Opinion | Just the facts? Meta’s new experiment says otherwise
Meta’s crowdsourced approach to fact-checking raises questions about bias, scale and the future of accuracy online
March 14, 2025
News
SXSW: 60 hours of getting weird to save journalism
I was immersed in ‘liquid content’ at South by Southwest. Here’s how its speakers think personalization, identity and humor can save journalism
March 14, 2025
Elon Musk claims ‘massive’ Social Security fraud. How much money is actually lost to fraud or waste?
Although federal officials have long recognized improper spending as a problem, it is not the main reason for the program’s dire financial outlook
March 14, 2025
Opinion | A former Washington Post columnist writes about her exit from the paper
After the Post’s publisher killed her column, Ruth Marcus asked for a meeting. He refused.
March 13, 2025
What I learned from the writing teacher who changed my work forever
A reflection on Donald Murray’s timeless lessons — on the writing process and problems all writers must solve — as Poynter turns 50
March 13, 2025
Audio of a BBC reporter making a snide comment about the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting is fake
An apparent hot mic moment from BBC News Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse is not real. Waterhouse says it's AI.
March 13, 2025
50 stories that changed journalism: Poynter’s big anniversary project
In the latest episode of ‘The Poynter Report Podcast,’ Poynter staffers explain how the Poynter 50 will highlight journalism’s defining moments
March 12, 2025
Business & Work
Hearst and a local group are competing for wine country’s newspaper
The Press Democrat, the regional newspaper based in Santa Rosa, California, has long been considered a jewel among small city papers
March 12, 2025
Opinion | A message to grumpy veteran journalists: The kids are working hard and deserve your support
Retired journalists know, in their hearts of hearts, that they were lucky to be working for newspapers at a time of prosperity
March 10, 2025
As websites disappear, link rot threatens journalism. One Stanford fellow is working on a fix
Brandon Tauszik, a fellow at The Starling Lab, is developing a low-cost way for journalists to preserve their work
March 5, 2025
In a nation of news deserts, are there news rainforests, too? If so, where?
Even idealistic digital startups tend to head where the money is.
March 4, 2025
Commentary
Opinion | Can Elon Musk really do it all? Dave Portnoy doesn’t think so
The Barstool founder turned down a government job, saying he couldn’t run his company at the same time. So how is Musk juggling Tesla, SpaceX and X?
March 12, 2025
TMZ’s scoop on Michael Jackson’s death marked the moment digital news overtook legacy media
It shattered expectations for who breaks the news, proving that speed and aggressive digital reporting could outrun even the most established outlets
March 12, 2025
Opinion | Washington Post columnist resigns after her critical column is spiked
Ruth Marcus, a 40-year Post veteran, quit after the publisher refused to run her column on owner Jeff Bezos, adding to a wave of high-profile exits
March 11, 2025
Powerful forces want to dismantle libel protections. History warns us why.
David Enrich’s new book, ‘Murder the Truth,’ and two classics reveal how efforts to undo Times v. Sullivan endanger journalism’s future
March 11, 2025
Educators & Students
Seven things to know about the student press
Student journalists are tackling major issues and shaping local news, but they also face censorship, backlash and growing threats to press freedom
February 27, 2025
Poynter’s MediaWise and YouTube partner to launch teen-focused media literacy curriculum
The project empowers educators with tools to teach students media literacy skills at a time when teen well-being is a global conversation
October 21, 2024
How newsrooms track the diversity of their sources can lead to tradeoffs in time spent, information collected
A new research study offers a roadmap for newsrooms that may want to analyze which voices routinely get quoted and ignored
August 29, 2024
University of Florida student journalists lead on breaking big stories about former President Ben Sasse
Independent Florida Alligator's stories drew national attention to former senator's high-dollar consulting and remote personnel spending
August 28, 2024
Ethics & Trust
Opinion | A New York Times podcast missed a valuable opportunity in an episode about a rape trial in France
‘The Daily’ has discussed the larger societal context of rape cases before, making this omission more surprising
March 7, 2025
Opinion | What we can learn from the botched Vanity Fair interview with Megan Thee Stallion
If news outlets are going to elevate influencers like Giggly Squad’s Hannah Berner to red carpet interviewers, they must properly prepare them.
March 6, 2025
Trump’s lawsuits against the press are about power, not winning
In the latest episode of ‘The Poynter Report Podcast,’ Paul Farhi says the White House is sending the message that critical coverage has a cost
February 26, 2025
A decade ago, The Dress united and divided us. It couldn’t happen now.
It’s not just that virality isn’t replicable. It’s that the dress heralded the end of a specific era of media.
February 26, 2025
Fact-Checking
Trump didn’t say he became president because the 2024 election was ‘rigged’
Trump was referring to the 2020 election, which he lost to former President Joe Biden, and which he has falsely and relentlessly claimed was rigged
March 12, 2025
No, USAID didn’t ‘subsidize’ CNN and MSNBC hosts’ salaries
There’s no evidence USAID funded CNN or MSNBC hosts. The networks made programming changes unrelated to government payments or cuts.
March 11, 2025
Is Elon Musk’s DOGE ‘very popular’? That’s not what the polls say
Survey respondents back efficiency initiatives in general, but sentiment on DOGE remains mixed to negative
March 10, 2025
RFK Jr. questions antidepressants for kids. What do we actually know about SSRIs?
A new federal review puts kids’ psychiatric meds under scrutiny, but experts say RFK Jr.’s claims about SSRIs are misleading and unsupported
March 7, 2025
From the Institute
34 journalists selected for Poynter’s 2025 Leadership Academy for Women
Representing the breadth of the media industry, the new cohort will learn how to lead with confidence and clarity
March 12, 2025
Poynter welcomes five new members to National Advisory Board
The accomplished journalists and media executives will advise Poynter on industry needs and opportunities.
February 6, 2025
Poynter launches membership program to mark 50th anniversary
The program offers special benefits to supporters of Poynter’s work in service of journalism, truth and democracy
January 21, 2025
Poynter hires two new faculty members with focus on strengthening local news
The appointments will focus on education for funders who want to support local news and newsroom transformation and leadership
January 16, 2025
ICYMI
South Korea’s fact-checking future is uncertain as a key donor retreats
The withdrawal of funding from ‘the Google of South Korea’ has left SNU FactCheck scrambling to find a new sponsor. A shutdown looms.
November 14, 2023
Mongolia moves to seize power to shut down internet, control social media
In an expedited process, 77% of parliament members voted in favor of legislation that sharply limits government criticism.
January 27, 2023
IFCN
The International Fact-Checking Network condemns false claims and raid on CRTA in Serbia
Online threats and harassment against fact-checkers and civil society remain unacceptable
February 25, 2025
Fact-checkers are among the top sources for X’s Community Notes, study reveals
Notes that cite fact-checkers earn more trust from X users and combat misinformation faster
February 20, 2025
The International Fact-Checking Network’s statement on threats against CRTA in Serbia
Online threats and harassment against civil society are unacceptable
February 13, 2025
A collective open letter to Mark Zuckerberg from the IFCN Arabic Coalition
The letter follows Meta’s move to end the fact-checking program in the U.S.
February 6, 2025
Locally
A university steps in with a new model for preserving local news
The nonprofit NEWSWELL, a project of Arizona State University, offers an innovative approach for giving newsrooms the support they need
January 22, 2025
‘Meet people, spot talent, give them the chance’
How nonprofit startup the Mississippi Free Press built an inclusive newsroom to connect with a statewide audience
December 2, 2024
American audiences do not notice a nonprofit news difference, study finds
Nonprofit news organizations must find a way to make it clear to their communities that there is a nonprofit news difference
October 8, 2024
A photojournalist reported on dozens of hurricanes over the years. Then Hurricane Helene flooded his home.
Douglas R. Clifford was in Tallahassee, preparing to cover Helene for the Tampa Bay Times, when the storm came knocking at his door.
October 2, 2024
News Releases
Global Fact Check Fund awards $2 million to 20 fact-checking groups across 15 countries
The grants support fact-checking innovation and audience engagement worldwide
January 28, 2025
Media Transformation Challenge program announces Class of 2025
These 32 executives just began a yearlong program recognized for its unique tools, coaching support, and interconnected alumni network
January 13, 2025
Poynter and ACES announce release of Advanced Certificate in Editing
This is the third in a three-part series of cutting-edge editing certifications
January 7, 2025
2025 Poynter Journalism Prizes now open for entries until Feb. 14
The contest, which honors distinguished reporting and writing, accepts entries from US-based news outlets
January 6, 2025
Newsletters
Opinion | Homeland Security is using lie detector tests to hunt for leaks to the press
It may be the first time a federal agency has used polygraphs to question employees specifically about leaks to the media
March 10, 2025
Opinion | MSNBC’s new hire will bring aboard 100 journalists ahead of an upcoming shift
Scott Matthews, MSNBC’s new senior vice president of newsgathering, is expected to hire field producers, correspondents, photographers and more
March 7, 2025
Opinion | Disney and ABC News cuts include the shutdown of FiveThirtyEight
The data-driven site, founded by Nate Silver in 2008, gained prominence for its near-perfect forecast of Barack Obama’s victory that year
March 6, 2025
Opinion | Trump’s speech caps another busy day in media
One out-of-the-box name in media is floating his name as a Democratic nominee for president and says, ‘I can beat them all.’
March 5, 2025
PBS Curriculum
Trick or truth: Are drug dealers really targeting kids on Halloween?
For teachers: This MediaWise Teen Fact-Checking Network video has an accompanying lesson plan free for any…
October 28, 2022
Reporting & Editing
A new book is training the next generation of journalists — before they even hit high school
Time for Kids is giving children a crash course in journalism, teaching them how to find facts, tell stories and navigate today’s media landscape
February 25, 2025
Firing of FOIA officers leaves experts worried about public records access under Trump
‘Anytime that whole FOIA offices are getting fired, it portends terrible things’
February 21, 2025
The AP kept the name Gulf of Mexico; White House barred reporters from events over it
Wire service calls move an 'alarming' punishment and First Amendment violation
February 12, 2025
She got a tip about four human brains stored at the Smithsonian. The investigation revealed so much more.
A team of Washington Post reporters revealed the Smithsonian’s ‘racial brain collection.’ The series won them a 2024 Poynter Journalism Prize
February 12, 2025
Tech & Tools
‘Not the AI election’: Why artificial intelligence did not define the 2024 campaign
Experts warned about AI’s potential to influence election results. But the anticipated avalanche of AI-driven misinformation never materialized.
December 30, 2024
Bargaining code battle shifts to European copyright law, taxes also under consideration
Google and Meta’s tactics: tiny carrots and the threat of large sticks
December 23, 2024
Opinion | Can AI run with the bulls (and a pack of screaming toddlers)?
Google’s generative AI audio tool can produce an impressive facsimile of a podcast. But a tool needs a hand to hold it.
December 9, 2024
Opinion | X’s Community Notes had a marginal, if any, impact on the election
Our analysis of the 3,637 notes from Election Day shows that users found the platform’s lonely moderation instrument to be mostly unhelpful
November 14, 2024
TFCN
Watch out for claims about ‘crisis actors’ in Gaza
This photo posted on Facebook in early November got a lot of attention. It shows…
February 5, 2024
Would young people really choose TikTok over their right to vote?
GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a political outsider who has taken many by surprise with…
November 7, 2023
Is This Legit: A media literacy skills recap
Have you ever encountered something suspicious online and wondered: “Is this legit?” Welcome to our…
May 11, 2023
Echo chambers: how they’re created and how to avoid them
Recently, I tried a little experiment on social media. I set up two fake Twitter…
May 5, 2023