Author: Jim Boren
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Support media literacy by making end-of-the-year donation to the Institute for Media and Public Trust
The end of 2019 is coming fast, and we at the Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust would love it if you would consider an end-of-the-year donation so that we can continue our work to increase media literacy and fight fake news. Your donation is tax deductible. To contribute online, go to this…
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Agriculture is huge story in California, but newsrooms around the state aren’t paying attention to the details
UPDATED One of the big challenges for the news business is how to cover California agriculture during a time when there are fewer journalists in newsrooms around the state. Agriculture remains a top industry in California, but coverage mostly revolves around water, environment and immigration. Those are big stories, of course, but there are many…
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As newspapers shrink, other media outlets must spend more time doing watchdog reporting in their communities
UPDATED It’s a bad thing for our democracy when local newspapers must continually cut reporters to stay afloat financially. Those reporters too often were crucial government watchdogs, informing the community about the workings of city hall, school districts and other government agencies. While other local news outlets have stepped up their game to fill the…
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Fresno State Media Institute will celebrate Constitution Day on Sept. 17 with program on the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment
The Institute for Media and Public Trust will sponsor a program on Sept. 17 that is designed to educate Fresno State students on the freedoms that the First Amendment guarantees. There will be several activities to encourage students to learn about these important freedoms during the program that will run from 11 a.m. to 1…
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One company now owns 260 daily papers and 300 weeklies. How many will remain after merger of Gannett, Gatehouse?
The long-rumored coupling of Gannett and Gatehouse Media was announced on Monday, and should be finalized by the end of the year. With the newspaper business model broken, combining the two companies’ resources is seen as a way to protect journalism through administrative efficiencies and aggressively pursuing a digital transformation. While Gatehouse’s parent company, New…
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On July 4, we celebrate our nation’s founding, and the freedoms that came with it
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, formalizing our separation from Great Britain and creating a new sovereign nation. The Declaration of Independence was the first of three founding documents called the Charters of Freedom. These documents include the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the three charters laid…
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Journalism prof offers his take in Forbes Magazine on news outlets that he ranks as ethical and trustworthy
What are the top news sites for credibility and using ethical standards in gathering and reporting the news?
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Will McClatchy experiment help inform news industry on best way to speed move from print to digital?
UPDATED An experiment at three of the McClatchy Company’s smaller publications has industry observers wondering whether this is a first step in reducing the daily print schedule of other newspapers in the media group. McClatchy owns 30 newspapers around the country, including The Miami Herald, Charlotte Observer and Kansas City Star, as well as the…
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Journalists must be able to do their work without police intimidation
The Institute for Media and Public Trust vehemently protests the actions of the San Francisco Police Department in raiding the home of a freelance journalist in an attempt to find out who leaked a sensitive report on the death of the San Francisco public defender. This heavy-handed attempt to discover the identity of a confidential…
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Here’s how you can be a smart news consumer, and not get trapped by those trying to deceive you with ‘fake news’
I gave a speech on “fake news” to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Fresno State and had a great time interacting with an audience of relatively sophisticated news consumers. Part of my presentation in April dealt with strategies to identify phony news content, with the goal of reducing the amount of fake news that…
Institute for Media and Public Trust at Fresno State 