the first couple of years. And then he opened the window for a grace period. Because I had this discussion with him and I had this discussion with multiple other members of the administration," Bourla said. Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet The industry is awaiting the results of an investigation by the administration into how those tariffs will be implemented — and Bourla said the devil will be in the details. Currently, more than 90% of prescriptions in the US are from generics, which are often the cheapest drug type. Branded drugs are often the most expensive and are largely produced in the US. But some early components of the manufacturing process, key chemicals known as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), are often made overseas in Europe or Asia. That will be important to understand when the final ruling for the tariffs is made. "We need to understand if the API will dictate the country of origin, or where the final product is made," Bourla said. Pfizer is also one of the companies that received a letter from Trump last week detailing demands to reduce prices for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees to match the lowest price paid by developing nations, known as Most Favored Nations (MFN). The company is currently planning for the implementation of reduced prices, as well as working on how to mitigate negative impacts, Bourla said. "We are still discussing it with the president. ... The devil could be in the details in these stages," he said. Anjalee Khemlani is the senior health reporter at Yahoo Finance, covering all things pharma, insurance, provider services, digital health, PBMs, and health policy and politics. That includes GLP-1s, of course. Follow Anjalee as AnjKhem on social media platforms X, LinkedIn, and Bluesky @AnjKhem. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Hill
21 minutes ago
- The Hill
Crucial exemption allows majority of Canadian and Mexican goods to be shipped to US without tariffs
TORONTO (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump raised the tariffs on Canadian goods to 35% last week, but a key exemption for Canada and Mexico shields the vast majority of goods from the punishing duties. Goods that comply with the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade pact that Trump negotiated during his first term are excluded from the tariffs. Here's a look at Trump's tariffs on the two countries and their exemptions: Most Canadian exports reaching the U.S duty free Canada's central bank says 100% of energy exports and 95% of other exports are USMCA compliant. The Royal Bank estimated that almost 90% of Canadian exports appear to have accessed the U.S. market duty free in April. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the commitment of the United States to the core of USMCA, reaffirmed again last week, means the U.S. average tariff rate on Canadian goods remains one of its lowest, and over 85% of Canada-U.S. trade continues to be tariff free. 'Canada is better off than any of the trading partners right now because the Americans appear to be relying as a default on USMCA,' said Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association. 'That gives them the tough tariff headline but also allows them the access to the stuff they need from us. Because of that we're in a relative better position.' Canadian and Mexican companies can claim preferential treatment under the USMCA based on where the products are made. 'The headline news is 35% tariffs but it's somewhat targeted,' said John Manley, Canada's former industry minister, finance minister, foreign affairs minister and deputy prime minister. Manley said Canada is doing okay despite the economic uncertainty. 'There is a lot of resilience I'd say. The Canadian economy has done relatively well, better than most of us expected, and remember that there is no tariffs on any of our energy exports,' he said. 25% tariffs on Mexican goods target a small slice of trade Trump said last week he would enter into a 90-day negotiating period with Mexico, also one of America's largest trading partners. The current 25% tariff rates are staying in place, down from the 30% he had threatened earlier. But that 25% only applies to the fraction of Mexico's trade with the U.S. that isn't covered by the USMCA. Shortly after speaking with Trump on Thursday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said that within the 'new commercial world order,' Mexico was still the best positioned nation because of the free trade agreement. 'What's within (USMCA) has no tariff, with the exception of what we already know: autos, steel and aluminum; and what is outside the treaty has 25%,' Sheinbaum said. But Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard pointed out that under the USMCA no tariffs were paid on more than 84% of Mexico's trade with the United States. Most imports from Canada and Mexico are still protected by the USMCA, but the deal is up for review next year. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said last month: 'I think the president is absolutely going to renegotiate USMCA.' Preserving the free trade pact will be critical for Canada and Mexico. 'It would be an incredible disruption to lose it especially if you lost it to the levels of tariffs Trump is imposing, 30%, 25% or even 20%. You can absorb a single digit tariff level across the board but you can't adjust that kind of increase,' Manley said. More than 75% of Canada's exports go to the U.S. while more than 80% of Mexico's exports go there. Manley said that depending on how the trade war plays out the risk to the USMCA is very high. 'Uncertainty in business is the enemy of decision making,' he said. Charging for access Carney said in a series of recent agreements with other countries that America is, in effect, charging for access to its economy. Manley said the investment thesis for Canada is pretty straightforward as Canada is rich in natural resources, has a skilled labor force, is open to immigration and has unfettered access to the U.S. market, the largest economy in the world. 'If that latter point is no longer the case, we've still got all the others, but we've got to really redevelop the investment thesis for attracting investment to Canada,' Manley said. Trump has some sector specific tariffs, known as 232 tariffs, that are having an impact. There is a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum imports and a 25% tariff on auto imports, though there is a carve-out for Canadian and Mexican made cars. 'Despite our advantages, certain major Canadian industries are being severely impacted by U.S. trade actions. These strategic sectors include autos, steel, aluminum, copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and of course, softwood lumber,' Carney said Tuesday. 'It is clear we cannot count or fully rely on what has been our most valued trading relationship for our prosperity.'
Boston Globe
21 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Toppled Confederate statue in D.C. to be replaced in line with Trump's executive order
Advertisement The Pike statue restoration, which is targeted for October, 'aligns with federal responsibilities under historic preservation law as well as recent executive orders to beautify the nation's capital and reinstate pre-existing statues,' the park service said in a statement. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Restoration is part of a larger narrative In March, Trump issued an The order targeted the Smithsonian network of museums as having 'come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology.' It also instructed the Interior Department to restore any statue or display that was 'removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology.' Related : Advertisement Pike, who died in 1891, is more known for his decades-long stint as a senior leader of the Freemasons than for his Confederate military career. The Masons lobbied Congress for the right to erect the statue on NPS land in 1901 — provided that he be depicted in civilian, not military, garb. But Pike did lead a regiment for the Confederacy during the Civil War. And as the only outdoor statue of a Confederate leader in Washington, D.C., it had been a source of controversy for decades. Even the brief Park Service A long history of demands for its removal The D.C. Council asked for its removal in 1992. In 2017, Mayor Muriel Bowser struck an agreement with congressional leaders to eventually remove it. When protesters toppled the statue in 2020 while police officers looked on, Trump — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington's non-voting delegate in Congress, called the Park Service move 'odd and indefensible' in a statement Monday. Norton said she would introduce legislation to remove the statue permanently and place it in a museum. 'I've long believed Confederate statues should be placed in museums as historical artifacts,' she said, 'not remain in parks and locations that imply honor.'
