NIEMAN REPORTS

Reinventing Local TV News Innovative stations push to attract younger audiences Contributors The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University Sara Morrison (page 14) www.niemanreports.org has been an assistant editor at Columbia Journalism Review and a senior writer for Boston. com. Her work has appeared on Vocativ, Poynter, The Guardian, The Atlantic Wire, and The Wrap. Her media reporting often focuses on newsroom diversity publisher and innovation. Ann Marie Lipinski editor Marites Dañguilan Vitug (page 8), a James Geary 1987 Nieman Fellow, is editor at large of senior editor Rappler, a leading online news site in the Jan Gardner Philippines. She is the author of several editorial assistant books on Philippine current aff airs. Eryn M. Carlson Previously she was editor in chief of Newsbreak magazine. staff assistant Lesley Harkins Mary Louise Schumacher (page 22), design the 2017 Arts & Culture Nieman Fellow, Pentagram is the art and architecture critic at the editorial offices Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She is One Francis Avenue, Cambridge, currently at work on a documentary MA 02138-2098, 617-496-6308, fi lm about art critics in the midst of [email protected] technological and cultural transformation.

Copyright 2018 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Michael Blanding (page 34) is an author Periodicals postage paid at and investigative journalist whose work Boston, Massachusetts and has appeared in publications including additional entries The New York Times, Wired, The New Republic, Slate, and The Nation. subscriptions/business His most recent book, “The Map Thief,” 617-496-6299, [email protected] was published in 2014. Subscription $25 a year, $40 for two years; Ricki Morell (page 42) is a Boston- add $10 per year for foreign airmail. based journalist who has written for Single copies $7.50. The New York Times, The Boston Back copies are available from Globe, The Wall Street Journal, the Nieman offi ce. WBUR’s CommonHealth website, Please address all subscription and the Hechinger Report, an online correspondence to: education newsroom. One Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-2098 and change of address information to: Writer for Nieman Reports honored by SPJ P.O. Box 4951, Manchester, NH 03108 ISSN Number 0028-9817 Glenn Jeff ers is the winner of the 2017 Postmaster: Send address changes to Sigma Delta Chi Award in the magazine Nieman Reports P.O. Box 4951, writing—national circulation category for Manchester, NH 03108 “A Mass Shooting, Only in Slow Motion.” The piece, which appeared in the Fall 2017 Nieman Reports (USPS #430-650) issue of Nieman Reports, examines how is published in March, June, newsrooms are moving away from a focus September, and December by on mass shootings to tell more nuanced stories about the people and the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University, communities marred by gun violence. The Sigma Delta Chi Awards One Francis Avenue, are presented annually by the Society of Professional Journalists to

Cambridge, MA 02138-2098 recognize excellence in journalism. OPPOSITE, TOP: JOHN RENIGAR/WRAL BOTTOM: ROB STOTHARD/GETTY IMAGES Monitors in WRAL-TV’s production control room offer a view of the station’s augmented reality set for coverage of the Winter Olympics

Contents Spring 2018 / Vol. 72 / No. 2

Features Departments “It’s a Fight for the Ideals 8 cover Live@Lippmann 2 We Strive For” Matthew Caruana Galizia on threats Despite the obstacles in an increasingly Reinventing Local TV News 14 to investigative journalism in Malta hostile environment, independent Filipino To attract young viewers, stations news outlets are doing vital work are going digital-fi rst, crowdsourcing Elena Milashina on the challenges By Marites Dañguilan Vitug reporting, experimenting with of reporting in Chechnya augmented reality, and injecting The Artistry of Visual Arts Writing 22 more personality into the news Niemans@Work 6 From heady journals to Tumblr By Sara Morrison and Eryn Carlson Teaching buisness journalism, creating manifestos, innovation in art criticism new revenue streams out of journalistic is happening outside the mainstream Against All Odds 30 research, off ering a place for media By Mary Louise Schumacher Hyperallergic is a digital standout entrepreneurs to incubate startups in the world of arts journalism By Mary Louise Schumacher Books 50 The work of “Frenemies: The Epic Disruption of the New York Times watchdog Ad Business (and Everything Else)” photography Can Extreme Transparency Fight 34 By Ken Auletta critic Teju Cole Fake News and Create More Trust? is proof that arts journalists can From posting raw footage to explaining Nieman Notes 52 be inventive at a reporting methods, more journalists are legacy outlet— showing their work Sounding 56 but it’s a rarity By Michael Blanding Dustin Dwyer

storyboard What Journalists Need to Know 42 About Writing Screenplays Narrative writers on the similarities and diff erences between journalism and screenwriting By Ricki Morell live@ no evidence in plain sight that anything bad lippmann is going on here, then nothing bad is going on.” There was no instinct to look further.

“There are crooks everywhere you On why Malta is so little covered. I think it’s a combination of things. It’s a very small look now. The situation is desperate” country that people aren’t used to paying attention to. Malta has this image as a hol- Maltese journalist Matthew Caruana iday destination. People aren’t looking at it in the same way that they look at, for ex- Galizia on the assassination of his ample, Sicily, where there’s a lot of orga- nized crime. The second thing is that it’s investigative journalist mother, threats been very easy for the current government to the free press, and a new investigative of Malta to project an image of the country that is very different from the reality. outlet in Malta I think that the current prime minister is a kind of populist in disguise. It’s very easy to look at countries like Poland now and see atthew caruana galizia is a The situation is desperate.” She meant that, that something is going wrong there, be- data journalist and software engineer as an investigative journalist, she was stand- cause they fit the model of being far-right, at the International Consortium of ing alone. The institutions of the state had homophobic, anti-Semitic, and anti-media M Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). He is been captured, compromised, and rendered freedom. They fit this model that we’re very a founding member of ICIJ’s data and ineffective, so even though she was putting used to, whereas Malta’s prime minister is a research unit, which was key to the organization’s the results of her investigations out there, little different. While he’s unfriendly to the Pulitzer-winning investigation of the Panama no action was being taken. She didn’t have free press and xenophobic and so on, he’s Papers in 2016. Prior to joining ICIJ, Caruana the backing of any institution. projected this image of Malta as a country Galizia worked at the Financial Times’s FT Labs If you look at what’s happening in that’s pro-gay rights, for example. That cre- and was a member of the investigative team at La Israel now with Prime Minister Benjamin ates a smokescreen for the country, and it’s Nación newspaper in Costa Rica. Netanyahu, at least the police haven’t been very effective. It’s hard for people outside Caruana Galizia is the eldest son of Daphne compromised and they’re still pushing for the country to look beyond that. Caruana Galizia, the Maltese journalist who prosecution. Whereas, when my mother I was in Paris around the time of the was assassinated in a car bombing near her was alive and now currently, that wasn’t the last elections in Malta in June 2017, and I home on October 16, 2017. Her blog, “Running case. There was no one pushing for any kind was speaking to someone from the OECD Commentary,” was a leading source of investi- of action on any of the things that she was [the intergovernmental Organisation for gative journalism in the island nation, which, revealing. This meant that she was alone Economic Co-operation and Development]. with a population of under 450,000 people, is and exposed. She told me, “Well maybe it’s good that this the smallest—and most densely populated— She had no one in parliament, no one prime minister wins the election again—he member of the European Union. Caruana within the police, no one within the judi- seems like quite a good guy.” It was a real Galizia—who long faced libel suits and physi- ciary who was willing to take any action. shock to me to hear this, because all his out- cal threats for her work—single-handedly in- [This] meant that, if you wanted to stop this ward propaganda of being in favor of some vestigated everything from abuses of power and pressure, then all you had to do was get rid civil rights has worked, and no one could ethical failures to money laundering, corrupt of her. Even the opposition party had been look beyond that to see all the corruption politicians, and the influence of the Azerbaijani completely compromised. that was happening below it. government on Maltese politics. She uncovered the many Malta connections in the Panama On his mother’s approach to reporting. On the investigation into his mother’s Papers investigation—even prior to the April Malta has no system for teaching critical murder. The past couple of months have 2016 publication of stories based on the leaked thinking in the way that a country like the been like watching two disasters unfold documents—including those of politicians U.S. does. People are not taught to avoid tak- Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri. ing things at face value. People are used to Authorities arrested 10 people in connection taking statements in the newspaper by poli- with her assassination, three of whom are being ticians and not reading anything into them. processed for indictment, but who ordered the My mother never did that. She always contract killing remains unknown. read between the lines of everything and Caruana Galizia visited the Nieman always saw that there was a reason for most Foundation in February and discussed his moth- things that happen. She had studied archae- er’s work, the investigation into her murder, ology, and one of the things that she learned and the legal threats facing Maltese journalists. is that the absence of evidence is not evi- dence of absence. It was her personal motto, On his mother’s last words. The last sen- an axiom that she used in her work, and it tence my mother wrote on her blog was, was missing from the way a lot of Maltese Matthew Caruana Galizia, right, with 2018

“There are crooks everywhere you look now. journalists worked. They said, “OK, if there’s Nieman Fellow Frederik Obermaier PRESS ASSOCIATED ELLEN TUTTLE OPPOSITE: RENE ROSSIGNAUD/THE

2 nieman reports SPRING 2018 That’s enough to shut down a newspaper. Even the cost of fighting the libel suits in D.C., for example—which is where they were threatening to file them—would have put them out of business. It’s extremely insidious because other journalists don’t know that big law firms are threatening multiple media outlets, not just targeting them specifically. Let’s say there are three competing newspapers in your city. The way these companies would work is, first they would send the letters to one newspaper, get them to remove the articles about their business. When they’ve succeed- ed, they move on to the other one and after that the third one. A memorial in Malta to journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, killed by a car bomb in 2017 At no point does any of the three news- papers find out what is happening at the in slow motion. The first was the assas- national pressure. Still, they’re very keen to other newspapers. The firms take advan- sination itself—you could see it coming sell this as a kind of closed case, because of tage of the fact that newspapers don’t talk from a mile off—and the second was what course it looks terrible when a journalist is to each other about these things and don’t happened afterward with respect to the assassinated in your country, especially if publish the letters. police investigation. she was investigating state-level corruption. The letters normally come with empty It fits the model of other assassinations Officials are very keen to make it seem as threats saying that more suits will be filed of journalists elsewhere, like with Russian though she was investigating something re- if the letters are published. There is no legal journalist Anna Politkovskaya. I think a few lated to drug trafficking, which is what these basis for that. The law, in most countries, months after Politkovskaya was killed, they criminals were involved in, and she wasn’t. She says that as soon as a letter is put in the mail, hauled in five Chechens who looked like wasn’t working on anything related to that. it becomes the property of the recipient. The they had just been taken off the street, all The thing is, her assassins didn’t just kill recipient can do whatever they want with it. wearing tracksuits. They were clearly not her. It was a complete act of impunity. They The threats are completely empty. It’s com- the people who wanted to kill her. Even if blew up her car 200 meters from our home mon, for example, if you write a single article they were the people who coordinated the in broad daylight. The explosion was power- about a bank, to receive letters from three assassination, they definitely had no motive ful enough to blow the car 200 meters into a different firms about that single article. other than being paid. field. They were sending this message, “We Sadly, journalists have come to look at With my mother, it was so similar. The can do this and we can get away with it.” this as a kind of occupational hazard, which three people charged with her murder— One of the best ways of thinking about I think is completely unacceptable. You whom she had never written about, and they suppression of a free press isn’t as a freedom shouldn’t accept this as a condition of your probably had never even read anything she of expression issue, but rather as a failure of work. In no other field does any professional wrote—were very low-level criminals, and the state and a human rights issue. If jour- accept daily legal threats as a kind of condi- the government declared victory after they nalists get threatened, it’s a sign of deeper tion of their employment. arrested them. problems in the country. My brothers and I worked very hard to On The Shift’s potential as a game changer. put international pressure on the govern- On legal threats facing Maltese jour- The Shift, a new media outlet funded after ment to keep the investigation open. After nalists. The funny thing is that Maltese my mother’s assassination, is made up ex- an event we had at the Council of Europe journalists seem to be more afraid of what clusively of investigative journalists. It’s the in January, Malta’s minister of home affairs precedes the assassination, which is all the first time anything like this has been set up made the first public statement that they libel suits. This happened with my mother; in Malta. The journalists left their previous would continue looking for the mastermind. the threats ramped up from all directions. jobs and the business is operating mostly via It was the first time that they had ever used There were the arrests, the libel suits, the small private donations. that word, and it was only due to the inter- intimidation, and so on, then the assassina- When they’ve been threatened with li- tion. What used to be most frightening to the bel suits, they’ve published the legal letters. Maltese journalists, because all of this is very That’s the first time any Maltese journalist new to them, is the threat of libel damages. apart from my mother has ever done this. Maltese newspapers are very small. They They published the threats on their “My mother had studied each employ fewer than 50 people, their law- website saying, “Look, we’ve received this archaeology, and one of yers are very conservative, and they don’t threat saying that a libel suit will be filed the things that she have any kind of international backing. In unless we remove these articles, and we this case, these banks which they and my think it’s our duty to inform our readers.” learned is that the mother were reporting on were threatening I think this is a good move because it shows absence of evidence is them with libel suits, filed both in the U.S. readers what’s happening and what the not evidence of absence and the U.K., worth $40 million in damages. journalists are risking. 

nieman reports SPRING 2018 3 live@ do anything to find and punish those who lippmann killed them. The only thing that I can do to stop [the killings of journalists in Russia] is to con- “Journalistic Solidarity tinue the work so that the people who kill journalists understand that there will always Can Move Mountains” be another journalist who will step up and Investigative reporter Elena Milashina continue the work. On fear in Chechnya. If you want to get on the powerful display of journalism a sense of how people lived back in Stalin’s time, go and live in Chechnya now, and you that countered extrajudicial killings will understand how scary life can be. It’s in Russia, Putin’s inability to control so scary that even people in other parts of Russia can’t imagine how life is for people the Internet, and where to draw the in Chechnya. When Anna Politkovskaya came to the line in covering Chechnya region, people were standing in line to talk to her, to tell her their stories, and she was the voice for them. Ten years later, when lena milashina, who studied mu- On covering the Kursk disaster. The I came to the region, people didn’t dare talk sic in college, planned to write about Kursk [in which a Russian submarine to journalists because they knew they would arts and culture when she was hired exploded and sank in 2000, killing all 118 be punished the next day. E by Novaya Gazeta (“New Newspaper”) people onboard] was my first big story. in 1997. Instead, she became an inves- I may be the only journalist in Russia who On the anti-gay campaign. In Chechnya tigative journalist for the paper, reporting still cares about what happened back then in the leader says publicly that his main mis- on the Russian government’s role in deadly August 2000. The European court’s decision sion is to clean the Chechen blood of gays, tragedies, including the deaths of 118 people on- was very important for Russian media, be- human rights defenders, journalists, and board the Kursk submarine, the attack in 2004 cause Russian authorities were trying to for- people who use drugs. when 186 children were killed at a school in bid me to write this story [In October 2017, My story began with one story of one Beslan, and the campaign last year of anti-gay the European court of human rights ruled guy—he was a TV person, a showman—who repression in Chechnya. that Russia had violated Novaya Gazeta’s was killed. While I was trying to check infor- Milashina spoke at the Nieman Foundation right to free expression. Earlier a Moscow mation on his death, I learned that the only in February after she accepted the Louis M. district court had ruled against the paper.] reason he was killed is because he was gay. Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in I never forget my stories, my heroes, He was not the only one. Everybody was Journalism. She was chosen by the 2018 class no matter that people don’t pay attention. shocked. Not just the world, but even the of Nieman Fellows for her groundbreaking and I still think that it’s very important to put all Russian government. Mr. Putin’s office called persistent investigative reporting on human the pieces together and explain what really us and asked for the facts and the names. rights abuses in Russia while enduring threats happened in that disaster. This story was very hard to write. from powerful figures. I couldn’t use the names of the victims, not During her remarks, she noted that she had On the killings of colleagues. Many those who died, not those who survived. the good fortune to start her journalism career journalists know of the murder in 2006 Chechen society is very conservative and in the “golden age of Russian media,” the brief of Anna Politkovskaya, the most famous it is better to be killed than to be named period in the 1990s after Boris Yeltsin came to Russian journalist in the West, but she was as a gay in that society. power when the nation had a free press. not the first Novaya Gazeta journalist to be It took me a very long time to confirm my killed. The first was my editor Igor Domnikov information with my sources and to decide in 2000 for his stories on Russian corruption. that I was ready to publish the story. We pub- Two years later the investigative journalist lished it, and we managed to save a lot of peo- Yuri Shchekochikhin, who also reported ple. That’s the only thing we managed to do. “I work in a very sensitive on corruption, was killed. The Chechen authorities still are unpunished. region where people In 2009, my very dear friend Natalya A lot of people ask me, “Why are you Estemirova [a human rights activist and doing it? It’s dangerous.” Yes, it is danger- definitely would be killed frequent contributor to Novaya Gazeta] ous for me, but I wonder if not me, who will if I make a mistake. was kidnapped and shot the day after I left continue this. Many times I have refused her apartment. That same year my colleague Sometimes it’s much more difficult and to publish a story because Anastasia Baburova and the human rights much more important to continue reporting there is only one source lawyer Stanislav Markelov were murdered without having any results, hoping that one in Moscow. day the system will fall down. and if his name gets out, The main thing that I understood when My sources were saying that hundreds he will be killed. I can’t I was losing my friends and colleagues this were detained and put in the camps because shoulder that responsibility way was that the Russian authorities won’t they are gay. Before we published the first

4 nieman reports SPRING 2018 story, we united with a LGBT human rights in Chechnya. The investigation went On state control of the Internet. Over the organization in Russia. We invited victims nowhere but it was still a big achievement. last few years we are seeing that the state is to write to us. Within two weeks after the Solidarity always can be helpful and very eager to control the Internet. They pass first story, we had heard from more than 100 I think it’s one of the precious things that laws that allow the government to put peo- people who asked for help. happened with this story. It’s a very good ple in prison for posting something, which The next step was to put pressure on the lesson that I learned. Journalistic solidarity is ridiculous because we have a constitution embassies and the ministry of foreign affairs can move mountains. that allows freedom of opinion and speech. of different countries, to give visas to these A lot of people are in prison for one, two people who were not safe in Russia. The On prospects for change in Russia. years, because they posted something that only way to save them was to evacuate them At the age of 40, I can see that changes are the government considers a threat. to different countries. Latvia and Canada happening. They are not fast. Sometimes I also see that the government is stepped forward and said, “We’ll take in they are not in the direction that we would always behind on technology. For example, those people.” Some other countries, like like, but the situation is changing. recently the government shut down oppo- the United States said, “We can’t help with We probably won’t ever have the kind of sition leader Alexei Navalny’s site, Navalny this. Sorry.” Sweden also said they couldn’t free media that you used to, or were used Media. Everybody’s watching this media help. We managed to save more than to, in America, or in the Western world. We by going through a virtual private network, 120 people. They left Russia under special definitely will have something connected so although the government bans the site, conditions because they received a visa and to the Internet. Young people will probably everybody has the opportunity to access it. asylum very, very fast. create different forms of media. Recently I went to Canada, where we The state still considers that free media On where to draw the line. Of course, managed to relocate more than 40 of the is the main threat for them. I hope some- Novaya Gazeta draws lines about what it will gay survivors. They still feel that there is day it will change, but it depends not on the report on and I do, too. I’m talking about something wrong with them, that they are government, it depends on the people. Back a very unique newspaper. I don’t know why sick people, that they harmed their families. in the ’90s, the people didn’t fight or didn’t Novaya Gazeta has survived for 20 years. They feel guilty although they are brilliant consider it a main value. It was given to If we get pressure from the government, people. At least they are not afraid anymore. them, just like that, and they lost it, just like that’s never a line for us. That’s the first time in my career where one that. I hope the new generation of Russian My lines are my sources. I work in a very story saved so many people. people will pressure the government. sensitive region where people definitely Foreign journalists did huge work to bring The situation in Russia is, if you want would be killed if I make a mistake. Many this story to the world and get this reaction to know the truth, you have the sources times I have refused to publish a story from the world. The Russian government, and you have the opportunity to know it. because there is only one source and if for the first time in 10 years, decided to start You have to want to know the truth. That’s his name gets out, he will be killed. I can’t investigating those extrajudicial killings the only condition. shoulder that responsibility.

LISA ABITBOL LISA Elena Milashina, winner of the Lyons Award, with 2018 Nieman Fellows Lenka Kabrhelova, left, and Edward Wong

nieman reports SPRING 2018 5 niemans @work

“Money Stories are People Stories” After decades as a business journalist, Marilyn Geewax, NF ’95, turns to teaching to inspire the next generation

xcept for my Nieman year, I had E been staring down deadlines every work day since age 22. So after four de- cades of newsroom stresses, I moved back to Atlanta, where I had worked for many Wives and union sympathizers walk the picket line at Youngstown Sheet & Tube in 1937 years for the Journal-Constitution. Leaving my job as a business-news ed- work as a business reporter involved cover- telling accurate, context-rich business stories itor at NPR, I looked for ways to shift to a ing northeast Ohio’s collapsing steel indus- requires an understanding of basic econom- new passion: teaching college students try for the Akron Beacon Journal. ics, history, political trends, and technologi- how to cover business news. Fortunately Here’s the tricky thing about being a cal change. But it also requires them to be in I was presented with the opportunity to 62-year-old lecturer facing a roomful of the moment—fully alive to their own times. be the Industry Fellow for 2018 with the 22-year-olds: you have to avoid telling boring Training young people to be passionate James M. Cox Jr. Institute for Journalism old war stories while providing context to help business journalists seems like the right Innovation, Management and Leadership at them understand today’s issues. work at the right time for me. the University of Georgia. For example, when, I asked the students And next year, I’ll be taking my act to a The trick to firing up students to cover who they thought steelworkers blamed for new venue—as the visiting professor for business is getting them to see that money the industry’s job losses in the late 1970s the Global Business Journalism Program at stories are people stories, and that helping and early 1980s, most had no clue; the rest Tsinghua University in Beijing. our fellow citizens better understand eco- said “China.” They didn’t know that 40 years I am hoping that while my students learn nomic issues is vital for our democracy. ago, Japan was the “bad guy.” And they were about how to report on the economy, I’ll be The stories of angry, frustrated workers surprised to learn that NAFTA had taken gaining a better understanding of how the have shaped my career from the start. I grew effect 17 years after Youngstown Sheet & world looks to millennials on the other side up in Youngstown, Ohio, and my earliest Tube closed. So I want j-students to see that of the planet. 

Investing in fter years of building digital interesting solutions that we companies to assess potential fits A products for companies could plug into our existing suite for our new accelerator program, the Next Crop ranging from Flickr to of products to better serve our I’ve learned a few things that of Promising The Wall Street Journal to ABC audiences. I was also on the can hopefully guide early-stage News, I made a move to the lookout for fledgling, innovative media companies looking to Media investing side to help support companies when I was a 2016 meaningfully grow. Companies and coach the next crop of visiting fellow at Nieman, where At Techstars, we have a Maya Baratz companies that will meaningfully I explored new ways to use philosophy for making invest- shift our media landscape. As language as a de facto interface in ments, and the team represents Jordan, a 2016 the managing director of the the age of voice and messaging- the first thing we prioritize when Knight Visiting Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT based experiences. As a byproduct deciding whether to bring a Labs Accelerator, Powered by of searching for new products company into our fold. While the Nieman Fellow, Techstars, I’m on the lookout for and my time at Nieman, I found market you’re in, the solution on key ingredients the 10 companies to include in our myself coaching early-stage you’ve focused on, and the traction for success first cohort that begins in July. companies; part of that effort you’ve gathered are core aspects My transition from product included mentoring companies of what we consider, we’ve found creator to investor was gradual; at Techstars, which over time that if a company is lacking solid when I wasn’t building new led me to my current role. team makeup, that company’s products at ABC, I was always In both advising companies vision may not see it through.

looking for small teams building and now talking to hundreds of What this means for founders BETTMANN/CONTRIBUTOR VIA GETTY IMAGES

6 nieman reports SPRING 2018 content, something that ranged beyond our Last year, the top editors for the two In Positioning a daily and weekly journalism. What if, I won- Chronicles, Liz McMillen and Stacy Palmer, Publication for a dered, we produced some deep-dive reports decided to produce multiple reports using Bright Future, Bringing that helped our readers do their jobs well, newsroom staffers, which meant juggling make better decisions, and solve the prob- resources and shifting some time away from in Substantial Revenue lems they face in their professional lives? daily journalism, allowing us to prove the Chronicle of Higher We’ve always been dedicated to produc- concept before making a bigger commitment. Education editor in chief ing indispensable content that readers will Those reports, most of them forward- pay for, and this bet doubles down on that looking—“The Future of Enrollment,” for Michael Riley, NF ’95, strategy. Like many others in our industry, I example—sold well, and we discovered that leads a team creating know that paid content offers a smart reve- about six out of 10 were bought by non-sub- nue stream for the future. scribers for $179 in print, slightly less for dig- in-depth reports that are Both The Chronicle of Higher Education ital. Along the way, we learned some good a new revenue stream and its sister publication, The Chronicle of lessons about the limitations of email market- Philanthropy, are pursuing this approach. ing and the importance of building an easy-to- spend many of my waking hours—and About three years ago, a small cross-company use Chronicle store for online purchases. And I some of my sleeping hours, too—thinking band of stalwarts brainstormed some ideas we decided to make a bigger commitment. about how best to ensure the health and and settled on a pilot project to help readers This year we’ve dedicated several editors long-term growth of The Chronicle of Higher envision the future landscape of higher edu- and reporters to produce the content. More Education Inc., where I’m president and editor cation, focusing on trends and forces affect- of the company is helping to create, edit, de- in chief. That’s no different from anyone else ing students, faculty, and learning. We called sign, market, and sell them. We’re develop- running a journalism company these days. it the “2026 Report: The Decade Ahead.” ing a line of related products and sponsored But what may be a bit different is that the A former Chronicle journalist researched events tied to the larger report themes. In Chronicle is embracing a new approach: I’m and wrote the 42-page report; editors shaped addition, we’re tapping into our archives to trying to help us think beyond the journal- it; marketing designers produced the report; mine that mother lode of content and build ism that has propelled us for 51 years as I talk and audience development staffers sold it. targeted collections, such as “11 Must Reads more and more about reimagining the enter- This project was a success, bringing in more for 2018,” which we will sell. prise as an information company. than half a million dollars, a result that con- I realize that some of these efforts will That paradigm shift has given rise to a firmed we were on to something worthwhile. succeed. Others will flop. And we’ll discov- promising line of business, namely produc- er different approaches as we learn and ad- ing smart, analytic, and in-depth reports on just. Excellent journalism, with its reliance critical topics that our audience cares about. on newsroom expertise, will remain solidly So far, readers have proven willing to pay for “Excellent journalism at our core. But this experiment, shaped that content, fueling some significant reve- remains a core value as we by reimagining the Chronicle as an infor- nue growth and a host of opportunities. mation company, will enable us to create Several years ago, I started talking up this reimagine The Chronicle some new types of indispensable content. information experiment, realizing we could of Higher Education as an And I bet our audiences will continue to serve our readers with a different type of information company pay for that. 

is that they should be selective minds in journalism to solve of which can present invaluable Just think of the companies who and thoughtful about bringing tough problems, Techstars is the growth opportunities. may have been passed on for on the right partners to network that helps entrepreneurs A third important piece investment because they didn’t collaborate with. They should succeed; if it takes a solid team to successful founders do well is have a great elevator pitch. think of what their company get one company off the ground, actually something that many of A lot has changed in journalism needs to succeed, which of those it takes a network of the right us in the greater Nieman family and entertainment over the last areas they as founders may not people to help propel that growth. may have an organic knack for: decade, and I believe the teams be the strongest in, and recruit A good network shares both the storytelling. It seems obvious, who will help steer us into a better team members who can help fill tested wisdom that can help an but to bring on team members, future are the ones who know those gaps. Also, team dynamics entrepreneur avoid roadblocks, as investors, and even customers/ these art forms intimately and can make or break a company, well as the connections that could users, company founders should care about preserving their core so founders should be sure their help bridge that company with have a clear and concise elevator place in society. I look forward team as a whole is greater than the right business development pitch that meaningfully expresses to supporting those founders the sum of its participants. and growth opportunities. In what they are building. I’ve met and companies, and I hope to Another thing I’ve seen addition to Techstars’ global dozens of interesting companies I see some promising teams from successful founders do is seek network, companies selected to wasn’t at first intrigued by because the Nieman network apply to out the mentorship and network participate in our accelerator will they couldn’t express simply our program. If you’re a media that will help their company receive access to and mentorship enough what they do. Active entrepreneur interested in grow. Much like Nieman is the from decision makers at Comcast investors can meet hundreds or learning more, please head to network that bridges the best and NBCUniversal, the byproduct thousands of companies a year. techstars.com/comcast. 

nieman reports SPRING 2018 7 8 nieman reports SPRING 2018 “IT’S A FIGHT FOR THE IDEALS WE STRIVE FOR” by marites dañguilan vitug

Despite the obstacles in an increasingly hostile environment, independent Filipino news outlets are doing vital work

nieman reports SPRING 2018 9 n what seemed like an ordinary work day government’s decision a “serious violation in February, Filipino journalist Pia Ranada, of media freedom” and the Manila-based who covers President Rodrigo Duterte, ar- Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility rived at Malacañang Palace for a routine (CMFR) said in a statement: “The message press briefing. A guard told her she was [of Malacañang] is clear. It is that journal- no longer allowed inside the compound. ists can and will be prevented from doing With her mobile phone, Ranada videotaped their jobs should they, like Ms. Ranada, ask the interaction as she showed her press government officials the tough questions … credentials and asked the guard from the to get at the truth and to hold the powerful Presidential Security Group (PSG) a series to account.” The Office of the President has of questions. He tried to block the camera since expanded the ban to all events where with his hand but Ranada held on. Duterte is a speaker. In March, Ranada was The 27-year-old reporter for Rappler, a barred from covering the president’s speech leading digital news outlet, where I am ed- to a group of entrepreneurs in Manila. itor at large, says her hands were shaking In addition to publicly criticizing jour- when she composed her first tweet about nalists like Ranada and their work, Duterte the incident. However, she acted on what her has threatened media businesspeople like editors burned into her memory: to chron- the Rufino-Prieto family, owners of the icle any form of harassment or attempts to Philippine Daily Inquirer, who are negotiat- block access to Rappler’s beats. “But more ing the sale of the leading daily to Ramon than that,” Ranada says, “I felt that it was a Ang, a wealthy businessman close to the newsworthy event and something the public president. The largest TV network, ABS- needed to know about.” (That day Ranada CBN, is on edge as Duterte has vowed to was allowed into a briefing in the New block the renewal of its franchise, which ex- Executive Building.) pires during his term in office. Duterte does Ranada’s ban from the presidential pal- not regard press freedom as a right guaran- ace is just one example of the Filipino gov- teed by the Constitution. Press freedom “is ernment’s intimidation and threats against a privilege in a democratic state,” he said in the media. Despite the obstacles, though, an interview with reporters in January. “You independent Filipino news outlets are con- have overused and abused that privilege in tinuing to do vital work in an increasingly the guise of press freedom.” hostile environment. A climate of fear is present because of the Harry Roque, the president’s spokes- thousands who have died due to the extra- man, said Duterte himself ordered the ban, judicial killings Duterte has ordered as part likening Ranada to a “rude” guest: “If your of his deadly drug war. Official figures as of guest is rude to you in your own home, can March show that at least 4,000 suspected you blame it if the rude visitor is told to leave? drug users have been killed in police opera- It’s the same with the president.” tions. But the Philippine Alliance of Human

Reporters Without Borders called the Rights Advocates, an NGO, says the figure LEFT: BULLIT PREVIOUS SPREAD: JES AZNAR/GETTY ABOVE IMAGES IMAGES RIGHT: NOEL CELIS/AFP/GETTY ABOVE PRESS MARQUEZ/THE ASSOCIATED

10 nieman reports SPRING 2018 PREVIOUS SPREAD: A woman holds a candle at a Manila protest calling for an end to drug- related killings

LEFT TO RIGHT: Rappler CEO Maria Ressa addresses supporters after the online outlet’s license was revoked

A seminarian lights a candle during a prayer rally condemning the government’s war on drugs

could be more than 12,000. The Philippines Philippines six months before it happened the 1986 people power revolt a product of has repeatedly appeared in the global im- in the U.S.,” says Clarissa David, a professor fake news?” Eighty-six percent replied yes. punity index of the Committee to Protect at the University of the Philippines College What the country is seeing now is a “normal Journalists (CPJ), ranking 5th in 2017. More of Mass Communication. “The problem is continuation of the campaign,” says Randy than 40 journalists have been killed in the disinformation. … In this country, the focus David, sociology professor at the University past decade, mostly in the provinces, away of disinformation campaigns has been on of the Philippines and a columnist for the from the eyes of the national media. attacking political personalities. Very often Philippine Daily Inquirer who has been crit- Congress is dominated by Duterte’s the content’s tone is angry, a lot of it de- ical of Duterte. allies. On May 11, Supreme Court Chief signed to outrage and to make the public Another factor, according to Jonathan Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, a Duterte emotional. This appeal to emotions is what Corpus Ong of the University of Massachu- critic, was ousted from office after the is polarizing.” setts at Amherst and Jason Cabañes of the government petitioned for her removal. A case in point: In May of last year, Mocha University of Leeds in the U.K., is the involve- Duterte himself has threatened to abol- Uson, assistant secretary in the Presidential ment of advertising and public relations pro- ish the Commission on Human Rights, Communications Operations Office, shared fessionals as “architects of disinformation.” which spoke up against the killing of sus- on her Facebook page a photo of soldiers, Ong and Cabañes conducted a 12-month pected drug users. He subsequently said kneeling as they prepared to battle terror- study of “fake news” and “troll armies” in the threat was made in jest. He ordered ists in Marawi City in Mindanao, southern the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. the suspension of a ranking official of the Philippines. She called for the public to Ong and Cabañes interviewed operators of Ombudsman, a state agency on the front- support the soldiers. A Twitter account, fake accounts on Facebook and Twitter and lines of fighting corruption in government, supposedly run by members of the Armed the “strategists”—advertising and PR gurus which probed the president’s finances. Forces of the Philippines, showed that the at agencies by day who often also freelance The Philippines has also been confront- photograph was, in fact, of Honduran po- for outside clients, including political cam- ing the phenomenon of “fake news” since lice in 2015 calling on God to stop violence paigns—who provided the scripted narra- the presidential election campaign in 2016. in Honduras, according to an English tives. The researchers recommend setting Duterte’s campaign used social media to translation of the original post. up a “self-regulatory commission” to re- spread false stories—such as Pope Francis In February, as the Philippines was com- quire disclosure of political consultancies praising Duterte and Singapore Prime memorating the 32nd anniversary of the as a way to stop the spread of divisive and Minister Lee Hsien Loong endorsing his can- people power revolt that ousted dictator false information. didacy—and to attack his rivals. “ Ferdinand Marcos, Uson conducted a poll Seminars on media literacy—partic- “Divisive campaigning happened in the among her followers. Her question: “Was ularly on fighting disinformation—are gaining traction, especially among young people. In February, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Rappler, online newsmaga- RANADA’S BAN FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE zine Vera Files, and the ABS-CBN News Channel got together with CMFR, bloggers, IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THE FILIPINO GOVERNMENT’S academics, and Media Nation, a civil-society project that convenes journalists to discuss the industry and its problems, in a two-day INTIMIDATION AND THREATS AGAINST THE MEDIA seminar on addressing misinformation.

nieman reports SPRING 2018 11 Stills from the animated video Rappler created to tell the story of Captain Rommel Sandoval, who died in the Marawi siege

Many in the audience were students from leading universities, including the commu- “WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH FAKERY AND FALSITY ON MANY FRONTS. nication departments of Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University WE HAVE TO STAY THE COURSE, STAND OUR GROUND” and the journalism department of the University of the Philippines College of – ROSARIO GARCELLANO, PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER OPINION EDITOR Mass Communication. Since last year, the Philippine Press Institute (PPI), an organization of national Trillanes, of having overseas bank accounts. A recent study by the Philippine Institute and community newspapers, has connect- Vera Files also conducts workshops on for Development Studies shows that ed with seven universities through day-long fact-checking and fighting fake news at uni- women have occupied around 40 percent of seminars on spotting “fake news.” “We want versities around the country, often with the management positions in the private sector the students to think and analyze,” says PPI. Ellen Tordesillas, who heads Vera Files, over the last 15 years. But women are still PPI’s training director Tess Bacalla. “We gives a short talk on how to spot fake news, under-represented in the Cabinet, Congress, provide examples to make them see the pat- the importance of primary sources, and the and local elective offices. tern, that government machinery is being need for fact-checking, while other speakers In addition to the attacks from the govern- used to peddle fake news.” PPI’s most recent describe how journalists work, the process of ment, online hate messages against individ- session was in March at the Universidad de vetting sources, and the strict ethical guide- ual journalists are common. Jodesz Gavilan, Manila. “I learned to be more picky about lines that are followed. 24, joined Rappler fresh out of university and the things I share on my social media ac- Other news organizations are getting in- was able to experience journalism before counts,” says Harley Jefferson Dimaano, a volved, too. A leading TV network, GMA, has Duterte. President Benigno Aquino, Duterte’s 19-year-old communications student. He started an online show called “Fact or Fake,” predecessor, “just resorted to calling out the says the seminar was an eye-opener. “I can calling attention to false reports posted on press to be fair but these often faded away now spot fake news.” He checks accounts to dubious websites and shared thousands of since he didn’t have a massive troll army to verify sourcing and, if he determines a post times. In a recent episode,“Fact or Fake” echo his every cry,” she says. is fake, he clicks the report button on the showed that a news report claiming that Today, Gavilan, who covers human rights social media platform. Duterte was immune from prosecution by issues and NGOs, says, “The threats are mi- At Vera Files, a group of journalists, the International Criminal Court—which is sogynistic in nature most of the time. They’ve mostly women, work in a small rented room investigating extrajudicial killings in his war threatened violence, such as rape and mur- in an old building in suburban Quezon on drugs—is fake. der, warning me to shut up lest I want to be City, fact-checking Duterte. The U.S.-based The report quoted a supposed interna- part of the numbers killed in Duterte’s drug National Endowment for Democracy has tional law expert from Oxford College and war.” When she is able to confirm that the been funding Vera Files’ fact-checking proj- the accompanying photograph was of a sources are not trolls, she does her own ect through a grant since 2016. The site’s 2017 German politician. sleuthing and reports offensive accounts year-ender video shows Duterte speaking be- At least six Philippine media companies to employers and schools. In an effort to fore his communications group, admonishing and organizations are led by women. They educate the public about threats to the me- them to tell the truth. Cut to the next scene: a include ABS-CBN, GMA, The Philippine dia, Rappler has produced a short video TV interview in which Duterte admits false- Star, Philippine Center for Investigative featuring six journalists—two from televi-

ly accusing his fierce critic, Senator Antonio Journalism, Vera Files, and Rappler. sion, two from news websites, one freelance AND NICO VILLARETE/RAPPLERERNEST FIESTAN

12 nieman reports SPRING 2018 photographer, and one foreign correspon- a nine-month project with the Department columnists or regular contributors of com- dent—who share similar experiences. of Interior and Local Government and var- mentaries would have to go,” says Rosario Rappler itself continues to report, de- ious local government units. Rappler cre- Garcellano, editor of the opinion pages. spite the fact that in January, the Securities ated an online platform through which “I take care, now more than ever, that our and Exchange Commission, a regulatory members of the public could report evi- ‘fearless views’ mantra is reflected in a mix body, revoked the site’s license to operate, al- dence of government corruption. According of views for and against the government, al- leging that it has foreign owners, in violation to Bagayaua-Mendoza, over 4,500 citizen re- though criticism often takes up much of the of the Philippine Constitution. Rappler is ports were gathered, while the social media content.” John Nery, who writes an opinion 100 percent owned by Filipinos. The site is campaign reached a total of 16 million users column and some of the editorials, says, “We operating while the case is on appeal. Since on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the have to fight for the newspaper we believe the decision to shut down Rappler, journal- website. Though few reports were referred in.” This thought has kept him and some of ists and civil-society groups have organized to government—whistle-blowers were re- his colleagues going. Black Friday protests in various venues, luctant to be identified—“What we did then Garcellano was a journalist during the including universities. was use the reports as leads for stories, both martial law years under Ferdinand Marcos. And Rappler’s work goes well beyond cov- for investigative reporting and to educate the When she was a John S. Knight fellow at ering Duterte. The site experiments with new public on typical scams in government,” says Stanford University in the late 1980s, she forms of storytelling, using animation and Bagayaua-Mendoza. remembers telling her colleagues “how hard 360-degree video to report on the war against At the Philippine Daily Inquirer, which we struggled to keep our heads—and integ- terrorists in Marawi. The animation focused has a fierce history of holding public officials rity—above water. I also recall saying that I on a soldier who died saving one of his troops, accountable, things are uncertain as the merely lost a job at the onset of martial law, while the virtual-reality documentary placed owners, the Rufino-Prieto family, conclude but others lost their lives.” Today, she says, viewers amid the ruins of the war zone. the sale of the newspaper to the president’s times are similarly difficult but “vastly differ- Rappler is also forging partnerships with ally Ang. “There is no pressure to be less ent” because “we have to deal with fakery and government and civil-society groups. Agos, assertive and to self-censor, but any astute falsity on many fronts. We have to stay the a Filipino word that means flow, is the site’s reporter will sense that there is something course, stand our ground. We have to report long-running campaign for disaster pre- different in the newsroom,” a longtime staff and make sense of the continuing narrative paredness. Typhoons regularly strike the member says. Stories about sensitive topics, for others. We have to tell the story.” Philippines, and Agos produces content like the International Criminal Court com- That conviction seems to be shared by on how to mitigate risks during disasters. plaint against Duterte and the president’s the next generation of Filipino journalists. “Government agencies still tap us to help finances, are toned down and those link- When in January Rappler’s Ranada was them in popularizing drills,” says Gemma ing him to corruption seem to be off-lim- asked by the young editors of Scout, a print Bagayaua-Mendoza, head of research. “We its, according to one staff member who and online magazine for youths, what they activate our volunteers every time there is requested not to be identified. In the past, can do to uphold press freedom, she replied: an impending weather disturbance or a hu- human-rights and corruption issues were “You can help just by speaking up … being manitarian crisis. Last year, we introduced a front-page stories. Under Duterte, these critical of government propaganda. … This new dashboard that could help us efficient- have been buried in the inside pages. is our generation’s fight, the fight of millen- ly route verified critical-incident reports to So far, the op-ed section remains feisty. nials. This fight is not just about Rappler. It’s groups that can respond on the ground.” Columnists who have been critical of Duterte a fight for the ideals we strive for, that any Another initiative, #NotOnMyWatch, was have remained. “I was not told that certain freedom-loving citizen should strive for.” 

nieman reports SPRING 2018 13 Reinventing Local TV News by sara morrison and eryn carlson To attract young viewers, stations are going digital-first, crowdsourcing reporting, experimenting with augmented reality, and injecting more personality into the news hen the rev. Billy Graham died in the cemetery in Charlotte—to the OTT February, Raleigh-based WRAL-TV pro- apps. “We blew out regular content on the vided expansive coverage of the famed ‘watch now’ section of our OTT apps,” says evangelist’s life and legacy. That was no sur- Leslie, who was previously WRAL’s creative prise since, after all, the pastor was a North director. “We’re constantly experimenting Carolina native, and—though his funeral with different content there and seeing what was held in his hometown of Charlotte, people want to watch.” more than 150 miles away—generations WRAL, the flagship station of Capitol of Raleigh-area residents had watched Broadcasting, which owns two other TV and Graham’s global crusades, which WRAL several radio stations in North Carolina, was broadcast beginning in the 1970s, on their one of the first local television news stations home television sets. in the country to develop an OTT app. Their In addition to reporting the news of Roku app, first rolled out in 2010, offers Graham’s death, the station produced a streaming access to tens of thousands of 30-minute special, “Remembering Billy clips from the station’s archive. Viewers Graham.” It aired the day of his funer- can access everything from live and archived al, which was livestreamed on the WRAL newscasts to live streams of legislative hear- website, Facebook, and their mobile news ings, school board meetings, and court tri- app as well as broadcast live on television, als. Sports fans can watch events that don’t pre-empting the noon newscast. make the evening broadcast. These are live Those interested in even more cov- streamed on the OTT apps, WRAL.com, or erage of Graham could have turned its niche sites covering professional, college, to WRAL’s over-the-top (OTT) apps, avail- and high school sports. OTT users also have able for Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and access to WRAL documentaries from the Chromecast. Any apps or online services past two decades, restaurant reviews, and such as Netflix, YouTube, and Skype, which podcasts from Capitol Broadcasting’s sports bypass distribution via a telecommuni- radio stations. cations provider qualify as OTT. Shelly Leslie, general manager of audience devel- WRAL-TV’s content covering the life, opment at Capitol Broadcasting Co., says legacy, and funeral of Billy Graham, the station added 35 pieces of Graham- below circa 1955, is available on related content–including clips of the a wide variety of apps and platforms motorcade bringing the preacher’s body to KEYSTONE/GETTY IMAGES TIMES/REDUX OPPOSITE: TOM BRENNER/THE NEW YORK

16 nieman reports SPRING 2018 Another area in which WRAL is innovat- ing is augmented and virtual reality. Many local newsrooms have been experiment- ing with augmented reality in their news- casts for several years, but WRAL is taking this a step further, recently opening its own AR/VR studio, which, according to Leslie, is the only one of its kind between New York and Atlanta. The studio enables WRAL to create a virtual world that presenters can interact with, which anchors did during the station’s coverage of the Winter Olympics. During their nightly half-hour broadcasts throughout the games of “The Olympic Zone,” anchors appeared to be located on the snowy mountains of Pyeongchang, South Korea. Augmented reality was used to place life-sized graphics, such as featured athletes, within the virtual set. “We’re also developing our AR/VR studio into a separate business as a resource to the gaming industry, agencies, and corporations local TV news is still profitable. In 2016, that want to explore AR/VR without having local TV over-the-air advertising revenue FCC chairman Ajit Pai in 2017. to send their crew to Toronto or LA,” says totaled $20.6 billion, and nearly 85 per- The FCC recently rolled back rules Leslie. Those with experience and their own cent of that was made by some 800 “news- limiting media ownership, allowing companies to own more stations graphics can rent the studio itself, or they producing stations,” according to Pew, with can hire WRAL’s in-house team to produce data from market researcher BIA/Kelsey. their concept. Yet a shift is happening. Veteran news ex- have ratings. “That doesn’t mean that they’re Likewise, the station’s efforts with OTT ecutive Mark Effron says the decline of local still not making a lot of money and reaching a apps are creating a new revenue stream, TV news over the past two decades could lot of people, but they’re reaching less people garnering funds from the branded and paid have terminal results if the industry fails to and making less money.” content and ads for their OTT content. “Our act now. “Because it is a slow drip and it’s People of all demographics are turning data indicates there is absolutely a new au- not a big hole in the ground that TV stations away from television, and this is reflected dience watching via streaming, and I fully are falling in, there is less of an urgency and in their news consumption. In 2016, Pew expect that to explode over the next two a desire to innovate in a ruthless, all-out reported, 57 percent of adults said they of- years,” says Leslie. “While demographic data manner,” says Effron. ten got their news from television, while is still lacking in this platform, we’re seeing Now a journalism instructor at Montclair 38 percent said they often got their news steady growth month-to-month. The biggest State University’s School of Communication online. Just a year later, that gap had nar- surprise has been live newscast viewing, par- and Media in New Jersey, Effron spent the rowed considerably: 50 percent television ticularly morning news, [on the apps].” bulk of his career in local and cable TV news to 43 percent online. WRAL is not alone in fostering innova- as well as radio. “By all metrics, local televi- Local TV still draws in the largest per- tion in local TV news. At a time when local sion is still a very profitable medium, but it’s centage of adults when comparing local, TV news is often written off as formulaic, not as profitable as it was. Profit margins have network, and cable TV news, but it has also with sensationalism triumphing over sub- shrunk over the last 30 years,” says Effron, as seen the steepest drop-off in viewership in stance, advertising stagnant, and viewership the last year. Pew reported that from 2016 declining, a host of stations is experiment- to 2017 the share of adults regularly getting ing with new ways to attract audiences. Local TV news news from local TV fell from 46 to 37 per- Local TV news is still what the majori- cent. Only 18 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds ty of Americans turn to to keep informed. still attracts larger often get their news from local TV, com- According to Pew’s most recent State of the audiences than network pared to 57 percent of those older than 64. News Media report, published in 2017, more Education and income also play a role; people get their news from television than and cable, but it has nearly half of those who regularly watch lo- any other source, and, of those viewers, also seen the steepest cal TV news have a high school education the majority get that news from their local or less while about a quarter of viewers are TV station—and their websites. In small- drop-off in viewership college graduates, and those viewership er markets, especially, television stations’ shares are similar for those who make less websites—not those of newspapers—are than $30,000 a year versus those who make often the dominant source of local news $75,000 or more. online, according to a recent report by the Afraid of alienating older viewers, sta- Knight Foundation. What’s more, unlike tions are wary of innovation that may draw many print and digital-only publications, new audiences in. “Even though I think a

nieman reports SPRING 2018 17 lot of television news organizations are re- University’s Walter Cronkite School of Many stations are ally trying [to attract younger audiences], Journalism and Mass Communication and in some ways there’s a sense that the audi- Arizona PBS, the public television station hesitant to innovate ence is always going to be an older, lower based at the school; the Emma Bowen socioeconomic demographic,” says Effron. Foundation, which will recruit college stu- because they don’t “I think it becomes a little bit of a self-ful- dents of color for media internships at lo- want to risk turning filling prophecy.” cal television stations; the Radio Television The deterioration of the local news me- Digital News Association (RTDNA), which regular viewers off dia poses dangers. Local stations are less will design a new annual training conference likely today to offer robust coverage of city promoting the First Amendment and inno- CORITIAS DISI QUATEM hall and state government. Reducing lo- vation; Investigative Reporters and Editors cal news coverage may leave citizens less (IRE), which, to foster investigative journal- knowledgeable about issues of civic impor- ism, will host data boot camps, workshops, tance in their own communities. and trainings, and will launch a new digi- A number of initiatives are under way tal watchdog TV network; and the Carole to strengthen the local news ecosystem, Kneeland Project for Responsible Television including an effort by Facebook to connect Journalism, which will train newsroom users with local news and the Knight-Lenfest leaders on topics ranging from community defined those efforts as simply using social Newsroom Initiative, a $4.8 million Knight engagement and ethics to digital strategy. media. Only about 14 percent said they are Foundation-funded project to share best dig- Meanwhile, at Northeastern University’s looking at what they classified as “young- ital practices among metro newspapers. The School of Journalism in Boston, professors er-oriented content on digital platforms.” second phase of the Knight-Lenfest effort fo- John Wihbey and Mike Beaudet are in the Wihbey and Beaudet hope their project will cuses on local television. A collaboration with middle of a project called Reinventing Local show local TV stations how important it is to the Center for Innovation & Sustainability TV News. They will partner with a handful innovate and provide them with suggestions in Local Media at the University of North of television stations around the country on how to do it. Carolina’s Chapel Hill School of Media and and, with help from graduate students, will Though local TV news stations have Journalism, the project works with two local experiment with some of the stations’ best plenty of evidence from their print counter- television stations and other media outlets journalism, telling the stories using non- parts that the cost of inaction may be high, in North Carolina to share best practices and traditional methods—perhaps adding an- many have been slow to take action. Several create a network of sustainable news outlets. imation or data visualizations. They will months into the study, Wihbey and Beaudet A $2.6 million Knight grant is aimed at test the original and the remixed versions say they’ve found “pockets” of innovation— advancing innovation and journalism ex- in their broadcasting partners’ respective such as Denver’s KUSA 9News. By and large, cellence in local television newsrooms. markets to see how audiences respond. however, local TV news is stuck in its formu- The grant recipients are Arizona State While TV stations are well-positioned to laic comfort zone, both in terms of which create high-quality, internet-native videos stories it tells and how it tells them. “Most that might attract younger audiences who television stations haven’t ventured far from Kyle Clark (facedown) hosts a personality-driven reinvention of don’t watch television, too few are doing the decades-old model of delivering a local the 6 p.m. newscast on KUSA 9News so. While 63 percent of stations say they are newscast,” Beaudet says. “They often just in Denver. It’s attracted new viewers trying to attract younger demographics, ac- repurpose their broadcast stories for digital cording to a 2017 RTDNA survey, the majority and are more interested in racking up clicks than providing useful, engaging content on- line that might actually tempt a millennial to tune in to the traditional broadcast.” Beaudet believes that most stations are hesitant to innovate because they don’t want to risk turning viewers off. They’re also used to making the bulk of their mon- ey from ads and, increasingly over the last few years, the retransmission fees that cable and satellite providers pay broadcasters for the right to carry their signals. Compared to the $20.61 billion in TV ad revenue local TV stations made in 2016 (election ads boost- ed that figure), they drew in $7.93 billion in retransmission fees and a relatively puny $1 billion in digital ad revenue, Pew reported. Further complicating the future, the local television landscape is in a state of change. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules limiting media ownership have been rolled back, allowing companies to

18 nieman reports SPRING 2018 own more stations, thereby giving a few companies an outsized influence. By 2016, five companies—Sinclair, Gray, Nexstar, TEGNA, and Tribune—owned 37 percent of all local stations, totaling nearly 450 sta- tions among them. In 2004, those same five companies owned 179 full-power stations, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of SEC filings data. Their combined revenue has more than doubled, from $3.6 billion in 2004 to $8.3 billion in 2016. As these companies’ holdings and reve- nue grow, many people with a stake in the local TV news industry are concerned about plans for their stations. That’s especially true for Sinclair, the nation’s largest broad- caster, which owns more than 190 stations across 89 markets and plans to buy all of Tribune’s stations for nearly $4 billion. This would give it access to an estimated 72 percent of American households. To in- crease its chances of winning FCC approval for the Tribune deal, Sinclair said it plans to sell stations in New York, Chicago, and elsewhere, then enter into agreements to operate the stations. Not only are critics of the deal concerned about the dangers of media consolidation— particularly that the reach of independent and minority broadcasters would be di- minished—but about Sinclair’s approach to news. Sinclair has a history of issuing “must-run” news and commentary seg- ments, scripts, and recurring features to its stations, limiting truly local fare. Recently, Sinclair required its anchors to read from and fewer resources, are leading the charge. a script saying they were “concerned For example, New Orleans’ Fox 8 WVUE- Comedian Reese Waters co-anchors about the troubling trend of irresponsible, TV—a station that undertakes investiga- WUSA’s new morning news show one-sided news stories plaguing our coun- tions with national impact—is owned by “Get Up DC.” It features trivia contests and trending stories try.” In early April, after Deadspin created the midsize Raycom Media, which owns or a supercut of the promos that went viral, operates 65 stations in 20 states. the company faced widespread pushback, Lee Zurik was investigating rising drug with other pharmacists. with critics labeling the ads as pro-Trump prices for Fox 8 when a pharmacist men- Zurik’s story, “Copay or You-Pay? propaganda. The company defended itself in tioned that some customers’ health insur- Prescription Drug Clawbacks Draw Fire,” an internal memo, obtained by CNNMoney, ance copays were causing prescriptions to aired in May 2016 as part of his “Medical with senior vice president of news Scott cost more than they would without any Waste” series. The reaction was immedi- Livingston writing, “The critics are now insurance at all—and the insurance compa- ate and widespread. People were outraged upset about our well-researched journalis- nies were pocketing the difference. to find out that their insurance might be tic initiative focused on fair and objective Customers had no idea this was happen- causing them to spend even more mon- reporting.” Livingston added, “For the re- ing because pharmacies signed confiden- ey on the drugs they needed. Outlets such cord, the stories we are referencing in this tiality agreements preventing them from as Bloomberg, CNN, and the Los Angeles campaign are the unsubstantiated ones telling anyone about the difference in price. Times subsequently did their own versions (i.e. fake/false) like ‘Pope Endorses Trump’ The pharmacist who was Zurik’s source of Zurik’s story. So far, class action lawsuits which move quickly across social media and trusted that the highly acclaimed investiga- have been filed against UnitedHealthcare, result in an ill-informed public. Some other tive reporter, who also anchors two of Fox Cigna, and Humana as well as pharmacies false stories, like the false ‘Pizzagate’ story, 8’s newscasts, would keep the pharmacist’s CVS and Walgreens. Some states, including can result in dangerous consequences.” identity confidential. Zurik’s source provid- Zurik’s home state of Louisiana, are consid- Not all stations owned by the five big- ed documents proving what he was saying ering legislation outlawing the “gag clauses” gest broadcasters are driving to innovate; and talked about the price inflation on-cam- that his report uncovered. The practice was indeed, sometimes it’s smaller stations era—albeit with his voice disguised and face a national issue, but it took a local TV news

REESE WATERS/WUSA OPPOSITE: KUSA 9 NEWS OPPOSITE: KUSA REESE WATERS/WUSA that, despite having a more limited reach obscured. Zurik confirmed the information investigation to uncover it.

nieman reports SPRING 2018 19 Chris Finch, Fox 8’s digital content direc- “Because it’s a slow repaved—which meant that the city wasn’t tor, says the station promotes Zurik’s sto- relying solely on the “worst first” method. ries on social media channels and typically drip and not a big hole Besides, national experts on camera called hosts a live session on social platforms as a the “worst first” ineffective. follow-up. “Facebook Live [videos] are the in the ground, there is Walsh highlighted other problems as best way to tease stories on that platform,” less of an urgency to well. On a street with a perfect rating from says Finch. A typical investigative segment the city, Walsh lay down in a pothole so large will get roughly 15,000 views, and having innovate in a ruthless, and deep that his entire body fit in it. someone who provides instant feedback on all-out manner” News 5 has done several follow-up seg- live posts tends to increase the amount of ments, some of which were inspired by view- time people spend watching the videos, says —MARK EFFRON, FORMER NEWS EXECUTIVE ers’ feedback, and viewers are still weighing Finch. “The largest obstacle is coordinating CORITIAS DISI QUATEM in via the feedback form. The “Broken Roads” someone who has the knowledge to answer series won a regional Emmy for continuing questions in the feed while Lee answers coverage as well as a regional Murrow award questions live. It’s an orchestra.” for excellence in innovation. In response, Another recent Zurik investigation, Cleveland announced it would work on shift- “Cracking the Code,” examined the costs of ing from a “worst first” to “fix-it-first” philos- medical procedures. The series was a part- System,” demonstrated the importance ophy over the course of the next few years, nership between Fox 8 WVUE, NOLA.com/ of local TV news in holding institutions and that it would be increasing funds for re- The Times-Picayune, and ClearHealthCosts, accountable and how a local station can use surfacing projects, recommending spending a New York-based journalism startup that digital tools, including interactive maps and between $12 and $18 million a year, compared aims to bring transparency to the health- a feedback form, to enlist viewers’ help in to just $4.4 million spent in 2014, $7.5 million care marketplace. The project included, investigating and telling the story. “If you in 2015, and $10 million in 2016. on Fox 8’s website, a Health Price Check give the viewers the opportunity to interact Innovation is paying off for News 5. Tool, which allowed users to look up pric- with a story, they get to see and truly under- Danser says the station has seen a steady es of various medical procedures and stand why the story is important and how it increase in downloads of their mobile app compare costs (both with insurance impacts them,” Assad says. and in Facebook audience growth. The sta- and out-of-pocket) at different locations The city said it used a 2009 database of tion continues to produce stories with digi- and providers. letter grades assigned to every street and a tal-only components, including “Cleveland To help bolster the tool as well as collect “worst first” policy to guide repaving de- Abandoned,” which investigates the prolif- information that could be used for reports in cisions. It took Assad several months to eration of dangerous abandoned properties, the series, the news providers asked audienc- get her hands on that database. Assad and despite the mayor’s promises to tear them es to anonymously upload their own medical Courtney Danser, then News 5’s executive down. Like “Broken Roads,” it asks viewers bills. Health Price Check was easy to access producer of digital, created an interac- to contribute to the reporting. “They tell from the mobile app—a smart move con- tive Google map that viewers could use to us their stories and we investigate,” says sidering about two-thirds of Fox 8’s digital see what grade their streets had received. Danser, who is now digital executive pro- audience comes from mobile devices, thanks Another map showed what streets had ducer at ABC11 News in Raleigh-Durham, in part to push alerts from Fox 8’s mobile app been repaved between 2009 and 2015. On North Carolina. “We have a responsibility as well as Facebook, Finch says. a feedback form, viewers could grade their to not only tell, but also to listen. And that’s “Without question, mobile is probably street and then see if it lined up with the something these digital projects are helping the highest priority for news stations,” city’s grade for it. Viewers were also invited us do more of.” and Fox 8 aims to give people a television to send in photos. Of the “big five” broadcasting companies, experience on their mobile devices, says This feedback from viewers was crucial to TEGNA—which owns 47 stations and says it Finch. Stories like Zurik’s are tailored to the reporting itself, revealing inconsistencies reaches 50 million adults on television and provide the best experience for audiences between the database and actual road condi- 35 million adults on digital every month— regardless of which platform they’re using. tions. Assad and the digital team discovered stands out from its competitors in terms of Desktop viewers may see more graphics that some of the 16,000 streets listed in the innovation efforts. The company holds inno- and mobile users will get more clickables report were either misnamed or nonexistent. vation summits, bringing together journal- within the story to help keep the audience Other streets were missing from the report; ists from its newsrooms across the country on the device longer, says Finch. entire neighborhoods were skipped. Many of to brainstorm what broadcast news should Like many cities in America, Cleveland’s the worst streets—which should have been be in the digital age. In Washington, D.C., it streets are plagued by potholes, something prioritized for repaving—were neglected for hired comedian Reese Waters to co-anchor that WEWS News 5, one of the stations years and even decades. Meanwhile, streets WUSA’s new morning news broadcast “Get owned by E.W. Scripps, reported on several with good grades were repaved. Up DC.” The show, which premiered in times over the years in its popular “Pothole Curious, they looked at the condition January, combines humor and trending sto- Patrol” segments. When investigative re- of streets that City Council members lived ries with local news, weather, and traffic, and porters Jonathan Walsh, Samah Assad, and on. Sure enough, many City Council mem- includes new segments such as “The Most Faith Boone dug into why the roads were bers’ streets had recently been repaved de- DC Thing” and person-on-the-street trivia so bad, they uncovered problems with the spite already being in good shape. They also and other contests with passersby. city’s method for evaluating and fixing found that City Council members had a say Another TEGNA station, Denver’s streets. Their report, “Broken Roads, Broken in which streets in their wards should be KUSA 9News, also is pushing boundaries.

20 nieman reports SPRING 2018 In August 2016, it launched “Next with Kyle was covered by BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, Wells’ husband died in 2008 shortly after Clark,” a personality-driven reinvention and featured on the “Today” show. Another police re-opened an investigation into her of the 6 p.m. news broadcast. Instead of rant about a pet owner who left his dog in a death. Tanner did not want to be inter- weather and traffic reports mixed in with hot car has been viewed 1.5 million times on viewed for the story, but wrote a statement fluff pieces and crime stories, the 30-minute Clark’s Facebook page. insisting that he was the one who shot his broadcast, hosted by popular anchor Clark, 9News also brought fresh thinking to mother. Vaughan countered this with a combines news and views for unique per- “Blame” by investigative reporter Kevin psychologist who said children’s memories spectives on what’s happening in Colorado. Vaughan. “One of the mantras we have in tend to be unreliable, as well as a theory that Clark’s commentary is irreverent and this company,” he says, “is to be innovative, Mike may have shot his wife while standing honest. Case in point: reporting on a large try new things, do something you’ve never behind Tanner, who heard a gunshot, saw rock in a local Target parking lot that cars done before and see how people react to his mother fall, and assumed that he was regularly got stuck on top of. Tipped off by it.” “Blame” examined the 2001 death of Jill the one who fired the rifle. a Denver thread on Reddit devoted to the Wells, who was shot in the head while she, In May, 9News reported that the manner boulder and its “victims,” “Next” staked her 6-year-old son Tanner, and her husband of death on Wells’ certificate was changed out the parking lot for Facebook Live view- Mike were target shooting in their yard. from “accident” to “could not be deter- ers; a few minutes into the livestream, a red Mike told police that Tanner accidentally mined.” The case illustrated the flaws of SUV was high-centered on the rock. “Next” shot Wells, and, after a brief investigation Colorado’s coroner system, which allows made light of the situation that frustrated without an autopsy, the county coroner people with no law enforcement or medi- drivers and amused onlookers and tallied agreed. The story was told in a podcast, in cal experience to decide which deaths merit the cost to drivers whose cars were dam- print, online, and on TV. an autopsy. aged. Ultimately, the station’s reporting led Vaughan, who had first looked into For TV, the story was told in three seg- to removal of the rock—referred to as “one the fatality in 2011 when he worked for ments, which were later stitched together of [Next’s] dearest contributors.” The Denver Post, decided to revisit the for a half-hour special. The podcast was So far, “Next” has been a mixed bag; rat- case now that Tanner was an adult and modeled on the popular true-crime “Serial.” ings are slightly lower than its predecessor, his family was willing to participate. The On the website, the story was accompanied but it is still in first place (9News has led the Wells family lives near Colorado Springs, by case documents and a timeline with rele- market for years) for its time slot. The best which is beyond the reach of 9News, so vant photographs and audio clips, including news: 70 percent of “Next’s” audience is Vaughan’s 14,000-word story was simul- the 911 call after the shooting. new to the 6 p.m. broadcast, according to the taneously published in The Gazette in Allison Sylte, a web producer for 9News, station’s internal numbers. And Clark, who Colorado Springs and on 9News’ website. says the documents got the most views. Some still co-anchors 9News’s traditional 9 and 10 Vaughan referenced the police and coro- features that worked on the desktop version p.m. broadcasts, has a knack for commen- ner’s reports, Wells’ life insurance policy of the site didn’t work for mobile readers. As tary that goes viral. A rant against viewer- application, and her husband’s request for the majority of 9News’ digital viewers came submitted snow-covered patio furniture the payout, which was made the day after from mobile devices, Sylte says, it will be cru- photos (“Why is it that every time it snows she died. Vaughan says, “I conceived this cial that future enterprise stories do a better we whip out photos of our patio sets like partnership with the idea that it would job with the mobile experience. we’re showing off baby photos of our kids?”) present the narrative version of the story In an unorthodox move, the podcast in a community where there was great in- went live four months before the TV and terest—and that that, in turn, would drive online stories. The 14-part “Blame” podcast, WEWS News 5 enlisted viewers’ help in an investigation of Cleveland’s readers and viewers to our website and put together by 9News’ longtime investiga- road conditions, which grew out of our airwaves.” tive photojournalist and producer Anna their popular “Pothole Patrol” reports He knew from the start that his inves- Hewson, attracted more than 100,000 lis- tigation might lack a definitive conclusion; teners—enough to prove that a podcast has potential to bring in revenue. Average en- gagement time on 9News’ website was high, exceeding 10 minutes; users usually spend less than a minute on stories. The story gar- nered about 500,000 views. The innovation efforts of 9News, just like those of WRAL, Fox 8 WVUE, and WEWS News 5, are proof of how the local TV news landscape is, however slowly, shifting. “We have to really know our viewers and what matters to them. We have to listen,” says Capitol Broadcasting’s audience develop- ment manager Leslie. “Now more than ever, I think the audience is craving content that really matters to them and their daily lives, but they don’t want us deciding what that is for them. How do we give them choice? You

WEWS NEWS 5 NEWS WEWS have to get your audience engaged first.” 

nieman reports SPRING 2018 21 THE ARTISTRY OF VISUAL ARTS WRITING

From heady journals to Tumblr manifestos, innovation in art criticism is happening outside the mainstream by mary louise schumacher

22 nieman reports SPRING 2018 “Female Robot” is one of the paintings by Kiki Kogelnik featured in Triple Canopy’s sickness and health- themed issue Risk Pool

nieman reports SPRING 2018 23 Good, old-fashioned prose, insight, and—most essen- tially—judgment remain core to many of these experi- ments. Indeed some of the most noteworthy examples are less about digital bells and whistles and more about how words are used and art discussions framed. WHEN POP Questions about what arts journalism might look like in the future were difficult to answer for many re- spondents to a survey I conducted while the 2017 Arts & Culture Nieman Fellow. More than 300 visual arts writers and critics working regularly for U.S. publications took the survey, which included more than 100 questions about the priorities and pressures of the field. Some of ARTIST the questions replicate those of a survey done 15 years pri- or by the National Arts Journalism Program at Columbia Jeff Koons had a retrospective at the Whitney Museum University, which provides a basis for comparison over of American Art in New York, it seemed every art critic a period of dramatic change to both media and culture. had to have his or her say. But it was Carolina Miranda About a third of respondents hold staff positions, while of the Los Angeles Times, thousands of miles away, who the rest are primarily freelance writers working for a mix got the last word—without any words of her own. of legacy publications and digital platforms from more Miranda celebrated the colorful and hyperbolic lan- than 35 states and several countries. The broader results guage used to describe the 2014 show in a poem, what of the survey will be published later this year. she called “cut-up Koons criticism,” assembled from The idea of an expansive era seems remote to many phrases in the avalanche of reviews. Her from-the-hip, whose newsrooms have grown small and resource literary aggregation not only celebrated Koons, it offered strapped. In those places, if arts journalism continues at insight into the kind of heat, groupthink, and compet- all, sticking to the basics and doing them well tends to itive one-upmanship an art-world phenom like Koons trump reinvention as a means of survival. “They don’t could generate among critics. He was described as the have the staff anymore,” says Christine Ledbetter, arts “reigning artist-king,” “a bland Mitt Romney Teletubby,” editor at The Washington Post. not “really that different from BuzzFeed,” and “the most There are, of course, plenty of exceptional arts jour- potent and inventive artist of this mad, frothy era.” nalists who are not particularly interested in reinvention. Miranda’s work is proof that arts journalists can be Sites like 4Columns, for instance, have been recognized inventive at a daily newspaper or its website. But it’s a for doubling down on craft and traditional forms of crit- rarity. It was one of the only specific examples of innova- icism to great effect. Most of the critics that survey re- tive visual arts writing at a legacy media outlet that arts spondents found most influential fall into this category, journalists pointed to in a recent survey. too. Roberta Smith of The New York Times and Jerry While arts writing is going through one of its richest Saltz of New York magazine topped that list. Saltz, who periods of innovation, with an explosion of forms in re- is married to Smith, recently won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize cent years, much of the experimentation is happening for Criticism. For all of the heat and energy he generates well outside of traditional media. The internet seems on social media, he’s a pretty old-fashioned critic, who to have reminded at least some writers of the kind of reviews big shows and important artists. The examples of artistry that’s possible in art criticism, says Charlotte inventive arts journalism that arose from the survey and Frost, author of a forthcoming book, “Art Criticism subsequent reporting could inspire a shift in sensibility Online: A History.” and a willingness to invest in an area of journalism that Gilda Williams, art critic and author of the go-to hand- many editors and publishers have effectively written off. book “How to Write about Contemporary Art,” suggests The subtext here is this: We are living through a we may be living through the most expansive era in the technology-induced cultural revolution and it’s not be- history of arts writing. “By and large the quality of writing ing covered particularly well. The ways we think about has gone way up,” says Williams. “It’s a much broader and derive meaning from art have changed dramatical- sort of ecosystem and it’s often more enjoyable to read. ly, along with the ways we communicate and consume The internet has really improved that.” As for the rich- media and information. Some of the best arts writers est territory of inventiveness, that is happening at “the today not only have a well-developed perspective on fringes,” Williams argues. art—and write engagingly about it, of course—they also The fringe, in this case, includes a broad range of proj- have a broader point of view about how visual culture is ects that bear resemblances to literary magazines, heady reshaping our lives. art journals, memoir, fiction, stand-up comedy, Tumblr What follows are scenes from a vanguard in arts manifestos, performance, and art. The production values writing. Most of these projects have been around long tend to be high, the thinking dense, the forms endemic to enough to learn from their experimentation. I select- the internet, and the writing literary and often personal. ed work that could be explored deeply and pleasurably, And yet, like Miranda’s poem, there is often a decided- and I owe a debt of thanks to the survey’s respondents ly high-low sensibility, a playful irreverence or wit that who drew me toward meaningful research and reading,

makes serious thinking about art approachable. including a surprisingly tall stack of books. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. FOUNDATION. PREVIOUS SPREAD: © 1964 KIKI KOGELNIK OPPOSITE: TRIPLE CANOPY FOUNDATION OF KIKI KOGELNIK COURTESY

24 nieman reports SPRING 2018 several months to fully unfurl online and at various in-person events. In this way, Triple TRIPLE CANOPY Canopy can feel like a series of high-concept research projects that everyone in the pub- When the subject of arts writing and its dig- lishing chain is in on, from the editors who ital future comes up, this New York-based craft a poetic prompt, the contributors who journal is often the fi rst to trip from the lips. respond, and those who are committed to Its mantra, to “slow down the internet,” is reading over a period of time. Lines of inqui- an ideal that people like to root for. ry are pursued in a kind of temporary, net- The editors have described themselves worked community. It is oddly participatory as lackeys from the publishing world—fact for a website that allows no comments or checkers and fl edgling editors and writers— online interaction whatsoever. seeking a place of their own. They are liter- While Triple Canopy’s editors describe ary minded and much of their philosophy is what they do as arts writing, the e-journal embodied in the site’s book-like orientation doesn’t publish anything resembling a tra- in which readers move through much of its ditional art review. Instead, they seek to content horizontally, from left to right. The gather sharp and diverse minds around standard vertical scroll of most web pages philosophical questions in such a way that is the product of programmers and their big insights on art and contemporary culture blocks of code, they argue, and that format are a natural byproduct. Formats might is more conducive to skimming or scanning include a piece of experimental writing, a than actual reading. performance, a digital game, an art object, The idea is to leverage the capacities of a public discussion, or—mostly likely— the web while being an antidote to its over- some hybrid of such things. whelming volume and pace. Triple Canopy For instance, Triple Canopy’s most re- resists the internet’s general sense of urgency cent issue, Risk Pool, explores ideas about by publishing in “issues,” collections of con- sickness and health. So far, it includes an tent around a single concept that can take experiment in typography that makes a common typeface more readable to those Preparatory sketch for Zini, a Studio with dyslexia and vision impairments; Manuel Raeder-designed typeface for the an epistolary essay by Johanna Hedva issue Standard Evaluation Materials about collaborative healing and politi- cal resistance; a sequence of poems by Triple Canopy is in the midst of rethink- Prageeta Sharma with paintings by Ragna ing its publishing model and online plat- Bley; and a report from the Aspen Ideas form, in part to reach a wider audience and Festival by Corrine Fitzpatrick. Like good further “combat the economy of attention,” episodes of “This American Life,” the var- says the site’s editor, Alexander Provan. ied takes on individual subjects such as The Triple Canopy, which is supported by mem- Long Tomorrow (the future), Standard berships and institutions, may ultimately Evaluation Materials (standards of mea- produce less content. The editors may fo- surement), or Vanitas (vanity) tend to cus more on getting audiences to spend resonate in combination. time with their content, Provan says. That After a decade of existence, one of the could mean presenting work on multiple takeaways of Triple Canopy may be about platforms, multiple times in multiple cities, the quality of its voices. People with lit- working with regional institutions and part- In rethinking how often erary star power, both heavyweights and ners, for instance. up-and-comers, show up on the masthead, With its future in mind, Triple Canopy Triple Canopy publishes in the “issues,” and at the journal’s fash- recently held an event to support the next ionable fêtes. It doesn’t hurt when your generation of inventive arts journalists, new content and what it collaborators include fi gures such as Hilton a “Publication Intensive” hosted by The Als, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker Underground Museum in Los Angeles that does to attract readers, the critic; Rachel Kushner, a 2013 Guggenheim featured an auspicious gathering of emerg- Fellow and novelist; and Lynne Tillman, ing talent from around the globe. A lot of site “seeks to combat the a National Book Critics Circle Award thought goes into Triple Canopy’s collab- fi nalist and revered critico-fi ction writer. orations and mindful uses of technology, “A lot of the work of criticism is about the says Frost, who in her forthcoming book economy of attention” people who are doing it … and the tech- positions the site and other online journals —ALEXANDER PROVAN nologies, while they transform ways of such as e-fl ux and The New Inquiry as part EDITOR, TRIPLE CANOPY working, don’t actually alter that fact,” says of a new establishment in cultural writing. Lucy Ives, a former Triple Canopy editor But, Frost adds, the site is not particularly and contributor. accessible for broad audiences.

nieman reports SPRING 2018 25 DIS

One of the art world’s more in-the-now, countercultural publications, Dis magazine, is making the quintessentially unfashionable journalistic move: pivoting to video. Dis is looking to be “aggressively entertaining,” though, to compete with the likes of Netfl ix and Amazon programming rather than the digestible videos that news organizations produce, says Lauren Boyle, one of the found- ers of the collective behind the site. “We en- list leading artists and thinkers to expand In a Dis video series about technology thinkers, host McKenzie the reach of key conversations bubbling up Wark’s head is detached from his body via special effects through contemporary art, culture, activism, philosophy, and technology,” the Dis col- to our incomprehensible moment of post- HGTV-esque shows so many of us consume lective states online. “Every video proposes truth, a clickbait cultural landscape that passively and uncritically. something—a solution, a question—a way to has generated misinformation and overex- A video by artist, critic, and curator Aria think about our shifting reality.” posure as a general condition,” the collec- Dean, “Eulogy for a Black Mass,” begins in The New York-based artist collective tive states in an artist statement for the de a similarly refl exive way. The video essay, of the same name, which includes Boyle, Young Museum in San Francisco, where the which explores the idea of blackness as it Solomon Chase, Marco Roso, and David Dis videos also debuted. relates to meme culture, opens with what Toro, had already slowed publication for its To drive home the point that we’ve all feels like a laptop takeover: a blinking cur- online magazine, launched in 2010. The in- lost our heads in an era of inattention, sor tapping out words on a screen. Those ternet’s noise became increasingly hard to one of Dis’s inaugural releases was the words are then deleted, letter by letter. It’s break through, says Boyle. While the online “General Intellects” series with media the- as if we’re witnessing thought in real time: magazine maintained a healthy audience, orist McKenzie Wark. The series is based “This is … a eulogy … for a form.” the number of people who reached the end on Wark’s book of the same name, which Memes unfurl, too, and we hear Dean’s of its long-form articles had decreased over profi les important thinkers. Wark’s talking voice: “Memes have something black about time, she says. Also, while Facebook was es- head is detached from his body via special them. The something is complicated and sential to Dis’ early growth, the magazine’s eff ects, turned on its ear, so to speak, as he hard to make recognizable. It has to do with content became less favored by the social provides tutorials on society and technolo- a lot of black people making memes, caress- platform’s algorithm over time, too, says gy. In one episode, he explores the ideas of ing them, carrying them to and fro, spread- Boyle, adding that Twitter and Instagram cultural theorist Sianne Ngai, who breaks ing them. On a very practical level there is were less useful for attracting audiences: aesthetics down into three basic categories, a blackness to claim, a blackness related to “It got to the point where just no one saw “the zany,” “the cute,” and “the interesting.” intellectual property and labor. There is an anything that we posted on social media.” It is her way of explaining how we see art imminent theft to be guarded against.” And so Dis, with a name that literally and the world. So far, Dis programming has also in- means to critique and that brings terms such Some of Dis’s videos critique the forms cluded a series about mothers and daugh- as disrespect, discourse, discursive, and dys- of entertainment they resemble. For in- ters by artist-comedian Casey Jane Ellison topia to mind, has gone post-Facebook and stance, artist Ilana Harris-Babou’s visual (known for her online talk show “Touching post-reading. It unveiled its “genre-noncon- essay “Reparation Hardware” has the feel the Art,” which satirized the art world’s forming” streaming service in January and of a promotional video unveiling a line of mind-numbing discussions while providing releases new programming on a weekly ba- products at Restoration Hardware as well a meaningful alternative to them), a concep- sis. The shift represents “a counter strategy as TV programs that romanticize the work tual cooking show, a cartoon about work, a of “genius” artists in their studios. Harris- children’s show about capitalism, and a doc- Babou remixes aspirational languages that, umentary on the “seasteading” movement. in turn, have the ring of political speech, re- Both Ellison and Dean were mentioned tail advertising, and artspeak. In the video, by survey respondents as inventive artist- we see her make tools from clay, dysfunc- critics worth watching. tional objects she attempts to use in a kind Most videos are in the four- to fi ve-minute of absurdist performance. range, and some include artist-produced pre- Harris-Babou is expressing something roll, a wry alternative to ads. Dis videos can about the futility of repairing the American be streamed for 30 days and are marked with dream given the history of oppression and expiration dates. The service is free, for now, exploitation in the United States, a history though Boyle says the Dis collective, which in which enslaved Africans were themselves gets some support through its curatorial Many of Dis’s first videos debuted at commodities. She’s also pointing to the nar- activities, hopes to charge for subscriptions San Francisco’s de Young Museum ratives embedded in the retail culture and later this year.

26 nieman reports SPRING 2018 on the site can lead to real-world opportuni- on Twitter, where she goes by @museum- ties. “I’ve met people who saw my work on mammy, celebrates black culture, and some- BLACK CONTEMPORARY ART that platform,” says Dis contributor Harris- times calls power to account. Babou, who creates conceptual ceramic Black Contemporary Art, and a few proj- Black Contemporary Art started as an inter- works, performances, and video installations. ects like it, have had an impact on the art vention into the art world, a way to make “I got to be in a museum show in Georgia … world, infl uencing commercial dealers and black artists more visible. Since its found- and have my work shown next to a Martha large institutions alike, says Sarah Douglas, ing in 2011, the Tumblr blog and its founder Rosler video that inspired it. I got to travel to editor-in-chief of ARTnews. The site is an Kimberly Drew have become authorities Paris and install my work there from some- example of what some have called Tumblr within that world. The visual blog is de- one who saw my work on that blog.” art criticism, making an argument through scribed as “a place for art by and about peo- Black Contemporary Art has become a the accumulation and combination of imag- ple of African descent,” and has presented go-to resource, used in art history courses, es. “You see artists of diff erent generations thousands of artworks by thousands of art- for instance, and Drew has become an infl u- next to each other, and it really makes an ists from around the world. ential speaker and social media powerhouse. impact,” says Douglas. “You know, this ma- “It is pulling together so many diff erent She has a following of more than 175,000 on terial was all there to be mined, and it takes forms of art,” says Tara Pixley, a photogra- Instagram and more than 20,000 followers someone with a strong perspective and de- pher and media scholar with expertise in sire to come in and do it in a new way.” visual representations of gender, race, and Drew, who is the social media manager sexuality. “There are fi lms here. There are for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and also images, paintings, collages, portraits of im- a curator, writer, and activist, was drawn to portant people like James Baldwin, poetry the call-and-response nature of the Tumblr (after) Assata Shakur, like all of these things environment. The meme-driven discussion coming together to create this incredible she created empowers others to submit tapestry of black thought, black life, the and reblog images of works by black artists. black experience through art.” “Remember: each of us has a role in writing Recently, the Tumblr has featured images art history and producing cultural memory,” of the multimedia collages of black women the site’s administrators posted recently. and girls by Deborah Roberts, the fashion “Social media offers a platform “I think Tumblr and Instagram provide photography of Nadine Ijewere, a portrait a great opportunity for representation we of two girls by Miranda Barnes, and sever- where we can hold space by don’t otherwise see in mainstream media,” al works by photographer and multimedia says Jeneé Osterheldt, culture columnist for artist Lorna Simpson. Part of what’s radical sharing art that inspires us and the Kansas City Star. “Artists of color aren’t about the site, Pixley adds, is the way cultur- restricted by the stark white walls of elite al touchstones of such range, from a Frank represents us” museums where black art has been histor- Ocean song to an Ellen Gallagher painting, —JANEÉ OSTERHELDT ically tokenized or rarely fairly recognized. are placed on the same level, inviting us to COLUMNIST, KANSAS CITY STAR Social media offers a platform where we consider them as equally deserving of respect can hold space by sharing art that inspires and consideration. For artists, being featured us and represents us, highlighting unsung work and promoting shows that critics otherwise ignore.” To understand how the Black Contem- Black Contemporary Art presents works by and about people of porary Art Tumblr functions, making a critical African descent, such as “Sore Arms” by Jessica Spence argument with images, it’s instructive to look at another—very diff erent—project launched the same year, artist James Bridle’s The New Aesthetic Tumblr. Bridle was making a case for a visual trend, suggesting there is some- thing about the way our machines, robots, smart phones, and satellites see the world that has changed the way we look at things, too. The result is an aesthetic of looking down onto, into, and through spaces and objects in a way that’s unique to our Google Earth era. “As diff erent as they are, Black Contem- porary Art and The New Aesthetic are doing a similar thing,” says Ben Davis, national art critic for artnet News.“Through aggregating images, [they are] sort of defi ning a sensi- bility and the criticism emerges from that sensibility. That is a very internet-era way of

OPPOSITE TOP: GENERAL INTELLECTS WITH MCKENZIE WARK, COURTESTY DIS OPPOSITE TOP: GENERAL INTELLECTS WITH MCKENZIE WARK, OPPOSITE BOTTOM: MOANALANI AGENCY SPENCE JEFFREY RIGHT: JESSICA approaching things.”

nieman reports SPRING 2018 27 about the sense of dislocation that photo- it is always on the verge of breaking. The graphs can create, the separation between image world, echoing the real world, is cor- ON PHOTOGRAPHY where we are and what we look at. respondingly fragmentary. This is perhaps After the mass shooting in Las Vegas what makes the various photographs of the By borrowing the title of Susan Sontag’s last year, for instance, Cole wrote a column broken windows at the Mandalay Bay resort definitive collection of essays, “On for the Times Magazine about post-mas- so poignant. And perhaps here, we do have Photography,” for his New York Times sacre photographs of broken windows. He a political lesson. An intact window is inter- Magazine column, Teju Cole claims a kin- made observations about windows, shat- esting mainly for its transparency. But when ship with a formidable public intellectual tered and not, through the history of pho- the window breaks, what intrigues us is the and polymath. He is similarly promiscuous tography and explored the role of glass in brittleness that was there all along.” in terms of his obsessions, which range from making and looking at photographs, from One could read Cole’s columns without 16th-century Northern European painters the glass plates of antiquarian cameras to ever looking at his Instagram feed, read- to Nigerian pop, from the telling textures smartphone screens. At the end of the col- ing his fi ction, or listening to his Spotify of cityscapes to the physical act of taking umn, he came back around to the present playlists, but to do so is to miss out on his a photograph. moment and the devices so many of us hold: more experimental side. One of the things Cole is one of the only photography crit- “The mobile phone is a kind of window, and that’s inventive about Cole’s practice is the ics writing for a general-interest audience unique way his social media activity informs in the U.S. today and was also, along with his criticism. At times, Instagram has been Carolina Miranda of the Los Angeles Times, a platform for Cole’s intellectual fi eld notes, one of the few arts journalists working at an updating apologia, of sorts. legacy outlets noted in the survey for inven- “If you read the column regularly and you tive work. Cole is also a celebrated novelist, are familiar with his voice, reading and seeing art historian, street photographer, and re- his Instagram is really exciting because it has cently named Guggenheim fellow. His de- a similar tone, but it’s a completely diff erent but novel, “Open City,” won the Hemingway project,” says Liberty, referring especially to Foundation/PEN Award in 2012. his “Blind Spot” project, which started on Certain philosophical questions tend to Instagram but evolved into a book, exhibi- recur across the whole of Cole’s work re- tion, and performances. “It gives you more garding the limitations of sight and the role insight into his mode of looking and seeing. of photography. His chosen platforms, from Teju Cole is looking It also shows what he’s working on personally the novel to Instagram to his essays, repre- … as an artist,” says Liberty, who writes about sent diff erent modes of thinking, all of which at the “vehicles through text-and-image relationships. are employed to tackle these inquiries. He is For the “Blind Spot” project, Cole cre- looking at the “vehicles through which we which we see” the world ates tenuous and poetic associations be- see” the world, says Megan N. Liberty, an —MEGAN N. LIBERTY tween text and image. Rather than captions arts journalist who wrote about Cole’s work LA REVIEW OF BOOKS CONTRIBUTOR or literal references to the images, he writes for the Los Angeles Review of Books last year. expressively and provides “nuanced visual He is also exploring a cultural phenomenon and metaphorical context,” Liberty wrote in her review. Sometimes he notes a time and place in the writing that is months off , draw- ing attention to the gap or passage of time. The imprecise connections between imag- es, text, and time invite interpretation. He is conditioning us toward a form of close look- ing, to see beyond what’s immediately pres- ent in the photograph. Cole also keeps his followers attentive by shifting gears on social media. He in- spired a debate about racism as it relates to the language and sentimentality around relief work in Africa in a series of tweets in 2012. He famously coined the term “White Savior Industrial Complex.” About two and a half years later, he took a “Twitter break” and never went back. Cole has started do- ing something entirely new on Instagram, posting photographs of details of paintings. Sometimes the images are accompanied by no words at all. Sometimes he includes lit- Describing the effect of a vintner’s nets blowing in the wind in Rivas, Switzerland, erary fragments, meditations on contempo- Teju Cole wrote in “Blind Spot,” “The scales fall from our eyes. The landscape opens” rary politics, or short exhortations.

28 nieman reports SPRING 2018 MAGGIE NELSON Lo-res

In a survey in which there wasn’t a lot of con- sensus about who was producing inventive and noteworthy forms of art criticism, one name came up several times: Maggie Nelson. Nelson is known for a mode of writing that combines vulnerability and serious- ness, that puts criticism and intellectual pursuits within the context of embodied, complicated, lived experience. She won a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant in 2016, in part for her genre-defying forms of nonfi ction. Her work is sometimes de- scribed as critico-memoir, though she’ll use the term “autotheory” too. Usually, she is thinking her way through ideas—on queer- Andy Warhol’s “Five Deaths,” circa 1963, is part of a series that ness, gender, sexual politics, violence, media Maggie Nelson discusses in “The Art of Cruelty” spectacle, and motherhood, among other things—through the lens of her life and with the help of a constellation of artists, philos- a Jenny Holzer project related to the rape various prose styles, that accumulate over ophers, and theorists. and murder of Bosnian women or a William the course of the slim book. These episodic In “The Art of Cruelty,” from 2011, Pope.L piece about racial hatred. Important passages, sometimes addressed to Dodge, or Nelson’s most squarely art critical work, she thinkers—including Susan Sontag, Hannah “you,” can be just a sentence or a few pages. recounts unruly and confl icting responses— Arendt, and Antonin Artaud—are like com- Nelson was one of several authors of repulsion, pleasure, boredom, and bewilder- panions convened on the page. books, writers of experimental fiction ment, among them—to a range of artworks In “The Argonauts,” from 2015, Nelson and memoir with art criticism embedded in which brutality is part of the aesthetic. She relates her experiences in queer homemak- within their work, noted in the survey and is opinionated but rarely defi nitive about the ing and becoming a mother. From page subsequent reporting. Some of these writ- avant-garde artworks she explores, including one she drives her readers to the core of ers emerged in recent years, while others her love affair with the gender fluid art- have been at it for some time. In addition ist Harry Dodge: “The Santa Ana winds to Cole, they include Ben Lerner, Rachel are shredding the bark off the eucalyptus Kushner, Hilton Als, Michel Houellebecq, trees in long white stripes. A friend and I Chris Kraus, Eileen Myles, Lynne Tillman, risk the widowmakers by having lunch out- and Kathy Acker. side, during which she suggests I tattoo the “We have a lot of doubt about tradition- words HARD TO GET across my knuckles, al criticism and are continually looking for as a reminder of this pose’s possible fruits. other forms of it,” says Lori Waxman, a free- Instead the words I love you come tum- lance art critic for the Chicago Tribune and bling out of my mouth in an incantation the Artforum who is known for writing about fi rst time you fuck me in the ass, my face art live as part of her “60 wrd/min art critic” smashed against the cement fl oor of your performance project. “Some of these new dank and charming bachelor pad. You had modes of writing that overlap with criti- Molloy by your bedside …” cism … they have built into their structure “We have a lot of doubt In a kind of literary jump-cut, Nelson a deep acknowledgement of the many ways then vaults from ravenous sex to Ludwig of seeing something.” The best writing on about traditional criticism Wittgenstein in the next paragraph, where Christian Marclay’s much-reviewed “The she ponders language, the inexplicable, and Clock,” Waxman argues, for instance, was and are continually her own motivations for writing. in Lerner’s experimental novel “10:04.” Later in the book, Nelson recounts an ac- What Nelson and some of these writers looking for other forms... ademic showdown between feminist theorist represent, says Frost, is a reviving of what’s Jane Gallop with her “endearing style” and been lost through the professionalization of [ones that] acknowledge feather earrings and art historian Rosalind criticism, both of the academic and journal- Krauss in her silk-scarf chicness. Those gath- istic sort. What a philosopher and poet can the many ways of seeing” ered look at images of photographs of Gallop do so well is open a concept out, so it’s not —LORI WAXMAN with her son, in the bathtub and lounging na- just about critiquing art for critiquing’s sake, ART CRITIC, ARTFORUM ked, and a tug-of-war over the appropriate says Frost. Nelson helps her readers get to use of Roland Barthes ensues. larger ideas embedded within experiences

© 2018 THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, INC./ LICENSED BY ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK NEW YORK ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY LICENSED BY (ARS), ARTS, INC./ FOR THE VISUAL FOUNDATION WARHOL © 2018 THE ANDY TRIBUNE HEADSHOT: ZBIGNIEW BZDAK/CHICAGO OPPOSITE BOTTOM: FOWLER TEJU COLE LORI WAXMAN OPPOSITE TOP: REBECCA C. It is these sequences of thoughts, in of art, she adds.

nieman reports SPRING 2018 29 In 2017, an exhibit in New York of work by Laura Owens led to protests and coverage in Hyperallergic

veken gueyikian had a problem. It was 2009, and he was in love with an unhappy arts writer. His husband, art critic Hrag Vartanian, had grown weary of low-paying writing gigs and the constraints of the 800-word reviews he wrote for art market-focused AGAINST magazines. Gueyikian, a digital marketing strategist, and Vartanian talked about starting an online arts mag- azine, but friends and acquaintances in art world cir- cles warned against it. No one was making real money in online arts publishing, they were repeatedly told. “I mean, literally every single person we talked to said you THE ODDS could not make a business with online art publishing,” says Vartanian. At that time, ad revenue and arts writing jobs were in Hyperallergic is a digital freefall at legacy publications and the economic climate was challenging and uncertain. There was a crowded standout in the world of field of upstart art blogs, but they were mostly labors of love that made little, if any, money. And the established arts journalism art press, glossies like ARTnews and Artforum, didn’t seem especially interested in investing in their online by mary louise schumacher operations, Gueyikian says. Nine years later, many of those independent visual arts blogs are still struggling or long gone, much of the art press is catching up online, and Hyperallergic, the for-profit “blogazine” Gueyikian and Vartanian launched,

30 nieman reports SPRING 2018 has risen to rival the arts journalism of legacy media. About 98 percent of Hyperallergic’s revenue comes “I think that they managed, kind of against the odds, from the ad network Gueyikian created to support the to reinvigorate art criticism,” says Sarah Douglas, editor site—and ultimately the partner he cared so much in chief of ARTnews. “There’s been this mantra since about, he says. It’s called Nectar Ads. however long that art criticism is dying, and I think they Gueyikian gave up his job in corporate advertising managed in their own way to breathe new life into it.” to run the ad network. Before he launched the network, Indeed, Hyperallergic was the only digital newcomer Hyperallergic was a digital newborn, effectively a person- that topped a list of publications in the U.S. well regarded al blog for Vartanian. The men paid a couple thousand for the quality of their criticism, according to a survey I dollars to get the WordPress site up. Gueyikian had a conducted while the 2017 Arts & Culture Nieman Fellow hunch that creating ads for visually sophisticated clients at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. The was an opportunity to avoid the “race to the bottom” of top of that list included titles such as The New Yorker garish and interruptive digital ads. and the Los Angeles Times and mainstay art publications The idea was to create beautiful ads that readers such as Artforum and Art in America. Hyperallergic was would recognize as part of an art-literate community, also named the top digital resource for arts journalists, ac- Gueyikian says, adding that he regards accepting ads cording to the survey of more than 300 visual arts writers for the site as an endorsement of sorts. Many of the and critics working regularly for U.S. publications. Some arts organizations Gueyikian approached—museums, of the more than 100 questions about the priorities and nonprofits, art schools, art services—had never paid for pressures of the field replicate those of a survey done 15 digital ads before, and he spent a lot of time in the early years prior by the National Arts Journalism Program at years educating them on terms such as “impressions,” Columbia University. This provides a basis for compari- he says. Ads for luxury products and fashion brands that son over a period of dramatic change to both media and sought to target the wealthiest part of the art world are culture. About a third of respondents hold staff positions, rejected, he adds, unless the brands are promoting an while the rest are primarily freelance writers working for art-focused project. a mix of legacy publications and digital platforms from “If you look around media in the art world, the ad- more than 35 states and several countries. The broader vertising is often welcome,” says Gueyikian. “It’s often results of the survey will be published later this year. part of the experience … So I tried to use that to our Hyperallergic describes itself as “a forum for playful, advantage and work with sponsors that our community serious, and radical perspectives on art and culture in wants to hear from, whether it was for an exhibition at the world today.” It is known for strong—and some- the Met or an MFA program.” times controversial—opinions and a diverse range of To offer advertisers scale, Gueyikian created a network content, including traditional reviews, news, personal of like-minded art sites where the ads could also appear. essays, podcasts, interviews, gossip, poetry, history, and Nectar Ads started with just three sites and has grown to a comics. “I think it’s the breadth of what they cover, and group of 11. That network reaches about 4 million readers sometimes they cover topics that you don’t find else- a month and includes sites such as Rhizome, Colossal, the where,” says Christine Ledbetter, the arts editor for The College Art Association, Art F City, Aint-Bad, and Spoon Washington Post, adding that she reads Hyperallergic & Tamago. More than a quarter of Nectar’s ad revenue and appreciates the competition. “It’s the things that goes back to the network’s sites, Gueyikian said. maybe I’m not looking for … It’s the surprises. I guess that’s what I like about it.” Today, Hyperallergic employs a staff of nine, most of whom work out of one room in a light-filled former factory in Brooklyn. Editor-writers work side-by-side at long tables surrounded by art books. Titles for dozens of in-the-works articles fill whiteboards on the walls. Hyperallergic also works with about 100 freelancers, an increasing number of whom are on contract to write regularly from different regions across the country, says Vartanian, editor in chief. More than a million people read Hyperallergic each month, says Gueyikian, who is publisher. The site’s rev- enue in 2017 was $1.5 million, up from about $1.1 million in 2016, he says. The couple have invested personal sav- ings and have yet to pay themselves full salaries. Their first profitable year was 2014, and they have been pri- marily funded by ads since, breaking about even each year, Gueyikian says “Essentially, they are one of the few, if not the only, commercially viable, native-to-online publishing institutions to emerge in the last decade,” says Sky Goodden, editor and publisher of Momus, an In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Hyperallergic published

ALLISON C. MEIER OPPOSITE: VINCENT TULLO/THE TIMES/REDUX ALLISON C. NEW YORK online publication that emphasizes art criticism. new allegations of sexual harassment against artist Chuck Close

nieman reports SPRING 2018 31 receptive to uncommon ideas” that fascinate writers rather than covering blockbuster exhibits and art fairs, he says. “I remember once we published a piece about W. E. B. Du Bois’s amazing infographics from the early 20th century and just a few weeks later [artist] Theaster Gates did something with those same images independent of us and our story,” says Vartanian. “I loved that because it showed me that our writer was in sync with what artists and art people were also interested in at the moment.” Recently, the site has ventured into harder news, thanks to the #MeToo moment. In January, it published a report by Claire Voon and Jillian Steinhauer about art world heavyweight Chuck Close, which included four Hrag Vartanian (left) and Veken Gueyikian, new accounts of inappropriate sexual behavior backed co-founders in 2009 of Hyperallergic up by corroborating sources. Hyperallergic publishes about 4,000 pieces of con- Nectar Ads has worked with more than 500 spon- tent a year, and the most popular stories tend to reach sors since it launched, creating ad campaigns with fixed between 50,000 and 100,000 readers, says Vartanian. budgets and fixed schedules. These include web-based About 35 percent of readers come to Hyperallergic ads, mobile ads, newsletters, and native ad campaigns. through its daily newsletter, which has a subscriber Sponsored posts, which often anchor wider ad cam- base of more than 100,000 and features a personal paigns, are increasingly important to the bottom line letter from Vartanian on Tuesdays. Vartanian shares and represent about 20 percent of ad revenue, Gueyikian what’s on his mind in the letters, which reflect the busy says. To distinguish these posts from regular content, life of an editor who is often on the road. An additional Hyperallergic uses a “Sponsored” label, a different layout, 25 percent come to Hyperallergic through social plat- and the sponsor’s logo in place of a byline. forms like Facebook, 20 percent come through search en- Advertisers have included museums such as the gines, 15 percent come direct to the homepage, and about Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Hammer 5 percent come via links at other sites, says Gueyikian. Museum in Los Angeles, and the Walker Art Center Vartanian and Gueyikian acknowledge that articles in Minneapolis; art schools such as the Rhode Island about famous artists or cheeky content do perform School of Design, and the School of the Art Institute well. Boing Boing recently picked up a Hyperallergic of Chicago; publishers such as Yale University Press report about a guerrilla yarn bombing of a toilet at and MIT Press; auction houses such as Sotheby’s the Guggenheim Museum in New York, for instance, and Christie’s; and brands like Adobe, Epson, Perrier, the kind of thing that can bring new eyeballs to the Pernod, Audi, and AT&T. site. Still, Vartanian and Gueyikian are routinely sur- As for audience, Hyperallergic is aiming to be acces- prised by the mix of things readers gravitate to in large sible and relevant to readers who are curious about art numbers. In a recent 30-day period, the most popular but who are not just art world insiders, Vartanian says. articles were about artist Damien Hirst, the bulldozing Among other things, that means covering issues of the of a Frank Lloyd Wright building, the relationship be- day and social movements through the lens of contem- tween tuberculosis and 19th-century ideals of beauty, porary art and artists. It also means combining political a documentary film about the art market, and Edvard activism with criticism and reporting. Munch’s little-known photography. Hyperallergic attracted attention early on through Some of the more popular content comes from places its coverage of the Egyptian revolution in 2011, partic- outside of the art capitals. When Milwaukee-based writ- ularly developments at the Egyptian Museum, where er Debra Brehmer wrote an essay about the Wisconsin antiquities were endangered, and also the role of artists artist Mary Nohl in 2014, comparing the locally vilified and graffiti in the uprising. The site’s coverage began artist to witches burned at the stake, traffic was signifi- with the aggregation of reports from across the web and cant. That piece, about a misunderstood, outsider artist eventually included reporting from the ground. who created a sculptural environment out of her home, The site also covered cultural trends surfacing from brought local expertise to a national audience. the web when mainstream media was slow to do so, says Hyperallergic has a set of part-time editors who work Charlotte Frost, author of the forthcoming book “Art independently on content posted on the weekends, Criticism Online: A History” (Gylphi, 2018). Today part when the offerings are longer and tend to be more lit- of our visual culture is the internet itself, from emojis to erary and reflective. “It’s sort of taking a way of looking memes and beyond. What Hyperallergic has done well is back and reflecting on different exhibitions or shows or produce criticism of that digital culture, says Frost. She PORTRAITbooks or poetry,” Vartanian says, comparing the week- especially noted the writing on selfie culture by Alicia PICTUREend content to The New York Review of Books. “The Eler, who has since gone on to become the art critic for weekday is much more present tense and engaged.” the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. Hyperallergic works with a lot of young writers, and Hyperallergic encourages an “organic approach while it was acknowledged as an influential publication

to story gathering,” Vartanian says. That means “being by survey respondents, Vartanian and Jillian Steinhauer, VARTANIAN HRAG

32 nieman reports SPRING 2018 the recently departed senior editor, were the only reg- university changed course. “For us, we were able to ular writers in the mix of individual critics considered make it a bigger story,” says Vartanian. “I bet librar- influential. In fairness, the top of that list is short and ians across the country read that.” Both readers and made up of the usual suspects, mostly from legacy out- advertisers seem to want the site to focus on material lets such as The New York Times and The New Yorker. that people will fully digest and share, he says. “We Hyperallergic is not without its critics. Momus’ realized in the last year that our revenue went up when Goodden, for instance, has publicly accused Hyperallergic we stopped chasing the numbers,” Vartanian says. of not playing enough of a leadership role when it comes Hyperallergic is also sometimes taken to task for its to pay rates for arts writers. “I just don’t see any account- activist approach. In one instance, a group of artists and ability there … and I find it all the more glaring because writers criticized Hyperallergic in a Facebook thread last they have assumed this primary role for audiences on- November, suggesting the site was lopsided in its report- line,” says Goodden. ing about a protest at the Whitney Museum of American Hyperallergic pays freelance writers at least $100 per Art, where Los Angeles painter Laura Owens was hav- contribution, and the rates can go higher for features or ing an opening. The article in question included a Q&A deeply researched pieces. Hyperallergic has increased its with the protesters and no response from Owens, who rates over time and relies less on the work of freelancers was being accused of “artwashing” the gentrification of than it once did, says Vartanian. Today, about 37 percent the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles. L.A. writer Carol of Hyperallergic’s budget pays for its staff and another 14 Cheh says, “There’s a lot going on underneath the sur- percent goes to freelance. By comparison, Momus pays face” of the dynamic at play in Boyle Heights between a minimum of $300 to its writers and artnet News pays local residents and artists. “So Hyperallergic publishes $400 to $500 for an essay and a minimum of 50 cents a that piece … and it just automatically assumes that Laura word for shorter news items, according to Goodden and Owens is the evil enemy, you know, the insensitive, Ben Davis, national art critic for artnet News. wealthy, one-percent painter. I mean, it kind of auto- Davis, named one of the nation’s more influential matically buys into that narrative and doesn’t bother to critics by survey respondents, suggests readers may be do any investigative journalism.” starting to turn away from publications like Hyperallergic In response, Vartanian says the site had covered and many others in the larger media landscape that favor, concerns related to Boyle Heights long before and after at least in part, quick-fire opinion that courts controversy. the publication of the Q&A and that the site’s reporting “I think there is a level of burnout with that kind of cov- must be viewed as a whole. Twenty articles that date as erage,” Davis says, careful to add that his own publication far back as November of 2015 appear on a Hyperallergic has been similarly criticized for its velocity and listicles. page devoted to Boyle Heights-related coverage. The “You know, that’s a general phenomenon.” site also published Owens’ response four days later. Vartanian agrees that going after a vast audience “The idea that one article would somehow explain can be a dead end and says Hyperallergic has shifted an issue isn’t necessarily the way we think of it,” says focus, especially in the last year, toward deepening loy- Vartanian. “It’s part of a bigger conversation. It’s also alty among its core audience. Part of this was a con- partly coming from the atomization of the internet … scious decision to avoid toxic discussions. A few years It’s not something we created. It’s something we rec- ago, Hyperallergic’s content on race, gender, and other ognized, that conversations have to continue, that they sensitive subjects saw an uptick in hateful comments, change and they form.” says Vartanian, who is of Armenian descent. “[We] re- Vartanian says Hyperallergic is more than willing to alized that going viral and reaching a broad audience sit out news cycles when caution and more reporting was becoming a complicated issue in the new online are needed. He pointed to several examples, including a climate,” he adds. Sometimes that means taking a pass piece about what had been described in The New York on would-be internet hits and investing in reporting of Times and elsewhere as a discovery of Arabic characters intense interest to some. Last December, for instance, on a Viking textile, a story that raised questions about Hyperallergic took up what could have been a minor the influence of Islam in Scandinavia. Hyperallergic lo- story in a local paper, the downsizing of a fine art li- cated a writer with expertise in the subject and added brary at the University of Texas at Austin, turning out a needed perspective to a widely circulated narrative, additional articles, including a piece about how the Vartanian says. Talking about the future of Hyperallergic, Vartanian uses the word “decentralize” a lot. He wants to break up his own power, he says. They are considering new, independent platforms, sections, or even parallel pub- lications, he says. They are also looking at new forms “Being receptive to uncommon of sustained coverage, gathering a diversity of voices around particular ideas or topics. It’s that kind of ongo- ideas” is a guiding philosophy ing coverage that increasingly penetrates readers’ con- —HRAG VARTANIAN sciousness, he adds. “We aren’t interested in the old idea of someone who pontificates and expects everyone to EDITOR IN CHIEF, HYPERALLERGIC listen and obey,” says Vartanian. “Our greatest challenge is always revenue, more than talent, will, or ambition.”

nieman reports SPRING 2018 33 nieman watchdog CAN EXTREME TRANSPARENCY FIGHT FAKE NEWS AND CREATE MORE TRUST WITH READERS? by michael blanding illustration by joey guidone

34 nieman reports SPRING 2018 nieman reports SPRING 2018 35 rontline executive producer Raney to see what is corroborated through other Aronson-Rath was in her office late last sources and what is not.” summer when special projects editor Philip The Transparency Project, as Frontline Bennett walked in. He’d just been watching calls the eff ort, is one of a number of new the raw footage from Frontline’s upcoming attempts by media to open up the process documentary, “Putin’s Revenge,” a two-part they use to create their journalism to engen- program about Russia’s attempts to infl u- der more trust with audiences. In a January ence the 2016 election. The interviews were Gallup/Knight Foundation poll of more than amazing, he said. What if they put them on- 19,000 Americans, the average respondent line? All of them. ranked their trust of media at 37, with 100 “We’d been talking for a long time about being the highest score. Just 50 percent of what we could do at Frontline to really put respondents said they had enough informa- a stake in the ground, that we are commit- tion to sort out facts in the face of media ted to transparency,” Aronson-Rath says. bias, down from 66 percent in 1984. Among “A lightbulb went on, that this is the one we Republicans, that number was 31 percent. should go big on.” Frontline has long been putting the com- The production team swung into action. plete transcripts of its interviews online, but At the same time editors and interns were putting the searchable videos online is a dra- working to produce the program to air that matic expansion of that proposition, laying fall, behind the scenes they were also pre- bare the process of making documentaries, paring 70 hours’ worth of interviews to post warts and all. “You see the real deal, people on the web. They fact-checked each, and swiping their face, laughing, looking ner- vetted them with lawyers with the same care vous,” Aronson-Rath says. they did for the documentary itself. In many ways, the new push for trans- But Aronson-Rath and her team didn’t parency is a response to the current me- want to dump 56 interviews for audiences to dia environment of “fake news”—both the sift through on their own. They used open- dissemination of actual false stories online source software Bennett had helped create and through social media, and the cries from to make the films searchable by text, so the current administration that stories it viewers could easily fi nd footage on specifi c doesn’t like are “fake.” As more and more subjects. They could even splice out a sec- Americans get their news through social me- tion and share it on social media. The result dia, content gets divorced from context that is an exhaustive look at the issue of Russian allows readers to decide whether a story is hacking and an unparalleled look behind- trustworthy. the-scenes at the reporting process. In four “People are getting their news through months, the videos had more than 300,000 every possible medium and on every pos- views, with 40 percent of web traffic re- sible device,” says Melody Kramer, senior ferred by social media. What’s more, visitors audience development manager at the spent twice as long with the interviews—an Wikimedia Foundation and a columnist for average of 28 minutes, much longer even the Poynter Institute. “It’s a challenge to than Aronson-Rath and Bennett anticipat- fi gure out the veracity of the information, ed—as the average visitor to the Frontline where it came from, what the point of view site. One viewer commented, “Things that I is, or how it was put together.” That creates myself wouldn’t have considered as part of more of an imperative for news organizations the story now have relevance. It gives me a to pull back the curtain to explain to readers moment for pause. I am now watching from how they report and write stories. “It be- an expanded viewpoint and it’s interesting comes incumbent upon organizations that

36 nieman reports SPRING 2018 As far back as 2009, Harvard technologist David Weinberger declared that

are trying to improve our lower-d democracy “transparency is the Other active transparency initiatives to open up a window into how they do the include the Trusting News project run by work they do.” new objectivity” Joy Mayer and supported by the Reynolds At the same time, transparency can serve Journalism Institute at the University of a defensive function, insulating the media Missouri, which has surveyed thousands of from attacks of political bias or unfairness. As journalists and readers and is working with far back as 2009, Harvard technologist David 14 newsrooms on experiments to engage Weinberger declared that “transparency is more authentically with readers; and the the new objectivity,” making a writer more newly launched News Co/Lab, funded main- credible in the eyes of readers not through ly by the Facebook Journalism Project and adherence to a supposed standard of impar- run by veteran journalist Dan Gillmor at tiality, but by making clear the “sources and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism values that brought her to that position.” goes into the news. “People think anyone and Mass Communication at Arizona State Among those organizations leading the can write something and press a button and University, which is partnering with the current charge to increase transparency is it appears online.” McClatchy newspaper group. the American Press Institute (API), which The fi rst step toward transparency, she One of the most ambitious efforts to in 2014 produced a report entitled “Build says, is to listen to readers about what they improve media transparency is the Trust Credibility Through Transparency.” The don’t know—and what they want to know— Project, an initiative of the Markkula Center report advocated for publications to “show about how news is gathered, verifi ed, and for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. their work” by being clearer about their reported. “Otherwise, you are just divulging Led by journalist Sally Lehrman, the proj- sources and correcting mistakes. In the run- the wrong things.” Some things that might ect worked with newsroom leaders from up to the 2016 election, API consulted with seem obvious to journalists, such as the 75 publications to develop a common set news organizations about how to better dis- ethics of using an anonymous source, may of standards for transparency it calls “trust close sources, using PolitiFact as a model. be opaque to readers and sow confusion indicators.” In November, about 10 pub- But it was unprepared for the level of hostil- and distrust. lications began rolling out the indicators ity toward media and the allegations of bias API is not the only organization working worldwide, including The Economist, Mic, and “fake news.” with publications to improve transparen- and The Washington Post. Signifi cantly, the “That’s when we started seeing a prob- cy. Transparency advocate Josh Stearns of project has gotten social media sites and lem with misinformation, of which ‘fake the Democracy Fund has spent the last two search engines including Facebook, Twitter, news’ is part of that universe,” says Jane years working with newsrooms across New Google, and Bing on board as partners; the Elizabeth, accountability program director, Jersey on how to better engage with read- sites have agreed to start using the indica- who was surprised by the lack of media lit- ers and open up their reporting to scrutiny. tors in their feeds to give users a measure of eracy among audiences and their willing- While such initiatives can be time- and re- the trustworthiness of articles. ness to believe outlandish stories with little source-intensive, he says, they can also help “In the case where the work is divorced sourcing, such as the debunked Pizzagate bolster revenue by explaining the value of from the brand, you can see some of the conspiracy theory. “Readers were confused rigorous reporting. markers that might help you know this piece and unable to tell the diff erence between “Helping people understand the labor of journalism and the quality behind it,” says misinformation, disinformation, and ‘fake that goes into reporting is a powerful way Lehrman. Unlike, say, a Good Housekeeping news,’” Elizabeth says. to build a relationship with the reader that Seal of Approval, which would rely on an She places most of the blame on the cur- will cause them to want to support it,” outside entity to certify a brand as trust- rent administration for deliberately sowing Stearns says. Such support can go beyond worthy, the project presents a set of guide- that confusion. “Trump’s candidacy had ev- merely fi nancial. “If we want the public to lines to publications they can adapt as they erything to do with this,” she says. “It was stand up for our rights for FOIA [Freedom see fit, under eight headings, including the type of campaign we had never dealt of Information Act] requests, or when lo- standards and practices; author expertise; with before.” At the same time, she faults cal mayors want to block us, then we want citations and references; and diverse voices. the media for not opening its doors to show to have the public’s back and we want them (Partners are free to use the TrustMark, the level of editorial care and vetting that to have ours.” a T logo designed by the project, or not.)

nieman reports SPRING 2018 37 a habit of responding publicly to its critics, even to critiques

Under standards and practices, for ex- that are published questions than it answers to leave readers in ample, the project requires that organiza- the dark about the original error. Rather, the tions clearly post their mission statement on other sites correction should clearly state the original and ethics and corrections policy, both on error, as well as the correct information. a site level and with each individual piece. The big question right now is whether “These are often straightforward to journal- such transparency will lead to an increase ists, but at the same time they are not often in trust. Research by Michael Koliska, a spelled out,” says Lehrman. “A lot of peo- Georgetown University communications ple don’t realize they exist.” Even in cases professor, suggests that there are no easy where sites include such policies, they are solutions when it comes to creating more often hidden, buried on a second or third trust. For his Ph.D. dissertation, published page on their website. in 2015, Koliska set up several experiments In addition to providing greater infor- notice when a story changes—which may in which he gave six versions of an article mation about the publication, Lehrman increase skepticism over time—but also with varying degrees of information, from and other transparency advocates are also consistently seeing corrections on other one that didn’t even have a byline to one pushing to include more about story au- stories might increase their perception that with a byline, author bio, and information thors, including their local or demographic stories without corrections are accurate. about the sources and production process. background, years of experience in covering As News Co/Lab’s Dan Gillmor says, over The additional information, however, subject matter, awards they have won, and time that may cause the public to believe had no eff ect on whether readers found the languages spoken—which is especially im- a publication less, but trust it more. “The story more trustworthy. In fact, says Koliska, portant for those covering minority or refu- more you explain what you screwed up on, readers barely seemed to register it. When gee communities. the more people are going to realize that he included a picture of the journalist on Publications may also consider includ- journalism has its fl aws, so the belief that the page, and then showed a lineup of pic- ing a statement with stories they publish, any given story is 100 percent correct will tures afterward, participants only picked out particularly for stories that might be con- drop,” says Gillmor, who is working with the right one about a third of the time. troversial or political in nature and open The Kansas City Star to develop a model “There are a lot of these kinds of things that themselves to criticism. “It really forces corrections policy. “But I would hope that people just didn’t care about,” he says. “The the reporter to think about, why did I do the trust in journalists to work really hard transparency information was too peripheral this story, why was it important?” says to make sure you know about the mistakes to the story.” Elizabeth. For example, a story written in a and correct them would improve.” In another paper published in 2016 in newspaper in a farming state about the use Transparency advocates recommend the Journal of Media Ethics, Koliska and his of toxic fertilizers could open journalists up making corrections at the same level as the colleague Kalyani Chadha argue that rather to allegations of bias against the farming in- original mistake—if the error was on the than “digitally outsourcing” transparency dustry. “You really need to explain why you front page, then the correction should be, information by adding transparency features are stepping into this volatile subject,” says too. For stories online, corrections should to web pages or publishing separate stories Elizabeth. “We are doing this story because be clearly noted at the beginning or end of about the process behind the article, jour- our state has the highest percentage of dan- the article. Some publications are exper- nalists should work the information into the gerous nutrients in the water. Just so people imenting with putting corrections inline, story, giving more background on the process don’t think ‘look, that liberal Democrat is either through crossing out and inserting and extent of the reporting and sources con- trying to ruin our economy,’ just to show it’s text or noting corrections in the margin with sulted as part of the story itself rather than a serious topic worth consideration.” a link to the corrections note. relying on hyperlinks or author bios. Just as important is that publica- Furthermore, a growing consensus That doesn’t mean that providing trans- tions come clean when they make errors. among advocates is that the old adage that parency indicators isn’t worthwhile, says Publishing on the web, it can be tempting to you don’t repeat a mistake in making the Koliska. As awareness of “fake news” and make changes on the sly, hoping that read- correction is no longer true. Because users disinformation grows, it may cause people ers won’t notice. But that’s bad practice, say may not be reading the publication daily or to seek out more information about trans- transparency advocates. Not only do readers have seen the original story, it raises more parency. “They will realize that they are

38 nieman reports SPRING 2018 not getting the high-quality product they increase transparency. As Frontline’s Putin to receive them. While the site has pushed want—they are getting McDonald’s sold as documentary shows, nowhere is that the back against some of the criticism, it has a Whole Foods meal, and crave something case more than in allowing journalists to taken some of it to heart, such as the fact better,” he says. “show their work” by providing access to the that it only takes into account inpatient Research by the Trust Project shows original source material so readers can make procedures, and will be using it to adjust that may already be happening. Working up their own minds about how it was used. their methodology for a planned Surgeon with the Center for Media Engagement at The Trust Project has advocated for a Scorecard 2.0. the University of Texas at Austin, the Trust separate “citations and references” box that ProPublica has made a habit of respond- Project funded a study in which some 1,200 lists the key sources an article relies on; some ing publicly to its critics, even when they participants read online articles on different partners such as Mic and The Economist are publish their critiques elsewhere—acknowl- topics; some included the trust indicators, already using those boxes. When the project edging it when they feel the critics have a such as author bios, links, a “Behind the did a focus group to gauge their effectiveness, point, and pushing back when they feel like Story” companion article, and an indicator they found they increased perceptions of they don’t. “At the end of the day, we live of whether the publication belonged to the credibility even if readers didn’t click through in a universe where people are going to say Trust Project. to the underlying sources. Just letting the things about your work, and there is no wav- A small majority felt that such indicators reader know that a journalist conducted ad- ing it off, like we have the printing press and would increase their trust of the publica- ditional research, even if it wasn’t included you don’t,” Engelberg says. tion, with the most (63 percent) citing the in the piece can increase reader confidence. In some cases, ProPublica has seen un- Trust Project logo, followed by a “Behind “What if at the end of the story you listed the intended consequences from its transpar- the Story” section (59 percent) and a list of number of sources you reached out to, even ency—like when it published a database of corrections and ethics policies (53 percent). though 20 of them were on background,” rates of prescriptions by doctors to draw In addition, by a small but statistically sig- Stearns proposes. attention to an epidemic of overprescrib- nificant margin, readers were more likely to Some publications are taking sourcing ing opioids and other potentially dangerous use adjectives like “reputable,” “reliable,” to the next level by including not only in- drugs. Analyzing web traffic, ProPublica’s and “can be trusted” for articles with indi- terviews, but underlying documents and editors noticed an uptick in traffic to the cators. “As newsrooms grapple with ways to source material to bolster claims in a story. database, after Google searches such as win over doubting audiences, we find the ProPublica has long been a leader in this “doctors who prescribe narcotics easily,” study results encouraging,” the authors of endeavor, using Document Cloud to upload implying that readers were using the data- the study noted. “The results … demonstrate and annotate documents for readers to pe- base to find doctors to prescribe them drugs. that Trust Indicators can affect what people ruse. “It has always been core to how we do Rather than pulling the database, think about the news.” our journalism,” says editor in chief Steve ProPublica made the fact a further exer- As much as the online environment has Engelberg. “In an era of complaints about cise in transparency, running an editor’s eroded trust and created the need for more fake news the best answer we can have in note explaining the problem, and adding transparency, it also offers unique tools to the fact-based universe is to provide the a new disclaimer to the database warning reader with as much fact as possible.” about the dangers of addictive drugs. “This For a story about death and complica- is an ethically tricky area,” says Engelberg. tion rates by surgeons in 2015, ProPublica “We weighed the possibility that we were go- included a Surgeon Scorecard with a ing to make it worse, but if you are in a glass searchable database readers could use house cajoling institutions to be transparent, to look up specific doctors. The site also then to know something about our work and included a detailed discussion of its meth- not make it public seemed against the prin- odology for calculating rates, quotes from ciples of what we do.” In deciding whether experts backing up their methods, and and how to release controversial documents, Video of interviews with nearly 60 sources an editor’s note from Engelberg describ- the more publications can let the reader are available online as part of Frontline’s ing the reasoning behind the story. At the into their decision-making process, the efforts to be transparent about the making end of the note, Engelberg invited criticism better they might be received by audiences.

FRONTLINE of its 2017 documentary “Putin’s Revenge” from readers with a dedicated email address In January 2017, when BuzzFeed released

nieman reports SPRING 2018 39 the Steele dossier containing allegations that the public and other journalists tweeting Last year, the paper’s managing editor Irene the Trump administration colluded with him tips, including one Univision journal- Gentle started seeing an uptick in com- the Russians, for example, it provided little ist alerting him to the location of a portrait plaints and harassment against the paper explanation of the pros and cons of making of Trump—who bought it with charity that corresponded to the skepticism south the unverified document public—saying money—on the wall at a Florida golf club. of the border against fake news. “She be- only that it wanted to let “Americans make When the nonprofit Project Veritas set came frustrated by the fact that we know up their own minds about the allegations.” up a sting operation to trick the Post’s re- there is a lot of hard work behind our jour- Arguably, the publication could have porters with a false claim of a woman having nalism that is being done by solid ethical taken readers behind the scenes to provide been impregnated by U.S. Senate candidate principles,” says public editor Kathy English, more detail about how they made this tricky Roy Moore, the Post produced a story and “but readers weren’t getting that.” journalistic decision, and how it aligned with 10-minute video about how it uncovered Starting in May 2017, the paper launched their ethical and procedural policies, says the sting, and even set up a sting of its own, its own Trust Project, hiring a transparen- Elizabeth. Such a thoughtful explanation showing the woman in an interview with a cy reporter, Kenyon Wallace, whose beat is may have mitigated some of the questioning Post reporter, and explaining why it broke the newsroom; each week he picks a topic and backlash it received from politicians and the agreement of confidentiality, since she and interviews reporters about how they other news outlets about the choice. “I do had misrepresented herself in an attempt to cover it. So far topics have included how believe BuzzFeed editors could have offered embarrass the paper. the paper covers politics, how the science readers a little more gut-level transparency The Post further elaborated on how reporter vets scientific claims, and how the about their decision to release the dossier,” it broke the story about Roy Moore’s le- restaurant critic reviews new eateries. Back Elizabeth says. “But every one of these situ- gitimate accusers in a video produced by in January, Star reporters and editors par- ations is an opportunity for all of us to figure reporter Libby Casey, part of a new series ticipated in an Ask Me Anything (AMA) on out how to do it better next time.” called “How to Be a Journalist,” which seeks Reddit, in which readers queried them on In addition to opening up their sources to take readers inside the goings-on of the issues ranging from the paper’s corrections to scrutiny, some publications and jour- newsroom. “I was getting so many ques- policies to how it covers outrageous candi- nalists have taken the public inside the tions from friends and other people who dates like Toronto’s late mayor Rob Ford. reporting process—as The Washington aren’t in media about how we do what we That effort was driven by the younger Post’s David Fahrenthold has done while do,” she says. “It showed me that with a lit- journalists, says English, despite qualms by reporting on Donald Trump’s supposed tle transparency we could turn our storytell- her and other veteran colleagues. “I didn’t donations to charity. From the start of his ing around to show how we do our work.” know what to expect and whether there reporting, Fahrenthold posted his progress Casey interviews her colleagues in an might be some ugly trolling—and there was a on Twitter, showing his followers photos of irreverent, almost jaunty style in an effort little bit,” she says. To keep the conversation his notebook listing charities he was explor- to present them in an authentic, human civil, however, the paper had an experienced ing. The openness paid off with members of light. In interviewing reporter Stephanie moderator approve comments and make sure McCrummen about the Roy Moore story, questions didn’t get out of hand. The Star’s for example, she discusses the anxiety re- transparency efforts may be working; accord- porters feel knocking on doors with a note- ing to the Edelman Trust Barometer, trust of pad ready. Another video features database journalism rose 10 points in Canada over the editor Steven Rich, who describes how he past year, to 61 percent. While she says the submitted 1,500 FOIA requests last year— Star can’t take complete credit for it, as one detailing how readers can submit their own of the country’s biggest newspapers, it may open records request to the government. have had something to do with it. “If we can demystify the process, it does More outlets are experimenting with so- empower people to learn what their own cial media as a way to create communities for role can be in a democracy.” subscribers to interact directly with reporters The Kansas City Star’s transparency team The Toronto Star has quickly become and staff. The Dallas Morning News created is developing a model corrections policy, a model of transparency with its efforts to a Facebook group in September for sub- designed to increase transparency open up the newsroom to reader scrutiny. scribers only, where they can ask reporters CITY PULLIAM/THE KANSAS STAR DAVID

40 nieman reports SPRING 2018 At the Dallas Morning News, publicly admitting mistakes in some cases has

and editors about decisions the paper has led to more open and accuracy.” For publications consider- made; it’s now up to 1,400 members. “We ing increasing transparency, the decision wanted to get to know them and for them to dialogue with readers takes forethought and planning. “It’s a lot get to know us as a way to overcome some of work and very resource-intensive,” says of the mistrust that sometimes exists,” says Wikimedia’s Kramer. She recommends pub- engagement editor Hannah Wise. lications think fi rst about their reasons for Wise was worried initially that the group wanting to be more transparent, whether would be one big forum for complaints. But it’s to acquire deeper sources, improve trust having discussions play out in public has with readers, or create more engagement given the paper a way to show it cares and about local issues, and then choose the ele- correct misunderstandings. When one reader ments of transparency likely to further those complained about not having his paper de- goals. However it’s implemented, she says, livered, editor in chief Mike Wilson jumped newsroom” every Thursday night, in which the push has to come from the top, and be in to make sure he got a replacement. When reporters off er talks and workshops on their tied to clear performance goals for employ- a headline was incorrect, some subscribers investigative reporting processes and solicit ees so they have an incentive to spend the complained the paper didn’t have copy edi- public advice and contributions. extra eff ort. “It has to be something man- tors anymore. “It was late at night, and I said, Matt DeRienzo took that a step further agement supports and creates a structure we do have copy editors, they are still here as Connecticut statewide editor for Digital for,” she says. right now trying to do work—you are wel- First Media, opening up a “newsroom café” For journalists used to keeping their de- come to meet them,” says Wise. to the public that was part coff ee shop, part cisions on what to include and not include in In other cases, admitting mistakes has community center, and part library where stories to themselves, opening up what they led to more open dialogue. When covering people could peruse the publication’s ar- do to such scrutiny can be disconcerting to an issue of separation of church and state chives. “The Little League and the Garden say the least. “It makes journalists uncom- in a nearby suburb, a reporter inadvertent- Club would meet right inside our news- fortable sometimes, because they feel like ly used the word “crusade,” which readers room,” DeRienzo says. Over time, having it is making them a part of the story rather pushed back on as an unfair use of a reli- community members in the newsroom than being able to hide what we do,” says gious term. The reporter admitted that she resulted in giving journalists more sources the Democracy Fund’s Stearns. Journalists hadn’t intended to use the word in that way, and perspectives they could work into sto- spend a lot of time and care crafting their and would be more careful in the future. ries, adding more nuance and complexity. stories to give them the proper balance “Since then, the person who has given her At the same time the publication was and serve an interpreting function for the the most grief has ‘liked’ every story she’s physically inviting people into the news- audiences—exposing processes and source written,” Wise says. room, it was also aggressively soliciting material can be nerve-racking. In another case, some readers were upset feedback on the web through its corrections “Those fears are absolutely legitimate,” by a weekend guide featuring a gay couple policy. Rather than just posting corrections says Stearns. “It’s a scary thing, and I total- on the cover. Wise explained to the group when errors were made, the site included a ly honor and respect that. The question for that the paper’s role was to refl ect the com- box prominently placed on every story that me is not should we do it or shouldn’t we, munity, and not censor things some readers asked the community to fact-check articles, but when should we do it?” Just because a might not agree with. “We let the communi- and contact the reporter through a form if publication embraces transparency doesn’t ty have the discussion, and I was heartened anything was incorrect. In addition to cor- mean that reporters have to post interviews to see that the majority of the group said, recting errors, readers often wrote in with and notes for every story. Publications how can you say this about people who love missing information and additional per- should be strategic, say advocates, choos- each other?” spective that reporters sometimes worked ing stories to start that might be important In addition to inviting readers virtually into other stories. “People don’t assume you or controversial, such as investigative sto- into the newsroom, some publications have are open to that unless you tell them,” says ries or enterprise journalism exposing an even gone so far as to invite them in physi- DeRienzo, who is now executive director of issue of pressing local concern. “It may feel cally as well. City Bureau, a nonprofi t news Local Independent Online News (LION) risky,” says Stearns, “but it will also make organization in Chicago, hosts a “public Publishers. “It led to a lot more context you unimpeachable.”

nieman reports SPRING 2018 41 nieman storyboard

Narrative writers on the similarities—and crucial differences— between journalism and screenwriting

WHAT JOURNALISTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WRITING SCREENPLAYS by ricki morell nieman reports SPRING 2018 43 ow many journalists regard the Watergate scandal as a love story? Peter Landesman does and that is, argu- ably, the key to his success as a screenwriter. Landesman was sitting in a Chicago bar when he heard on the television news that Mark Felt, sec- ond-in-command at the FBI in the 1970s, had just outed himself in the July 2005 issue of Vanity Fair as Watergate’s Deep Throat. Landesman remembers turning to the guy next to him and saying, “Who the f… is Mark Felt?” He resolved to make a movie about the Washington bureaucrat who changed the course of a nation: “I knew immediately it was a great story, someone that anonymous doing something that brings down the presidency.” But he also knew he had to step away from the well-trodden ground of “All the President’s Men.’’ He needed to find the emotional heart of the story, and he found it in Felt’s relationship with his wife. The 2017 movie “Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House” centers on the connection be- tween Felt’s public actions and his relationship with his emotionally troubled wife. The film shows how Felt’s toxic home life and his anger at being passed over to be director of the FBI fueled an urgent need to bring down a corrupt presidency. “Journalism is about infor- mation,” says Landesman, who was a New York Times Magazine contributing writer before turning to screen- writing and directing. “Movies are about an emotional tether to the audience.” Turning real-life events into screenplays requires an understanding of a simple truth: Film focuses on the “intimate world,’’ as opposed to the “public world’’ of journalism, in the words of Mark Harris, a distinguished professor in the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. With a number of this year’s Oscar nominees and other critically acclaimed films based on real events, journalists may dream of transforming their work into feature films. But even those who have succeeded in Hollywood say writers steeped in the art of reporting must be ready to make adjustments—in everything from their conception of narrative to their understanding of the difference between nonfiction and cinematic truth. Michael Maren, a foreign correspondent turned screenwriter, believes journalism is the perfect training ground for film, and cites some big names to prove it, from the late romantic comedy writer Nora Ephron to Mark Boal, who wrote “The Hurt Locker.” Citing essay- ist David Shields, Maren calls the film industry’s search for the next big true story “reality hunger.” Shields’ 2010 book by that name was a manifesto arguing for an artis- tic movement that obliterates the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction. He argues that they are artifi- cial in a world where fiction has become mundane and reality is more shocking. Intellectual arguments aside, the screenwriter’s pre- rogative to focus on a narrow slice of truth, of course, can spark a real-world backlash. Steven Spielberg’s movie “The Post” chronicles the two weeks leading up to The Washington Post’s 1971 publication of the Pentagon

Papers, the secret documents that revealed how the PRESS ASSOCIATED PHOTOS/THE PREVIOUS SPREAD: MGM STUDIOS/ARCHIVE PRESS OPPOSITE: THE ASSOCIATED

44 nieman reports SPRING 2018 government lied about the Vietnam War. But the nar- a film montage. Real-life characters may be melded rative, written by first-time screenwriter Liz Hannah into a composite, and fictional scenes may be added to and “Spotlight” writer Josh Singer, revolves around the heighten the drama. professional blossoming of Post publisher Katharine Two 2016 productions about football star and Graham, played by Meryl Streep. Although the movie murder defendant O.J. Simpson highlight some of focuses on The Washington Post, it was The New York the differences between a journalistic and a fictional Times that broke the Pentagon Papers story and won rendering based on the same real-life events. In the the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. journalistic rendering, the documentary, “O.J.: Made Borrowing a term from comedian Stephen Colbert, in America,” the infamous car chase down Los Angeles Landesman calls this artistic license “truthiness.” freeways is shown as it happened, with aerial footage It’s unacceptable in journalism, but it can make a from news reports. In the fictional series “The People powerful movie. v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” writers take Journalistic skills can both help and hinder the viewers inside the white Bronco and construct dialogue PREVIOUS SPREAD: screenwriter. Both crafts require an understanding Ernest Lehman’s between Simpson and his friend Al Cowlings, who was of the essence of a story, an ear for dialogue, and an screenplay driving the car. Although some of that dialogue was ability to listen. But journalism’s reverence for infor- for “North by based on police recordings, some of it was made up. mation, context, and comprehensiveness can hamper Northwest” Harrris calls this “the license to imagine things.” the fast-paced plot needed to make a screenplay work. describes in Unlike a piece of journalism, which is usually static Exposition is a challenge, says Harris, an Academy- detail this almost once it has been edited, a screenplay is a living docu- 10-minute scene Award winning documentary filmmaker. Too much ment. Even if a producer loves a screenplay on paper, with Cary Grant backstory slows the pace of a film and too little sows once shooting begins, a director will make changes on confusion. “Film is a medium that you experience in “The Post” focuses the fly, and then an editor will make more changes in continuous time,” he says. “If you miss something, or on the professional the editing room. “It’s commonly said that a screenplay if you’re confused, it gets in the way of experiencing blossoming of is written three times: the original shooting script is the film.” Washington rewritten when you shoot and then again when you edit Letting action tell the story also can be difficult for Post publisher it,” Harris says. Katharine Graham, a journalist: “People reveal themselves in action more accompanied Margot Lee Shetterly, author of the nonfiction compellingly than they do in dialogue.” Context and in this undated bestseller “Hidden Figures,” discovered the difference background that would take up paragraph after para- photo by editor between writing movies and books when she became a graph in a magazine piece might be condensed into Ben Bradlee story consultant for the hit film. In 2014, the first-time

nieman reports SPRING 2018 45 author landed both a book and a movie deal based on her 55-page proposal about the African-American women Typical of the differences mathematicians who helped launch NASA’s space pro- gram. Producer Donna Gigliotti spotted the proposal’s potential and shepherded the film to Hollywood suc- between the book and cess. She hired Allison Schroeder to write the screen- play while Shetterly finished her book. The women had the movie “Hidden Figures” a good working relationship, but Shetterly says it was still difficult to accept the paring down of the real story for the movie. The book, which covers 1943 to 1969, is is the use of a memo a deeply researched look at the lives and work of the African-American women employed as human “com- puters” at NASA. The movie focuses on a dramatic versus a crowbar to end 18-month period beginning in 1961 that culminates in astronaut John Glenn’s launch into space. segregated bathrooms “The book and the movie are apples and oranges,” says Shetterly. “When you’re writing nonfiction and you’re immersed in the facts, the documents, the oral at NASA offices history, you have to fall in love with what you’re doing. At first, it was very hard—the decision that the producer and the screenwriter made to cut it to that one period. But in retrospect, it was a critically brilliant decision.” Schroeder, who with co-writer Theodore Melfi was nominated for an Academy Award for best adapted screen- play, wrote the first draft in three months, before Shetterly finished the book. Once Schroeder, whose grandparents worked at NASA, earned Shetterly’s trust, Shetterly shared source material with her and answered detailed questions to help give Schroeder’s writing authenticity.

Mathematician Katherine Johnson, whose story is told in “Hidden Figures,” in 1962 on the job at NASA LEFT: NASA/DONALDSON COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES LEFT: NASA/DONALDSON PRESS ASSOCIATED CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/THE ABOVE:

46 nieman reports SPRING 2018 Still, many of the most powerful movie scenes were on the drama of the early 1960s because it had a natural fictionalized. For example, the NASA official played by From left, Janelle three-act structure around the Space Race: the Russians Monáe, Taraji Kevin Costner takes a dramatic stand against segregation. are beating the U.S.; NASA vows to catch up; John Glenn P. Henson, and He discovers that the mathematician Katherine Johnson, Octavia Spencer, becomes the first American to orbit the earth. But the hard- played by Taraji P. Henson, has been forced to walk far stars of “Hidden won respect and acceptance of the three African-American across NASA’s Langley Research Center campus to use a Figures,” join main characters drove the emotional arc. Gigliotti says restroom for black employees. Horrified, Costner arrives Katherine Johnson, she knew she had a winner when “people started weeping with a crowbar and knocks down the “colored’’ sign in seated, onstage while reading the last 30 pages of the script.” front of the bathroom door. In reality, the scene never at the 2017 Oscars Almost every screenplay follows the three-act struc- happened and a dry memo from an official put an end to ture. It dates back to the 4th century B.C., when Aristotle’s the “colored” bathrooms. In fact, Costner’s character is a “Poetics” described the dramatic arc: a beginning that composite of many mid-level managers. sets up the plot, a middle when the plot reaches its cli- “I think he was meant to represent pragmatic distract- max, and an end, when the plot is resolved. In his classic ed people, who when presented with a human face, were book “Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting,’’ able to open their eyes and to take action,” Shetterly says. Syd Field updated the concept for film, calling it the set- “When their mission was imperiled, they said we don’t up, the confrontation, and the resolution. have time for racism.” “I learned that most of the scripts that read well— In another scene, Mary Jackson, played by Janelle meaning they featured lovely sentences, stylish and Monáe, convinces a judge to let her take night classes at a literate prose, and beautiful dialogue—usually didn’t white school so she can become a NASA engineer. Jackson work,” wrote the late screenwriting guru. “While they walks into her first class to find she’s the only woman as might read like liquid honey flowing across the page, well as the only African-American. The teacher tells her the overall feeling was that of reading a short story or a the curriculum isn’t designed for her. This moment didn’t strong journalistic piece in a magazine like Vanity Fair or appear in Shetterly’s book. The screenwriter drew it Esquire. But that’s not what makes a good screenplay.” from her own life. The Stanford graduate had just walked In Field’s format, two plot points or turning points into an international economics tutorial while studying connect the acts. The first turning point connects Act I to abroad as a graduate student when the professor told her, Act II; the second connects Act II to Act III. The building “I don’t know how to teach a woman.” blocks of the three acts are individual scenes. A typical In an effort to be true to the book, Schroeder submitted screenplay might contain 200 scenes in 100 to 120 pages. a first draft that started in the late 1950s. A rewrite focused Each page is considered a minute of filming, and those

nieman reports SPRING 2018 47 48 nieman reports SPRING 2018 minutes are important because they are directly tied to “He was not swayed by the ‘American-ness’ of football, In the film “Frida,” cost and the project’s bottom line. Dialogue carries the and was able to look at the danger.” screenwriter Diane Lake focuses on scenes forward and, these days, it’s often fast-moving— Discussions about the film became public because of Frida Kahlo’s no more than four lines per character. The days of the hacked Sony Pictures’ emails released on WikiLeaks. “We tempestuous talking heads are gone. Action and setting are written need to know exactly what we can and can’t do and if this marriage to fellow out in detail, and background information is inferred— is a ‘true’ story or not,” Amy Pascal, then a Sony co-chair- artist Diego Rivera all while crisply advancing the plot. woman, wrote in an email. She urged caution when de- The written version of a famous crop duster scene in parting from the facts. Landesman says he agreed to some Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest’’ shows the art changes based on lawyers’ recommendations but didn’t of describing a visual medium in words. In the scene, a compromise the essential truth of the movie—a process low-flying plane chases Cary Grant’s character, Roger familiar to any journalist working on a tough story. Thornhill, across a wide field. In most of the scene, Screenwriting offers a blend of art and commerce Grant is alone and has no dialogue. Yet screenwriter that can be both exhilarating and frustrating for jour- Ernest Lehman described every moment of the 9 min- nalists. Maren, the former foreign correspondent, took ute and 45-second scene. It begins this way: “Thornhill to screenwriting after freelance reporting assignments is alone again. Almost immediately he HEARS the PLANE started paying less. He had spent much of his career ENGINE BEING GUNNED TO A HIGHER SPEED. He glances chasing stories in war zones such as Somalia, Sudan, off sharply, sees the plane veering off its parallel course and Rwanda. HBO optioned his first book, “The Road and heading towards him. He stands there wide-eyed, to Hell,” about foreign aid. The network paid him more rooted to the spot.” than $100,000 for another project, which was also nev- This attention to cinematic detail is crucial. When er made. He found an agent and sold the options to adapting a book to a movie, Emerson College screen- several more screenplays. At that point, he was fed up. writing professor Diane Lake first marks every scene He started producing and directing his own scripts. in the book that feels visual. Lake wrote the screenplay Still, Maren is optimistic about the prospects for for “Frida,” the 2002 biographical film about Mexican journalists in the film industry. Reporters’ experienc- painter Frida Kahlo, based on a biography written by art es can make a screenplay believable. “Whether you’re historian Hayden Herrera. That book was her “bible,” covering the war in Afghanistan or your local school Lake says, as she tried to create a simple, human story committee election, journalism puts you up close with about someone who had become an outsized folk hero. real people in real situations at times of stress when big Kahlo’s life had almost too much drama for one movie. things are at stake,” he says. Journalists are used to ask- She was crippled by polio, almost died in a bus accident ing, “What’s the story?” and then shaping messy real-life at 18, and endured a tempestuous relationship with her events into a structure. They are trained to have an ear husband, the painter Diego Rivera, who slept with her for dialogue, which is one of the building blocks of a sister. Lake needed to narrow the story’s focus, and she screenplay. And they are used to writing economically, decided it was, above all, a love story: “It’s Frida and another requirement for a screenplay. Diego, how they affect each other, how these two explo- Still, Maren warns that it’s difficult to turn one’s own sive personalities connect and grow together.” journalistic writing into a screenplay. “I usually advise Lake is not a journalist, but some of her research re- people don’t write the script for their own nonfiction,” sembled reporting. Lake had never been to Mexico, oth- he says. “You’ve got to basically take the book or story er than a day trip to Tijuana, so the studio agreed to send and smash it to bits and reassemble it in a three-act her down to soak up the atmosphere. She visited Kahlo’s structure for the film.” homes and schools so she could better imagine her life. Lake, author of “The Screenwriter’s Path,” agrees. Screenwriters, like biographers, must find what A producer may ask a journalist to write a screenplay adap- Landesman calls “an emotional portal” into the main tation—usually while hiring someone else to write the real character. “What makes this person tick?’’ he says. thing. In fact, even seasoned screenwriters may find that “Once I identify that, everything I do as a screenwriter they are just one of a crowd of writers of the final script. or a director, I do through the prism of that portal.” When Lake was brought in to work on “Frida,” other For his 2015 “Concussion,” Landesman wanted to writers had already submitted multiple scripts that were make a film about widespread brain injuries in National rejected. When she asked to look at these earlier drafts to Football League players. A 2009 GQ magazine article, avoid their mistakes, she was told to find her own vision. “Game Brain,” by Jeanne Marie Laskas, inspired him. She did, and her screenplay won out. But the credits in- But he didn’t want to make a documentary, so he needed clude the names of people who wrote earlier versions as to find a dramatic center for the film. He focused on the well. “It’s just a different kind of art, because of the collab- Nigerian doctor who in 2005 discovered chronic trau- oration and the huge amounts of money,” she says. matic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive degenera- For journalists used to the gratification of publica- tive disease, in an American football player. Actor Will tion, the screenplay’s circuitous and often mysterious Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, an idiosyncratic outsider path to fruition may feel frustrating. In fact, often, suc- who follows the facts and challenges the NFL’s ortho- cess may feel far different than a page-one article or doxy. “It was actually an immigrant story, not just being magazine cover story. black in Pittsburgh, but being Nigerian. It both made “Cash the check and enjoy it,” advises Maren,

HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES HULTON him vulnerable and inoculated him,” Landesman says. “because the movie will probably never get made.” 

nieman reports SPRING 2018 49 books audience. The way to improve media is to pay for it, he says, preferably with subscrip- tions and micropayments. Wu is not alone. In February 2017, Twitter cofounder Evan Williams, who had raised $134 million to The End of the Ad improve journalism by forming Medium, World as We Knew It an ad-supported blogging and publishing site, announced that he was laying off one third of his staff and ending its reliance on In “Frenemies,” media reporter ads. Echoing Wu, he told Business Insider Ken Auletta examines the collateral that ad-driven media was “broken” because corporations fund it “in order to advance damage wrought by an age of their goals. … We believe people who write and share ideas should be rewarded on their consumers living an ad-free existence ability to enlighten and inform, not simply by ken auletta their ability to attract a few seconds of at- tention.” When Jim VandeHei left as CEO of Politico in 2016 to start a provocative online publication, Axios, he assailed the While covering the media business for The New We can also be certain that privacy will “crap trap” of “trashy clickbait” designed to Yorker for more than 25 years, Ken Auletta has remain a third rail to marketers, always wor- attract more page views and thus to satisfy profiled many of the most important leaders of ried that governments will grow alarmed and advertisers. The “trap” was set by a reliance the Information Age and reported on the disrup- impose regulations. The European Union, on ads. For Axios to produce quality journal- tion roiling the industry. Among his books are for example, passed legislation restricting ism, he said, “readers will have to pay up and “Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost the ability of companies to collect personal if they need and love the product, they will, Their Way” and “Googled: The End of the World information without the user’s consent. and gladly so.” As We Know It.” Some, like Andrew Robertson of BBDO, The thoughts are noble, the analysis of In the introduction to his twelfth book, believe that the blizzard of different plat- what often ails advertising-supported con- “Frenemies: The Epic Disruption of the Ad forms and better targeting will place a pre- tent is correct. But the economics don’t sup- Business (and Everything Else),” published by mium on creative advertising that captures port the noble idea. The economics of Axios Penguin Press on June 5, he notes that the flight people’s attention and will invite advertis- certainly doesn’t support VandeHei’s bold of advertisers from old to new media which start- ers to spend more to lure those identified as words, for roughly 90 percent of Axios’s rev- ed in the late 1990s has accelerated in the current potential customers, as advertising spend- enues, one of their principal investors says, century. “In the public imagination, we were still ing becomes more cost effective. Others, comes from corporate sponsorships, or in the age of Don Draper, but I began to see more like MediaLink CEO Michael Kassan, offer advertisers who are granted a sandwiched and more clearly how this industry that had been a bleaker view. “My biggest fear is that the paragraph and often a picture introduced intrinsic to the disruption of old media was itself inextricable link that existed historically with headlines like this: “A MESSAGE FROM facing fundamental challenges to its existence.” between serving up content financed by BANK OF AMERICA.” Hillary Clinton and He writes, “The once comfortable agency busi- commercial messages, that link is broken Donald Trump didn’t agree on much in ness is now assailed by frenemies, companies that because consumers can get their content the 2016 presidential contest, but they did both compete and cooperate with them.” For the without commercials now. Think what it agree that most Americans in the middle advertising and marketing sector, worth up to would have cost you to get Life magazine were being squeezed, their incomes frozen. $2 trillion, these are anxious times. if there were no ads in it. It was subsidized Although median income did rise between An edited excerpt: by advertising.” But today too many people 2014 and 2015, it was little changed from “just won’t watch commercials.” the pre-recession year 2007. The Census hatever form advertising So what replaces the commercials? reports that median household income in and marketing takes in coming “We will live in a subscription world,” he 2009 was $54,988; by 2015 it had inched up years, a certainty is that data-fed boldly, and I believe wrongly, answers. to only $56,516. And those just below median W targeting will be a pillar. Irwin Tim Wu is among the most prominent income but above the poverty line saw their Gotlieb, chairman of GroupM, advocates for replacing ads with subscrip- income drop. The Brookings’s Hamilton a subsidiary of W.P.P., believes that in the tions. Harking back to 1833 and the first Project found that, after adjusting for infla- future, agencies will have to guarantee re- ad-subsidized newspaper, the New York Sun, tion, wages in the U.S. rose just 0.2 percent sults to clients, and better results will boost he calls this “the original sin.” In his provoc- over the past forty years. agency compensation. ative book “The Attention Merchants,” Wu Think about the subscription toll today, argues that in advertiser-supported media including mobile phone, broadband, cable From “Frenemies” by Ken Auletta. the reader or viewer is not the customer; or satellite TV, newspaper and magazine Reprinted by arrangement with Penguin the advertiser is. Thus, letting advertisers subscriptions, Netflix, HBO or Showtime, Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) into the tent inevitably means a diminution Amazon Prime, apps, music. Jeffrey Cole, LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. of quality, because advertisers pressure the who teaches at USC, says the average house- Copyright © Ken Auletta, 2018. platform to deliver a bigger audience. More hold pays monthly subscription charges of

news about Kim Kardashian magnetizes an $267 per month, which does not include DMITRI/MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES IVAN

50 nieman reports SPRING 2018 electricity, gas, and other unavoidable monthly bills. How do most overstretched consumers pay more? They probably don’t. There are, of course, successful eff orts to reduce de- pendence on advertising. Hulu is growing its subscriber base. The Apple App Store rang up $2.7 billion in subscriptions in 2016. Spotify’s subscriber base swelled from thir- ty million to fi fty million in 2016. Amazon’s Prime membership, for a modest annual fee of $99, off ers an estimated 100 million sub- scribers free delivery, free streamed movies and television shows, free music, and other enticements. The New York Times’s reliance on advertising revenue has been cut from 80 percent to about 40 percent. (But unlike most newspapers, the Times like the Wall Today’s advertising world bears little resemblance to Madison Avenue in the 1950s Street Journal and the Financial Times— could pull off this feat because they success- because they “are going to Starbucks and erosion in print newspaper revenues, over- fully raised the subscription price and their paying fi ve dollars a day for a coff ee.” all revenues rose by 6 percent. Obviously, if affl uent readers were willing to pay.) Maybe. But let’s return to the econom- the Times could one day abandon its print Some novel experiments to lessen re- ics. The New York Times’s subscriber base is edition, the cost savings in paper, printing, liance on advertising have also been tried. expanding nicely, up by 46 percent between and distribution might off set the dispropor- Rather than impose a paywall to deny free 2015 and 2016. They, like the Washington tionate profi ts the print paper generates. Or online access to news stories, a practice fol- Post, have done a spectacular job punctur- if the Times can increase its subscription lowed by most newspapers, the Guardian ing the untruths and disarray of the Trump revenues from 60 to 70 percent, as it hopes provides open access. But at the bottom of administration, and they’ve been reward- it can, analyst Ken Doctor has written that each story they append this: ed with a burst of new digital subscribers. the Times could escape from its struggle These subscribers have made the Times less to maintain slim profi ts to “generate actu- Since you’re here . . . reliant on ad dollars. This is great news. But, al, lasting growth, ahead of infl ation.” Alas, … we have a small favour to ask. … If and here’s the rub: the Times makes most of Times profi ts in the years ahead will be slim. everyone who reads our reporting, who its profi ts from the print newspaper, includ- And like other smart analysts, Doctor knows likes it, helps fund it, our future would be ing 62 percent of its advertising revenues. that if the Times succeeds in maintaining much more secure. For as little as $1, you And it’s not clear how a much-cheaper-to- slim profi ts, it will be an aberration, not a can support the Guardian. … produce digital newspaper could generate trend for other newspapers. The dominant comparable ad revenues. trend was defi ned by Gannett’s USA Today Readers can then click on a credit card or Why? The average reader of the print edi- and its 109 regional newspapers, and chains PayPal link. A total of 300,000 readers vol- tion of the Times spends about thirty-fi ve like McClatchy and A. H. Belo, which saw unteered a contribution, the Nieman Lab re- minutes a day with it. But the average on- their 2017 print advertising and circulation ported in November 2017. Another 500,000, line Times reader spends about thirty-fi ve losses exceed their digital advertising and they reported, either joined various mem- minutes a month. Because advertisers know subscription gains. bership programs for a monthly fee granting readers spend much less time looking at No question: consumers can reconfi gure them access to various events their ads, they pay about 10 to their cable bundles and can make choices and newly published books, or 20 percent for the same online among various subscription models. But to were print or digital subscrib- ad as appears in the newspaper. believe that the bulk of consumers who live ers. These monies now eclipse Despite the growth in digital on tight budgets can aff ord subscriptions as the Guardian’s ad revenues. subscribers, and the rise of cir- a substitute for the ad dollars that subsidize (Nevertheless, the Guardian is culation revenues of 3.4 percent, most of our “free” media and Internet activ- still bathed in red ink, losing $61 and the growth of digital ad rev- ity is to ignore the math. million in fi scal 2016–2017.) enue of 5.9 percent, the over- Yet the conundrum is that the adver- For those not wanting to all revenues and profi ts of the tising ATM machine subsidy may also be see ads, YouTube off ers Red for paper fell in 2016. This left the unreliable. The thought many marketers try $9.99 per month. Many other Times to caution about its fu- to banish is whether for consumers-spoiled platforms charge extra to be free ture in its 2016 annual fi nancial by Netflix and YouTube, by ad-skipping of commercials. It is not uncom- report, “We may experience fur- DVRs and ad blockers, by personal devic- mon to hear the argument ad- “Frenemies: The Epic ther downward pressure on our es we hold in our hands—the interruptive Disruption of the vanced by entrepreneur Kevin Ad Business (and advertising revenue margins.” ad message may be a relic. Are consumers Ryan, a founder of DoubleClick Everything Else)” By the end of the third quar- irrevocably alienated by sales pitches? Has and Business Insider: many by Ken Auletta ter in November 2017, the Times the consumer, on whom marketing relies, could aff ord new subscriptions (Penguin Press) reported that despite the further become a frenemy? 

nieman reports SPRING 2018 51 nieman notes

Introducing the 81st Class of Nieman Fellows The 27 journalists who will study at Harvard in 2018-2019 include four funded by new fellowships

Soji Akinlabi Shaul Amsterdamski Christina Andreasen Samantha Appleton Nigeria Israel Denmark U.S. Lead producer and CEO of Economics editor at Kan, Editor of digital development Photographer, will examine Africa Business Radio, will Israel’s public broadcasting and social media at Berlingske, the concept of otherness in the study the U.S. public media corporation, will study how will study how legacy media American psyche, from slavery business model to learn about to deliver complex economic can successfully turn digital by to war, and how it aff ects news best practices stories to a broad audience incorporating new skill sets in the current century

Juan Arredondo Tanya Ballard Brown Benny Becker Anica Butler Colombia/U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. Documentary photographer, Digital editor for NPR, Public radio reporter for Ohio An editor at The Boston Globe, will study the impact will focus on the growing Valley ReSource and inaugural will study change management photography can have intersection of humor/satire Abrams fellow, will study and design thinking to learn on reconciliation in and journalism and how it ways to fund infrastructure how newsroom culture can post-confl ict societies can help build community in rural communities become more nimble

Mea Dols de Jong Mattia Ferraresi Myroslava Gongadze Kaeti Hinck Netherlands Italy U.S. U.S. Documentary fi lmmaker and U.S. correspondent for Voice of America’s Ukrainian An editor at The Washington journalist, will study the evolving Il Foglio, will study the roots Service chief in Washington, Post, will investigate how rules for quality audiovisual of American liberalism and its D.C., will study strategies to neuroscience and psychology journalism and storytelling on discontents, from the postwar counteract a new era of Russian can inform the digital news the internet consensus to now information warfare ecosystem

After two semesters at Harvard, the three journalists chosen news coverage in underserved communities across the United as the inaugural Abrams Nieman Fellows for Local Investigative States. Also with this class, the Nieman Foundation is launching Journalism will receive funding for up to nine months of fieldwork the Robert L. Long Nieman Fellowship, which honors the memory for a public service reporting project. The fellowships are funded by of journalist, filmmaker, and news executive Robert L. Long and a grant from the Abrams Foundation designed to strengthen local supports the work of exceptional Turkish journalists.

52 nieman reports SPRING 2018 Esther Htusan Jonathan Jackson Mary Ellen Klas Uli Köppen Myanmar U.S. U.S. Germany Correspondent for The Co-founder of Blavity, Inc., Capital bureau chief for Head of data journalism at Associated Press, will study will study the emergence of The Miami Herald, will study Bayerischer Rundfunk (ARD), confl ict, inequality, and black media in the digital age the relationship between will study how coding can aid injustice and their impact on and ways to measure black declining journalism resources the investigation of algorithms Myanmar and the region cultural infl uence and local corruption and machine bias

Sevgil Musaieva Steve Myers Peter Nickeas Yoshiaki Nohara Ukraine U.S. U.S. Japan Editor-in-chief of Ukrayinska Editor of The Lens in New Reporter for the Chicago Tokyo-based economics Pravda, will study a range of Orleans, will study how Tribune, will study the eff ects reporter for Bloomberg News, media markets to determine nonprofi t, investigative news of trauma on children and use will study depopulation and the best practices for fostering sites can reach civic-minded that understanding to inform its economic consequences independent journalism audiences editorial decisions in Japan

Francesca Panetta Nathan Payne Laura N. Pérez Sánchez Brent Renaud United Kingdom U.S. U.S. U.S. Executive editor for virtual Executive editor of Michigan’s Investigative journalist and Filmmaker, photographer, and reality at The Guardian, will Traverse City Record-Eagle and inaugural Abrams fellow, will journalist, will study the eff ects explore how experimentation inaugural Abrams fellow, will examine Puerto Rico’s ongoing of trauma and mental and with emerging technologies examine the local impact of reconstruction and the use of emotional illness on rates of can be more strategic mental health policies hurricane relief funds poverty and violence

Gabriella Schwarz Matthew Teague Afsin Yurdakul U.S. U.S. Turkey Managing editor of Flipboard, Correspondent for National Anchor and correspondent for will analyze how the rise of Geographic and others, will the Habertürk News Network aggregators have changed the study how to best cover the and inaugural Robert L. Long news and how that change is emerging interdependence of fellow, will study impact of impacting democracy faith and politics in the U.S. Syrian refugee crisis on Turkey

In selecting the Nieman class of 2019, Nieman Foundation Williams Professor of Urban Planning and Design at the Harvard curator Ann Marie Lipinski, a 1990 Nieman Fellow, was joined University Graduate School of Design; Wendi C. Thomas, founder by Kathleen Carroll, board chair of the Committee to Protect of MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a Memphis-based news Journalists and the past executive editor and senior vice president project, and a 2016 Nieman Fellow; and James Geary, Nieman’s of The Associated Press; Jerold S. Kayden, the Frank Backus deputy curator and a 2012 Nieman Fellow.

nieman reports SPRING 2018 53 nieman 1961 York Socialites Who Fought 1998 notes for Women’s Right to Vote,” John Herbers’ “Deep South Howard Berkes is a member published by NYU Press. Dispatch: Memoir of a Civil of the NPR/ProPublica team 1955 Rights Journalist” was published that won an IRE Award for Sam Zagoria died at his home in April by the University Press 1984 “They Got Hurt at Work, in San Francisco on April 2. He of Mississippi. The manuscript Nancy Webb is the author of Then They Got Deported.” was 98. A political reporter for had been accepted before he “In the Absence of Grace,” an The series exposed how The Washington Post following died in 2017. His daughter Anne essay that appears in “States insurance companies targeted World War II, Zagoria returned Farris Rosen, also a journalist, of the Union,” published by injured undocumented to the Post in 1983 to be the helped complete it. Mascot Books. workers for denial of workers paper’s ombudsman. compensation benefits. 1969 1991 1960 Harald Pakendorf is the Tim Giago has been elected to Phillip Martin is a member Ralph Otwell, a former editor author of “Stroomop,” about membership in the American of the WGBH team that of the Chicago Sun-Times, died being editor of an Afrikaans Academy of Arts and Sciences. won a Sigma Delta Chi on March 8, 2017 in Evanston, newspaper during apartheid. Giago, the owner of Native Award from the Society for Illinois. He was 90. During his It was published by Penguin Sun News Today, will be Professional Journalists for tenure as editor, from 1968 to Random House in March. inducted in October. their investigation “The Gangs 1984, Otwell oversaw coverage of Nantucket.” that won the newspaper 1972 1997 six Pulitzer Prizes. He also Gregory Nokes is the author Paige Williams is the author 1999 oversaw, in 1979, the paper’s of “The Troubled Life of Peter of “The Dinosaur Artist: Chris Hedges is the author of Mirage Tavern exposé. For the Burnett: Oregon Pioneer and Obsession, Betrayal, and the “America: The Farewell Tour,” 25-part series, the Sun-Times First Governor of California,” Quest for Earth’s Ultimate which will be published by teamed up with the Better published by Oregon State Trophy,” being published Simon & Schuster in August. Government Association to University Press. by Hachette in September. operate a Chicago tavern— It explores the fossil trade 2003 staffed with undercover 1982 through the story of a man’s Susan Smith Richardson is reporters—to investigate Johanna Neuman is author of attempts to sell a dinosaur the new editorial director, municipal corruption. “Gilded Suffragists: The New skeleton from Mongolia. newsrooms at Solutions

“From Wisconsin staff writer, has returned to Janesville (Little, Brown) and “No Visible Bruises: twice for community conversations What We Don’t Know About Violence to Whyalla” about her book’s themes. In May, she Can Kill Us” (Bloomsbury) were each Lukas Award-winning book appeared at writers’ festivals in Sydney, honored with the $25,000 Lukas Work- by Amy Goldstein, NF ’05, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand. in-Progress Award. about decline of middle class At the former, she took part in a panel Stephen Kotkin was honored with resonates in New Zealand discussion, “Economic Inequality: From the $10,000 Mark Lynton History Prize Wisconsin to Whyalla” examining how the for his book “Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, loss of manufacturing jobs has affected 1929-1941” (Penguin Press). Amy Goldstein , NF ’05, is the winner of communities and considering the the 2018 J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize for political implications for democracies. “Janesville: An American Story.” Her book “Janesville” is being translated into is an intimate portrait of the dwindling a half-dozen languages, including middle class, seen through the lens of a Russian and Chinese. small Wisconsin city that had the nation’s The J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, which oldest operating General Motors assembly comes with a $10,000 award, recognizes plant until it shut down in 2008. In their superb nonfiction writing on a topic of citation, Lukas Prize judges called the book American political or social concern. “a triumph of narrative nonfiction in the The prize is part of the J. Anthony Lukas tradition of J. Anthony Lukas.” Prize Project, presented annually by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism and Since it was published by Simon & Columbia Journalism School. Schuster a year ago, this story of what Other winners of this year’s Lukas happens to workers, families, and a Prize Project awards are Chris Hamby and community when good jobs go away Rachel Louise Snyder, whose respective has been attracting readers locally and books “Soul Full of Coal Dust: The far away. Goldstein, a Washington Post True Story of an Epic Battle for Justice” Amy Goldstein focuses on factory jobs MELINA MARA/THE WASHINGTON POST OPPOSITE: LISA ABITBOL POST OPPOSITE: LISA MARA/THE WASHINGTON MELINA

54 nieman reports SPRING 2018 Journalism Network. She had 2014 been the editor and publisher “This is how we did it” Wendell Steavenson is the of The Chicago Reporter. author of “Paris Metro,” a A prize-winning series by Jason Grotto, NF ’15, novel published by Norton in underscores the value of transparency 2004 March. It tells the story of a Masha Gessen is the author journalist, based in Paris, as of “Never Remember: terrorism threatens her city. Searching for Stalin’s Gulags in Putin’s Russia,” published 2015 by Columbia Global Reports. Dawn Turner was a resident fellow this spring at University Susan Orlean is the author of Chicago’s Institute of of “The Library Book,” to Politics. She held seminars be published by Simon & on topics relating to African- Schuster in October. Orlean American images in the media investigates the unsolved and their impact on policies. catastrophic 1986 fire at the 2016 Los Angeles Public Library. Jason Grotto showed the math bolstering his investigation Andrea Bruce is the winner 2009 of the 2018 Anja Niedringhaus “The Tax Divide,” a four-part series reported by Jason Grotto, Carla Broyles is now senior Courage in Photojournalism NF ’15, and published by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica editor for recruiting and Award from the International Illinois, is the winner of the 2017 Taylor Family Award for Fairness training at The Washington Women’s Media Foundation. in Journalism. The result of a two-year investigation involving Post. Most recently, she was Anja Niedringhaus was a more than 100 million computer records, the series exposed an editor of the Post’s National 2007 Nieman Fellow. Bruce unfair property tax assessment system in Cook County, Illinois. Weekly edition. also was awarded a 2018 The error-ridden and inequitable assessment system punished poor CatchLight fellowship. Each homeowners and small businesses in Chicago and surrounding David Jackson is a member fellow will receive $30,000 for suburbs while simultaneously providing unsanctioned tax breaks to of the Chicago Tribune team a visual storytelling project to more affluent homeowners and commercial property owners. that won a 2017 IRE Award drive social change. for an investigation—in Taylor Award judges deemed the series “a remarkable piece the wake of the death of a Todd Pitman is a member of of investigative reporting,” with judge Rob Davis adding, toddler—into the failures of the AP team honored with a “Where this story really sings is in its own transparency— the Illinois family services Robert F. Kennedy Journalism both in confronting its subjects with detailed findings and in department. Award for “Rohingya Exodus,” stating clearly: ‘This is how we did it.’ This series demonstrates 2013 their coverage of the Rohingya foundational transparency, repeatedly showing readers the crisis. bedrock upon which the conclusions are built.” Jeneen Interlandi has joined 2017 The $10,000 Taylor Award, which was established by the The New York Times editorial Taylor family, who published The Boston Globe from 1872 to board to write about health, Brady McCollough has joined 1999, is presented annually to encourage fairness in news science, and education. She will the Los Angeles Times’ sports coverage by America’s journalists and news organizations. also write for the magazine. department as a reporter. Grotto told Nieman Reports that, seven months after McCollough had been projects publication of the series, the “county published an independent Souad Mekhennet has been reporter for sports and news study that corroborated all of our findings. That was the coup awarded the Stern magazine at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. de grâce. Transparency is not just insurance. It’s a force field, editorial board’s special prize protecting you from attacks.” for her accomplishments in Karin Pettersson is the Grotto also reflected on the challenge of finding property reporting on terrorism and new director of public policy owners to humanize the statistics-heavy series: “Property owners Islamic extremism. at Schibsted Media Group. from poorer neighborhoods were especially suspicious about She also is chairwoman of sticking their neck out. After years of being overtaxed, they had Laura Wides-Muñoz has the media freedom board zero belief that our work would lead to change. So it took multiple joined ABC News as executive of the World Association trips and many hours to convince people to go on the record, take editor for news practices. She of Newspapers and News photos, etc. Along the way, the most compelling examples sort of is based in Washington, D.C. Publishers. popped out at us. When I went to a building that the assessor had overvalued by nearly 50 percent and found out it was a daycare Betsy O’Donovan has a new Jason Rezaian is a global called Sweet Pea Academy, I knew I had a score. My colleague job as an assistant professor affairs analyst for CNN. David Kidwell talked to a woman who was afraid of losing her of journalism at Western He continues as a global home because of her property tax bill, and she worked at a Washington University in opinions writer at The homeless shelter called A Little Bit of Heaven. That’s gold.” Bellingham, Washington. Washington Post.

nieman reports SPRING 2018 55 sounding how much the practice of each is the same. As journalists, we spend much of our time in study and reflection. Our faith requires us to break bread, and drink in communion with our sources and fellow journalists. And most “The Requesting of Good Things” of all, we devote ourselves to prayer. The catechism of the Catholic Church ex- Journalism, like religion, is an act of faith plains the role of prayer with this quote from by dustin dwyer St. John of Damascus: “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the request- ing of good things from God.” Rosen, in his essay “Journalism Itself is a Religion,” quotes his fellow journalism pro- fessor James W. Carey, who says “The god didn’t always know I wanted to term in journalism … is the public.” be a reporter. I came at it sideways, in We can mash together the two quotes college, after deciding to major in cre- and say this about prayer in journalism: I ative writing. There’s no career path for Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart writing majors, so I did what a lot of as- to the public or the requesting of good piring writers before me have done: I went things from the public. to my college newspaper and convinced How is this not what we do with every them to give me a chance. story we write? The stakes were low. I started on the None of us are in the business of jour- features desk. Still, I’ll never forget what nalism simply to transcribe words and facts. happened the first time I turned in a story. That is part of what we do, but it is not our When that paper came back, all I could see purpose. We do what we do so that it will was the red. Every line was marked up or have an impact with our god—the public. scribbled over. Most of the markings didn’t Every story is a request, often deeply heart- even make sense to me. The red ink was felt, for change. splattered on the page, washing over every These prayers of ours often go unan- word of my precious prose. swered. Every journalist can tell you of the I don’t remember the topic of the story of faith. Many are ardent atheists. It took me stories they labored over, and lifted up to the or the specific edits. What I do remember is years to realize the connection between jour- public, only to find the public didn’t notice the feeling, how my idea of writing and of nalism and religious practice. But I’m not the or didn’t care. Yet we go on praying, filing storytelling shifted. As I had the red mark- first to see it. stories day after day, week after week, per- ings explained to me, I saw how imprecise Jay Rosen of NYU laid out his case in an sistent in the faith that these prayers, will and unorganized my story had been. I re- essay published online in 2004. In that essay, lead to “good things” for our society. alized that journalism was going to require Rosen pointed to the journalist’s creed, writ- I realize not everyone will identify with more of me. ten by Walter William, the first dean of the the analogy here. Most journalists I know This was more than an edit. It was a mo- Missouri School of Journalism: are solidly secular. Many grew up with no ment of transformation. It was baptism. experience of organized religion. But for me, It took me a while to think of it that way. I believe in the profession of journalism. the comparison is as obvious as it is useful. I still thought I was just there trying to do I believe that the public journal is a pub- It helps me understand why I stick to this something with my writing. But I was also lic trust; that all connected with it are, to profession, even in the face of so many prob- learning journalism’s core beliefs. I adopted the full measure of their responsibility, lems. Sometimes my doubts about journal- them on faith. trustees for the public; that acceptance of ism are as powerful as the ones I felt in the Journalism is a secular profession. Most a lesser service than the public service is church. Like most journalists, I’ve thought of the journalists I work with are not people betrayal of this trust. of leaving more than once. I stay not because I believe in the institu- And so on. tions of journalism, or because I believe in This creed itself echoes the Apostles’ its impact. What I believe in is the practice Creed I grew up reciting every Sunday at of prayer. I believe in raising my mind and Catholic Mass. heart. I believe in requesting good things When I stopped going to church in my 20s, from our audience, even when no good “Every story is a request, I thought I’d simply lost my faith. things come. I believe every story is a prayer. often deeply heartfelt, for Years later I realized I’d lost my faith in I believe, even on my worst days, in the pro- change. These prayers of the church at nearly the same time I found it fession of journalism to tell those stories. in journalism. I wasn’t lost, I was converted. Amen. ours often go unanswered. The comparison of journalism and religion Yet we go on praying, filing doesn’t map out perfectly. There are obvious, Dustin Dwyer, a 2018 Nieman Fellow, is a stories day after day major differences. But I realize more and more reporter and producer for Michigan Radio ABITBOL OPPOSITE: LISA

56 nieman reports SPRING 2018 Nieman Online

Save the Date

The Nieman Foundation turns 80 this year, and the anniversary arrives at a time when “The Standard Bearer” journalism is under unprecedented threat—and when the work of the free press is more Before being assassinated in a car vital than ever. bombing last fall, Daphne Caruana Galizia Join us at Harvard October 12-14 to discuss this historic moment with some of the was Malta’s most formidable independent brightest stars on campus; explore new ideas and innovations to strengthen journalism; journalist, and her blog served as the and celebrate the work of extraordinary Niemans around the world who continue to small European nation’s leading source of “promote and elevate the standards of journalism.” See a full schedule and register investigative reporting. In an essay titled online at nieman80.org “The Standard Bearer,” Times of Malta columnist Ranier Fsadni explores the elements that made Caruana Galizia’s blog so groundbreaking.

Opinion: What Journalists Can Learn from “Black Panther” and “Get Out” 2015 Nieman Fellow Dawn Turner reflects on the films and why we need more stories that put the struggles of African-Americans into context and highlight their heroes.

BuzzFeed’s Craig Silverman on Misinformation The media reporter outlines some of the dangers ahead as our society moves from the old mantra of “trust, but verify” to an era of “verify, then trust.”

Why the “Golden Age” of Newspapers Was the Exception, Not the Rule One perspective often missing from discussions about the many troubles impacting the news media today is a historical one. Professors Heidi Tworek Guardian US reporter Lois Beckett, a 2009 Harvard graduate, gave the keynote address and John Maxwell Hamilton explore how for the 2018 Christopher J. Georges Conference on College Journalism. Held annually at such a perspective may also help the media the Nieman Foundation, the conference provides training and networking opportunities alleviate some of the problems it faces. for college journalists. Watch the video at nieman.harvard.edu

The Pitch Writers and editors share their tips and pet peeves regarding story pitches and annotate successful pitches. Contributions include insights from California Sunday Magazine editor Douglas McGray and an annotation from writer Paul Tullis, who shares one of his pitches for The New York Times Magazine.

5ish Questions for Amy Padnani Nieman Storyboard chats with The New York Times’s digital editor of obituaries about “Overlooked,” the series that features obits of women and people of color who didn’t get a Times obituary when they died, but should have. SPRING 2018 VOL. 72 NO. 2 The Neman Foundaton for Journalsm TO PROMOTE AND Harvard Unversty ELEVATE THE STANDARDS One Francs Avenue OF JOURNALISM Cambrdge, Massachusetts 02138 NIEMAN REPORTS VOL. 72 NO. 2 SPRING 2018 REINVENTING LOCAL TV NEWS THE NIEMAN FOUNDATION AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY