
Look past your personal political biases. This is crucial in sorting out news content. We often believe the worst about people or politicians we despise. Those biases can blind us to what we are sharing on social media, even if there are red flags that suggest the stories may not be factual. Do you recognize the Read more

It has been more than 40 years since the American Society of News Editors adopted a goal of having newsrooms match the racial and ethnic make-up of the general population. Clearly, media outlets have had more than enough time to determine a strategy to hire journalists that reflect the diversity of their communities. But the much-discussed Read more
If anyone thinks misinformation and disinformation challenges will diminish now that the divisive 2020 presidential election has been settled, they aren’t watching the next phase of information manipulation. It’s only going to get worse, especially as many news consumers seek out information silos that confirm their political biases. Gone are the days when we had Read more

The First Amendment Coalition and the Institute for Media and Public Trust at Fresno State have written a letter to Madera County Supervisor Tom Wheeler criticizing his ugly response to a journalist for The Fresno Bee, who made a public records request to the county. Journalists act as the public’s representative in making public records Read more

This statement was issued on Tuesday by the faculty of the Media, Communications and Journalism Department at Fresno State: The Department of Media, Communications and Journalism (MCJ) strongly condemns the January 6 mob violence at our nation’s Capitol aimed at blocking the Constitutional duties of our elected representatives. As a department that teaches ethical truth-telling Read more

As a veteran journalist who started my career when Richard Nixon was president, I can tell you that there has always been an uneasy relationship between the news media and the people they cover. Over the years, many tried to get me fired when they didn’t like stories that I wrote. I once was physically Read more