Dominic-Madori Davis

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

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My full-length post-mortem analysis of the Question 4 campaign is still in the works, but for the time being here's my 3-tweet takeaway after a few days of reflection: The Question 4 campaign here in Massachusetts, the power players behind it, and the total failure that was Tuesday night’s election are a fascinating microcosm of the foundational ineptitude of the Democratic establishment at large. Case in point: Dewey Square Group (born in 1993) is the faux-progressive brainchild of the Clintonite/neoliberal elite… DSG is a “grass tops” consulting firm: designed to co-opt and repackage populist ideologies into watered down, corporate-friendly Uniparty drivel. Out of touch, glaringly and embarrassingly inept — and yet somehow still clinging to power due to the influence of their largely nepotistic networks and a consistently sharp-elbowed approach to dealing with outsider input. Sound familiar? PS - This is intended as a critique of the political machinations at work, not an attack on or condemnation of the character of any individuals involved.

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FCC's net neutrality vote today could affect your internet speed. We explain https://lnkd.in/dNwCUSpv via USA TODAY

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Chatbots are a risky for endeavor for newsrooms (automated and highly-visible), and political chatbots more so. Kudos to Ryan Serpico and all others involved in the development of this fantastic new tool to ask questions about Kamala Harris via San Francisco Chronicle. I like that there's a link to editorial guidelines right there, and a detailed rundown of how it works. And a feedback form! This is a template for anyone looking to do the same at your newsroom. And, if you're looking for AI guidelines before experimenting (as you should), the Poynter Institute has a free template (in the comments)

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This week in PublicSource: Democratic candidates seem to be increasingly focused on defining their foes as extremists on reproductive rights. We break down claims in dueling ads in a Pittsburgh-area swing congressional district https://lnkd.in/ewCvhE6p Energy, climate: Important issues, right? In Pa., the balance of power on those and other issues hinges on a few General Assembly races, including one in Allegheny County. So why aren’t the candidates talking about fossil fuels? https://lnkd.in/eeiJGiTe Back in blue, and back pay, too? A judge said no to a former Pittsburgh police officer’s bid to return to the force after tasering Jim Rogers, who died. A PublicSource analysis found that some fired cops beat the city to the tune of 6-figure checks https://lnkd.in/eBzQudWv Wilkinsburg’s governmental future will be on the ballot Nov. 5 — but not in the manner preferred by backers of annexation with Pittsburgh. Instead, voters will decide on home rule, which means a more powerful and better-paid mayor, and more https://lnkd.in/eXRiUCvu PublicSource strives to tell stories for a better Pittsburgh that wouldn’t emerge in media controlled by big money. But we need your help to do this. If you can pitch in: https://lnkd.in/eJgWUGBF Millions for clean air in the Mon Valley: Sounds good, right? If you want to share thoughts on how it should be spent, you have three opportunities, all in October, to do so https://lnkd.in/eYQ8Fdsx Sydney is not a survivor of sexual violence, but she carried a sign and marched with those who have experienced abuse, amid the dangerous “red zone” on campuses. “This is what I have learned as an advocate for survivors of sexual and domestic violence.” https://lnkd.in/eDDTjsWv

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

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Every revolution ensues some anarchy, and that anarchy encompasses multiple fronts: social, political, and economic. After french revulsion in 1793, The dismantling of the traditional social order led to widespread upheaval. Nobility, who had been oppressing common French people for centuries, was targeted, and property was redistributed. The French Revolution disrupted economic stability, leading to shortages, inflation, and widespread poverty. These combined factors created a period of significant disorder and fear. In Somalia, after the fall of Siad Barre's regime, no central government controlled the country, leading to clan warfare and lawlessness. Following the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia descended into chaos with multiple factions fighting for control, leading to widespread social upheaval. With the July Revolution in Bangladesh, after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's brutal regime of 15 years, we too are witnessing some anarchy. My heart aches for the vandalism of some Hindu temples, lynching of some constables who shot bullets at unarmed protesters at point-blank range under duress of top bosses, and beating of many AL supporters. I was especially devastated by the burning of Bangabandhu’s house at 32 Dhanmondi. In some areas, BNP men, who virtually couldn’t sleep at their houses most of the time fearing police arrest, abduction, or brutal killing through crossfire in past one and half decades, have taken control of markets, footpaths, or slums. There has also been an advent of bandit groups who are carrying out dacoities, leading to sleepless nights for many city dwellers. If you think that everything will turn orderly overnight after the end of such a brutal regime, you live in a fool's paradise. The AL government, in 3+ consecutive terms, has destroyed the integrity of all institutions, let their supporting oligarchs capture all financial institutions, politicized all government forces, and made the police a force that committed the most despicable human rights violations in history. Now, the strong facades of these vulnerable institutions have collapsed after the revolution. There are no police in the streets, no force to control traffic in the densely populated country. But despite that, people from all spectrums of Bangladesh are showing remarkable restraint. The army has laid out a plan for democratic transition. Wide-spread anarchy has stopped in just 48 hours. An interim government will be formed today. The citizens must allow some time for the interim government to repair the deeply damaged country. Expecting an overnight solution is just immature thinking. But, I welcome all sorts of criticism from the people because, finally, we live in a country where we can express our thoughts freely. We must not let anybody gag our voice ever again.

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The future of local journalism might be grant funding and newsletters. For Creator Spotlight this week I spoke to Ambreen Ali, creator of Central Desi, which has won $181k over the last two years from the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium. New Jersey has a South Asian population of roughly 500,000, but the under-staffed and under-funded local news organizations in the state have, historically, not produced enough coverage of, for, or by that population. Central Desi is filling that gap. It's also educating the next generation of journalists, teaching them to carry the torch for integrous, well-researched local news, through a fellowship program funded by those grants. "That's kind of what's different about this version of local journalism from the newspaper version. We can be small and nimble and we can use digital tools to our advantage." Read it here: https://lnkd.in/ej5D3txY

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As we wait to hear who won the election, one thing is already clear: election disinformation has reached alarming levels. In the latest episode of Anti-Defamation League's extremely podcast, two experts in the field of disinformation, Dr. Claire Wardle of Cornell University and Scripps News National Correspondent Elizabeth Landers join extremely hosts Oren Segal and Jessica Reaves to break it down. Among the topics they discuss: ·     How the disinformation onslaught of 2024 differs from disinformation waves of past presidential elections ·     The latest AI tools being used to create fake images, video and audio aimed at swaying voters ·     The liar’s dividend—the phenomenon whereby, because disinformation and misinformation are so widespread and more people are unsure about what is and isn’t true, a liar can simply deny that something is real ·     The role of pre-bunking in reducing the spread of election falsehoods and deterring election denialism ·     What social media platforms should be doing to curb disinformation and why they’ve pulled back from doing so Check out the episode here.

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We talk about the evolution of #AI @CadeMetz, technology correspondent at @the-new-york-times on the latest episode of "Night Owls."  https://lnkd.in/eJc-VWW4  Cade wrote a great book on the subject, called "Genius Makers." https://lnkd.in/eUZPtrbe It is well worth reading and very readable.

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Read what experts like Prof. Ahmed Banafa and Pranava Adduri say about SB 1047

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New in The Drum today: With Donald #Trump set to return to the Oval Office in January, leaders at The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian US and NPR are bracing for shifts in ad strategy and brand safety challenges. I spoke with ad executives at each publisher about how they plan to navigate political sensitivities, reinforce public trust and protect advertisers amid rising polarization. Read the full analysis here: https://lnkd.in/gChy363b #marketing #politics #media #advertising #USelection #2024presidentialelection

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How AI firms and investors are funding and backing JD Vance & Trump in order to slash AI regulation. A must read - https://lnkd.in/eu4H9gpK

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DOS Won't Hunt -- Recording Schedule through December   Interested panelists, please contact me directly via email, not just with comments on this post: joao-pierre.ruth@informationweek.com   Note to public relations teams: please only pitch panelists you have CONFIRMED will be available on those dates. This is a video podcast recording. Only the panelists will be in the session. Here are the topics I plan to cover on the podcast in the weeks ahead. All recordings will be on video, panel discussions, at 12 pm ET on the recording dates below.   December 6 – What Enterprise IT Predictions Actually Mattered in 2024? Every year sees prognostications about what tech will take off, evolve, and transform the enterprise world. What expectations did your organization start 2024 with and how has that played out? Did anything hold water? Did surprises in tech emerge during the year eclipse the predictions? Is it better for organizations to not chase predictive trends or does that mean giving up a competitive edge? December 13 – The Cloud You Want vs the Cloud You Need: Are enterprises able to tailor their cloud resources to fit their operational needs? How does that compare with ambitions? Cost? Usage? Are more organizations cloud-first? Are we ever going to see an all, cloud-first world where EVERYTHING exists in the cloud? Does that dream no longer seem real?   December 20 – Cyber Threats and the Holidays: Do retailers still face high levels of cyber risk in a world fraught with ransomware attacks year-round? Do bad actors focus their attention more on targets they strike when an opportunity arises, which might not have anything to do with the holiday shopping season? Or are there still Cyber Grinches out there who are making a concerted effort to strike as transactions fly faster than reindeer? December 27 – Infrastructure Resilience: Y2K 25 Years Later. What have we learned about maintaining our infrastructure, a generation after putting in the work to correct the Y2K bug? How has computer infrastructure been rethought? What “rules” and “norms” that were part of legacy tech no longer apply in the time of cloud, edge, and all else beyond we are exploring?

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I wrote about what outcome of the election means for journalism. If we take away one lesson from this whole election cycle, I hope it's this: The urgency to rebuild trust with communities and our audiences that have come to view mainstream media as out of touch with their lives has never been more acute. I also hope, pray at this point, that this moment will become a catalyst for renewal, innovation and growth for our industry. #StateofAbundance #election2024 #journalism #media #innovation https://lnkd.in/gen7s26T

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

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Something is happening with engagement on Bluesky. I ran a little analysis looking at a few recent news stories from NYT, WSJ and CNN across X, Threads and Bluesky and it looks like engagement on Bluesky is much higher when you account for the size of the platforms. Lotta caveats here in this experiment, such as the more enthusiastic new users on Bluesky, lack of consistent monthly active user numbers for all platforms and the many factors that can affect user engagement with news on social media. But it looks like Bluesky has the juice. Read about this analysis: https://lnkd.in/ejs7Ew3M

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Today's must-read is a banger of a post from Bloomberg's Matthew Boyle - it is chock full of insights and reminders about what editors look for in a PR pitch. A few worth mentioning: 📙 Your proposed story angle must have "conflict, characters and context." If you don't explain why the reader should care, don't bother. 📉 Show, don't tell, and back up your ideas with data points. (Exclusive data? Even better!) 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Be prepared to share real stores of real people in the trenches (not just "thought leaders" on a subject) who can add context and validity to your story. In this case he mentions CEOs but for other types of pitches this could mean customers or employees. 🚫 NO to excessive jargon, empty follow up notes and pitches featuring purely self-serving, company-funded surveys. Check out his 🔥 takes below. Read and learn. 👇

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Key takeaways from the second week of my Churchill Fellowship in Boston looking at the decline of trust in democracy. - Powerful tech media companies have so much influence over our information ecosystem that their hands-off approach is letting mis and disinformation run rampant through their systems. - Migrant communities are being targeted online with disinformation about the US elections and it’s less likely to be fact-checked because it’s not in English. - Some researchers and journalists fear there’s a real risk that America’s democracy is crumbling away and they’ll be left with an oligarchy. - Objective independent journalism is crucial to safeguarding the integrity of democracy especially as we see voters becoming more polarised. Winston Churchill Trust (Australia) #democracy #disinformation #polarisation #publicinterestjournalism Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

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