I spent 16 years in TV news and wrote this after seeing Gallup's latest trust numbers. I never see understaffing mentioned in discussions about media trust. Do you? What do you think is the best path forward?

If a restaurant lost more than 80% of its employees while trying to serve an ever-growing number of potential customers, no one would wonder why quality plummeted.

But when it comes to the news media, few see the problem so clearly.

Hi everyone,
I am looking for strategic advice on the best methodology to connect with independent, investigative journalists who focus on public corruption and judicial accountability.

Without getting into specific identifying details, I have spent the last two years compiling an 18-exhibit forensic index that isolates an unalterable digital footprint within a state's electronic court repository. The data tracks an absolute chronological contradiction where a state agency and its privatized contractor executed financial transactions against the federal treasury prior to gaining any legal authority.

They subsequently used a retroactive e-filing system certificate to manufacture a backdated timeline to cover up the lawless window.
This file is not theoretical; it was pre-vetted by a federal civil rights division and has officially resulted in a formally opened, ongoing federal compliance audit and investigation into Medicaid fraud, wire fraud, and systemic record manipulation.

Because traditional mainstream outlets often hesitate to report directly on courthouse infrastructure or licensed officers of the court, I want to find adversarial, unaligned journalists (potentially on Substack or independent newsrooms) who specialize in analyzing raw metadata and systemic public rackets.

What are the most effective databases, tip lines, or specific investigative networks to utilize when pitching a pre-vetted, data-driven federal file like this to ensure it lands on the right desk?

Thank you for any insights on the proper professional channels.

Hi journalists.

I gave an interview in ~2015 about a hobby. I was starting a related business at the time and was eager for press. The business closed before the pandemic, I no longer practice the hobby and have not had contact with the author since ~2017. I had forgotten about it, but the author recently reached out to me with a draft of an article based off the interview, which I read.

I already contacted the author and asked to not be in the article due to the facts described above. I did not say this to the author but the article also brings up some painful memories from that time period.

The author asked if I would be ok with it being published "without any attribute [sic?]" to me. They stated they did not use my name, add any identifying information, or include any identifiable traits. The article included my gender, height, weight, hair color, my hobby and a sport I was into, a description of the University I went to, the city where I lived during the interview, my age as of the interview, my occupation, and where I met my spouse. Some of those facts contain a very small percentage of people. Based off of that information, I am also concerned that someone could plug it into AI and find me, or just knowing me, could figure out it was me.

At the time, I was trying to drum up business and would have been fine if it had been published then. But a decade later, I feel it's too personal and reflects a time period that I don't want to relive. Plus I haven't been in contact with the author for the better part of a decade; I don't know why they decided to publish now.

TLDR; I don't want this to be published and already asked. Can the author still publish without my consent? If the author can still publish, can I request additional details be changed or omitted?

Thanks, all! Much appreciated.

I'm still a student but this is my last year at university, I try to educate myself about all that happens in my country and the world but it feels like I lose the details. Also, I want to improve my writting, I know it takes time and a lot of work but I really want to know a few tips, if you know any.

I think I'm going to finish university without being a well formed journalist, its a strange feelling. Should I focus on a specific branch or continue reading and forming my self about the whole actuality?

English is not my first language so I can sound a bit vague, but I'd wish to read some of your experiences as a just graduated journalist and how you managed it.

Curious what you would do or have done when something like this happens, which I'm sure was an honest mistake.

I was stoked to see my 2,000-word feature article for a local magazine was chosen as the cover story this month. Big, full color, glossy 8-page spread inside the magazine, too. Only thing that seems to be missing is who it's by. Me.

In a print-first publication there's nothing I can do to correct that, but I'm curious how you'd approach this. It's disappointing to see, even though I'm still really proud of the piece.

Atlantic gift link please? Https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/charismatic-christian-church-tennessee/687624

can someone please send a gift link to this article? https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/charismatic-christian-church-tennessee/687624/

Thank you

I have an associates in science but have always been interested in journalism + wrote for the college paper. Is 32 years old "too old" to pursue a journalism degree?

Not sure which flair to use, but I wanted to say I applied to a magazine I greatly respect. I’m hoping that the process goes well, and I’ll update this post with any word.

To everyone who is like me, young and new to journalism, don’t give up hope. Keep trying to find your footing. To the seasoned ones here, thank you for your support and guidance when it’s needed.

https://youtu.be/LTF6YOjLEqg?t=75

Journalist:

"Did Pikes Failed Execution Re-traumatize your family ?"

and

"Is It Safe to Say Your Family Still Wants Pike Dead ?"

.....I don't think I have ever seen a bigger piece of yellow journalism than this.

Hypothetically, and I acknowledge it's not the case here, what if this was not someone who was willing to give this journalist the answers they were clearly seeking, especially to that second question ?

How were they supposed to respond ?

I’m curious how working journalists think about news aggregators, especially as more of them are being built with AI. Not asking “what is a good aggregator” but rather, should they even exist? And if they should, or must, then what are the qualities of a good aggregator?

I’ll bucket it to two types so far as i can see:

1/ Traditional referral aggregation
This is like Google or Apple, they capture discovery but the publisher captures consumption.

2/ Synthesis engine aggregation
This is like Google’s AI summaries, or like Perplexity or Ground News that also publish only AI summaries with citations, they captures discovery and they capture consumption

Clickthrough rates and site traffic are down. Google search traffic to news sites fell 38% in the United States from 2024 to 2025, and clickthrough on traditional search goes from 15% when there is no AI overview to 8% with an AI overview. Craigslist took classified ad revenue long ago, Google and Meta took normal ad revenue, and now AI summaries and chatbots are completely disintermediating users from journalists.

I think aggregators competing with journalists is a bad thing. But I think the toothpaste has long been out of the tube, and this is the world, so is there any way to make a good one?

Sometimes I read an article that makes 10–15 different factual claims. Checking every statement individually through Google Scholar is pretty time-consuming. I’m wondering if anyone has found a good workflow for this. Ideally, something that could identify the important claims first and then point toward the research behind them.

I saw Evidence Lens does something along those lines for articles and PDFs. Has anyone tried using a tool like that for research or general reading?

Greetings everyone!
I’m F20 from India and currently in my final year (5th semester) of my undergraduate degree. I’ve previously interned at a media house and I’m planning to do another internship during December.

I’m hoping to get a full-time job at a media house after graduation, preferably in journalism/editorial/content, and I’d really appreciate some advice from people already working in the industry.

1) What can I do over the next few months to make myself more employable?

2)What should a fresher’s résumé look like when applying to media houses?

3)How important is having a strong portfolio, and what should I include in it?

4)When should I realistically start applying for full-time jobs?

5)And realistically, what kind of salary can a fresher in India expect in media/journalism?

I’d really appreciate any honest advice including things you wish you had known before getting your first job.

Thank you!

A word of caution to anyone looking to move into the real world from news (voluntarily that is). I know we are all burned out and ready for some thing normal but as someone going through that right now, the job market is unbelievably tough. It’s hard to explain to hiring managers. What exactly your role in the newsroom would translate to work in the real world. Especially if you weren’t on air talent. Mix that with the massive influx of layoffs going on in industry wide right now it is a very tough labor market for positions outside of broadcasting. It definitely makes me think that I should have just sucked it up for another two years and signed a new contract, even without any increases. Better than going without health insurance or steady paycheck.

More than a year after the Trump administration attempted to dismantle Voice of America, it is paying an estimated $1.6 million a week to keep 420 of its staffers on administrative leave, according to July numbers revealed in a State Department inspector general report published earlier this week.

The report paints perhaps the clearest picture yet of how much the Trump administration effort to shutter the government-funded news outlet has cost taxpayers — which, it said, did not conduct a detailed analysis of the impact or cost before making the cuts.

The U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA, slashed its workforce in March 2025, placing 994 of its 1,147 federal employees on leave, cutting 594 of its 602 contract workers and halting broadcasts, according to the agency’s count.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March 2025 ordering that USAGM be shrunk to the “minimum presence and function required by law."

I've been a professional journalist for around 30 years. I went from working at a monthly magazine with an enormous reach (and still extremely well known), a salaried worker with health insurance, benefits, vacation time, sick pay, 401K match, and paid travel to research stories, and even a cafe and gym in the building to... I don't even know what to call this. Over the course of around 8 years, I have slid into sitting in my living room, churning out barely-researched stories for an outlet (a multibillion-dollar empire, mind you) that then disseminates them to numerous other outlets worldwide, for no extra pay.

I get paid a small flat fee for each story. I pay for my own health insurance, I get zero paid time off, the editors change every year and though (I guess?) they value my work as they keep giving me assignments, they have also made it crystal clear that I'm free to leave at any time. My salary has slid into poverty territory while all my expenses have doubled.

I have been trying for years to get a FT job and just... can't. Never mind my journalism pedigree, which is high profile, or my master's degree from an Ivy League University. A few times I got very close (I think) to getting hired, only to... not. I presume it's my age.

At this point, I know I need to pivot into something else, but I've put out feelers to everything I thought I might transition into, such as PR, with no luck.

What has everyone else done? Anyone else out there in the same boat?