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The Objective

@objectivejournos.bsky.social
6.7K followers 114 following 143 posts

An independent nonprofit newsroom examining power and inequity in journalism. Our content is written and edited by humans, not generative AI. Support us at objectivejournalism.org/support-us.

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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Twenty-six years ago, the @nwu.org advocated for a $1/word pay rate. But if that $1/word rate from 2000 matched today’s inflation, the average writer should be making about $2/word. According to @fspnwu.bsky.social data, they aren’t. objectivejournalism.org/2026/09/free...
objectivejournalism.org
Freelance journalism rates have barely changed since 2000
New data from the National Writers Union offers a glimpse into a bleak picture of decades-long wage stagnation in freelance journalism.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
How much do you think freelance journalists make per word? The latest analysis of the @fspnwu.bsky.social's Rate Sharing Database found steep discrepancies. objectivejournalism.org/2026/09/free...
objectivejournalism.org
Freelance journalism rates have barely changed since 2000
New data from the National Writers Union offers a glimpse into a bleak picture of decades-long wage stagnation in freelance journalism.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"If a $1/word rate matched today’s inflation, the average writer should be making about $2/word. But — according to our data — they aren’t." @fspnwu.bsky.social members jen byers and Elena Novak analyze data from the project's Rate Sharing Database. buff.ly/g7wyXFU
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Freelance journalism rates have barely changed since 2000
New data from the National Writers Union offers a glimpse into a bleak picture of decades-long wage stagnation in freelance journalism.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
As journalists from major newsrooms are pushed out of reporting on the White House, incarcerated journalists send up a similar cry to free press advocates: Push back on a developing FCC policy that could silence reporting on the inside. buff.ly/G9nmmm0
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Cellphone jamming threatens to silence incarcerated journalists
Free press advocates must rally against the Federal Communications Commission effort to limit incarcerated journalists’ ability to report.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Read more reporting about the state of prison media access in California, which incarcerates the second-most people in the U.S., by @vevalenz.bsky.social: objectivejournalism.org/2026/08/gove...
objectivejournalism.org
The uphill fight for media access in California's prisons
Newsom is the latest California governor to consistently veto prison media access bills. California incarcerates the second-most people in state prisons.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
NEW COMMENTARY: Prison media access is piecemeal across states, meaning incarcerated journalists are best positioned to shine transparency on prisons and jails. But they worry a potential FCC policy to jam cellphones could cut off their line of reporting. objectivejournalism.org/2026/09/pote...
objectivejournalism.org
Cellphone jamming threatens to silence incarcerated journalists
Free press advocates must rally against the Federal Communications Commission effort to limit incarcerated journalists’ ability to report.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
@pewresearch.org has found Latine immigrants more often read news in Spanish. CUNY-Newmark's Bilingual Journalism program director Carmen Gracíela Díaz said the layoffs “raise difficult questions ... regarding the future of journalism in the communities these newspapers serve.” buff.ly/HAghNeT
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Among those cut by the McClatchy layoffs are writers at Spanish-language papers in Florida and California and the Tri-City Herald's only Spanish-speaking reporter, @newsguild.org shared on Sep. 11. “I’m heartbroken,” said Vida en el Valle founding editor Juan Esparza Loera. buff.ly/HAghNeT
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McClatchy layoffs hurt Spanish-language reporting across the U.S.
The cuts eliminate editorial staffers at Spanish-language newspapers Vida en el Valle, in Fresno, and El Nuevo Herald, in Miami.
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Nithin Coca @nithincoca.com · 14/09/2026
As newsrooms obsess over the latest Trump blunders, what happens to the rest of the world? International journalists are being left behind. For @objectivejournos.bsky.social my latest unpacks the hidden costs of shrinking foreign reporting budgets objectivejournalism.org/2026/08/u-s-...
objectivejournalism.org
International journalists' opportunities are shrinking
As Donald Trump wins more attention from U.S. news media, one loser has often been international reporting.
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Nithin Coca నితిన్ @ncoca.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026
As newsrooms obsess over the latest #Trump blunders, what happens to the rest of the world? Hundreds of #international #journalists are losing their jobs due to #US funding cuts. For The Objective (@objectivejournos.bsky.social), my latest piece unpacks the hidden costs of shrinking foreign […]
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
“I’m one of the people that fled across the country because of anti-trans laws. The New York Times was contributing to the atmosphere that created them.” @transnews.network is calling for a public boycott of the U.S. paper of record and its related products. objectivejournalism.org/2026/08/tran...
objectivejournalism.org
Trans News Network calls New York Times boycott over harmful trans coverage
The call to boycott, divest, and unsubscribe from the New York Times follows one from the Writers Against the War on Gaza.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The @transnews.network effort joins a second active boycott campaign against the New York Times, called by @wawog.bsky.social in 2024 over the paper's role in being “not only complicit in, but accountable for, the slaughter of Gaza.”  objectivejournalism.org/2026/08/tran...
objectivejournalism.org
Trans News Network calls New York Times boycott over harmful trans coverage
The call to boycott, divest, and unsubscribe from the New York Times follows one from the Writers Against the War on Gaza.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
@transnews.network calls for a public boycott of the New York Times: “No excuses, no exceptions... This boycott will no longer be necessary when the NYT stops pushing [the] genocide [of trans people]." Read the news story by @charliebloomer.bsky.social: objectivejournalism.org/2026/08/tran...
objectivejournalism.org
Trans News Network calls New York Times boycott over harmful trans coverage
The call to boycott, divest, and unsubscribe from the New York Times follows one from the Writers Against the War on Gaza.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
California incarcerates the second-most people — almost 90,000 — in state prisons across the U.S., but still lags behind other states in media access. @vevalenz.bsky.social covers the ongoing struggle for more transparent news coverage of the state's prisons. buff.ly/YH0RAjz
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
@vevalenz.bsky.social covers California governors' long history of vetoing prison media access bills. "We're trying to do things better, and we're not going to be able to do things better if we can't face the truth." buff.ly/YH0RAjz
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The uphill fight for media access in California's prisons
Newsom is the latest California governor to consistently veto prison media access bills. California incarcerates the second-most people in state prisons.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
“I believe independent journalism remains essential, particularly in regions where many important stories are under-reported," Kashmir-based independent reporter Sajid Raina told @nithincoca.com. buff.ly/T8UBnlB
objectivejournalism.org
International journalists' opportunities are shrinking
As Donald Trump wins more attention from U.S. news media, one loser has often been international reporting.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
The latest in our Since 2020 series, from @nithincoca.com: "Coupled with layoffs, it feels like entire countries and regions are being completely ignored by the mainstream media." objectivejournalism.org/2026/08/u-s-...
objectivejournalism.org
International journalists' opportunities are shrinking
As Donald Trump wins more attention from U.S. news media, one loser has often been international reporting.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
“I think, if it weren’t for the economics of journalism, [it] could be one of the most accessible careers for a lot of people.” -Ariana Martinez, radio documentarian, artist, and educator objectivejournalism.org/2026/08/desp...
objectivejournalism.org
Despite COVID-19. disability is still inconsistently prioritized in news
Six years after 2020, disabled reporters say there wasn’t a full-scale reckoning with disability in newsroom coverage and culture.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
“If you’re trying to jam [access needs into newsrooms] ... where that’s not how the structure was built … then your accommodations become a threat or a problem.” -@infamouslyshort.bsky.social of @discojourno.bsky.social objectivejournalism.org/2026/08/desp...
objectivejournalism.org
Despite COVID-19. disability is still inconsistently prioritized in news
Six years after 2020, disabled reporters say there wasn’t a full-scale reckoning with disability in newsroom coverage and culture.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
ICYMI: @shruti-rajkumar.bsky.social talked with several disabled journalists who reflected on how the advent of COVID-19 has changed reporting norms on disability and broader newsroom culture: objectivejournalism.org/2026/08/desp...
objectivejournalism.org
Despite COVID-19. disability is still inconsistently prioritized in news
Six years after 2020, disabled reporters say there wasn’t a full-scale reckoning with disability in newsroom coverage and culture.
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Free Press @freepress.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
“Palantir is actively working to build a future of total surveillance that is fundamentally incompatible with a free press and human rights, as their tools enable state surveillance and violence both at home and abroad." - @ruddock.bsky.social
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Free Press @freepress.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
"Palantir is actively working to build a future of total surveillance that is fundamentally incompatible with a free press and human rights, as their tools enable state surveillance and violence both at home and abroad." - @ruddock.bsky.social via @objectivejournos.bsky.social
objectivejournalism.org
Hundreds of journalists demand USA Today Co. end Palantir partnership
Palantir's products have been used by the U.S. government to support immigration raids.
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Laura Weiss @lauralew105.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
This piece is very much worth reading!! objectivejournalism.org/2026/08/desp... @objectivejournos.bsky.social
objectivejournalism.org
Despite COVID-19. disability is still inconsistently prioritized in news
Six years after 2020, disabled reporters say there wasn’t a full-scale reckoning with disability in newsroom coverage and culture.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
"There is a lot of specialized knowledge, experience, and technical skill sitting dormant due to financial barriers preventing people from doing this work and lack of places willing to publish [disability stories].” buff.ly/7g6z0sy
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
“Somebody is going to say, ‘Why am I talking to you? Why are you doing this story? I can't talk to you, because what happens if this winds up in Palantir?’ And that should not be the job of a reporter to answer for.” objectivejournalism.org/2026/08/hund...
objectivejournalism.org
Hundreds of journalists demand USA Today Co. end Palantir partnership
Palantir's products have been used by the U.S. government to support immigration raids.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Our next story from our Since 2020 series: Six years after the onset of COVID-19, @shruti-rajkumar spoke to journalists including @infamouslyshort.bsky.social and @juliametraux.bsky.social about disability is still inconsistently prioritized in news. buff.ly/7g6z0sy
objectivejournalism.org
Despite COVID-19. disability is still inconsistently prioritized in news
Six years after 2020, disabled reporters say there wasn’t a full-scale reckoning with disability in newsroom coverage and culture.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
“We are committed to making sure our students know the tenets of journalism without fear or favor,” said Texas Southern University assistant dean and journalism professor Serbino Sandifer-Walker. “At HBCUs, I believe [professors] are doing exactly what journalism requires.” buff.ly/EATPuSz
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Read our first story from our Since 2020 series, covering how different facets of journalism and journalists have been affected by post-2020 "racial reckoning" promises in an era of increased attacks on equal rights: buff.ly/EATPuSz
objectivejournalism.org
HBCU professors adapt curriculum to respond to attacks on DEI
"We have to move in a certain way, but we will always tell the truth," said Serbino Sandifer-Walker, Texas Southern University School of Communication assistant dean and journalism professor.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Read Lewis's full set of columns making the case for movement journalism here: buff.ly/N07eBxH
objectivejournalism.org
The Case for Movement Journalism
A new limited-run column from The Objective from Lewis Raven Wallace, author of View from Somewhere: Undoing the Myth of Journalistic Objectivity, about why movement journalism matters.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
"Increasingly, the daily diet of news is fed to the U.S. public by people whose interests align with authoritarian control." @lewispants.bsky.social argues that movement journalism can be a meaningful way to push back against that trend. buff.ly/ng2E2uw
objectivejournalism.org
This moment shows why movement journalism matters
"Movement journalism's purpose zero is challenging fascism and authoritarianism by fighting disinformation," Lewis Raven Wallace writes.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
"Solidarity for social justice is the very best of what journalism does and has always done." That's among what @anitawrites.bsky.social hopes readers of her new book Solidarity in Journalism will take away.
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'All journalism advocates': Anita Varma on solidarity journalism
Anita Varma on her forthcoming book, Solidarity in Journalism, the limits of the advocacy vs. journalism conversation, and more.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
"My own exit was part of a broader change in the industry." Writer Xintian Tina Wang used her own experience to talk about the shift from a focus on diversity of narratives to one of survival.
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Journalists of color face an industry that doesn't love them back
Increased safety risks and an inability to culturally and financially value their labor are pushing journalists of color out of the field.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
"Funders who purport to care for a free press must show that by investing in the Black press, which has long been a bulwark against censorship and racism."
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Caring about democracy means equitably funding the Black press
Looking to historical models can provide inspiration in an environment once again hostile to funding Black journalists and the Black press.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Newsrooms (and their guilds) are struggling with how, exactly, AI fits into reporting. @spj-posts.bsky.social is working on an industry-wide ethics policy that may address the complicated, thorny ways the growth of large language models affects how newsrooms function across editorial and management.
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Should journalism have a standard ethics policy for covering AI?
Tech journalists set their own standards as journalism organizations haven’t yet issued consistent guidelines on generative artificial intelligence.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
According to a study from @indiejournalists.bsky.social, layoffs disproportionately affect women and people of color. Freelancing is a common next step. Xintian Tina Wang wrote about the current freelancing landscape, and what does and can never provide for journalism.
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Journalists of color face an industry that doesn't love them back
Increased safety risks and an inability to culturally and financially value their labor are pushing journalists of color out of the field.
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Sarah J. Jackson @sjjphd.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
This was such a great convo 🙏🏽 and @objectivejournos.bsky.social is case in point that our media system and the stories included in it could be broader and more democratic
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
"Media is not neutral, it's always shaped by power." New book A Second Sight, by @sjjphd.bsky.social, maps the history of the U.S. through the lens of Black storytellers, who have documented what has been at the margins of official historical record. objectivejournalism.org/2026/06/qa-a...
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Q&A: 'A Second Sight' tells U.S. media history by Black journalists
'A Second Sight' author Sarah J. Jackson on how Black media-makers have used second sight to push democracy forward in the U.S.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
“What is the point of job retention if the field itself no longer exists?”
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Journalists of color face an industry that doesn't love them back
Increased safety risks and an inability to culturally and financially value their labor are pushing journalists of color out of the field.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Changing the kinds of stories that are told about U.S. prisons and mass incarceration must include incarcerated journalists, who are “reporting from behind enemy lines," said Look2Justice co-founder Christopher Blackwell. buff.ly/9MxEc44
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
In Chicago and free tomorrow? You could attend the first-ever journalism conference dedicated to strengthening U.S. prison journalism, led by systems-impacted journalists like @chriswblackwell.bsky.social and supported by @haymarketbooks.org, @truthout.org, @empowermentave.bsky.social, and more.
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Incarcerated journalists lead first-ever conference on U.S. prison journalism
Bridging the Gap, a conference focused on improving journalism in and on U.S. prisons and jails, will take place in Chicago on May 29 and 30.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
ICYMI: We're looking for your pitches! See the thread for more about what we're looking for or head to our full pitch call here: tinyurl.com/since2020pitch
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Please note: The Objective does not utilize generative AI tools to create original content, pitches for articles, or images as these tools can create inaccurate or biased information. Pitches generated by AI will be automatically declined without response. (H/T @prismreports.org for this language.)
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
We are especially interested in commissioning stories from reporters of marginalized backgrounds, and organizers who are adjacent to and have been affected by journalism in the communities they’re in. tinyurl.com/since2020pitch
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
We’re looking for pieces between 800-1,200 words and pay $0.50/word. As a newsroom with a small budget, we pay based on initially-agreed word count. The magazine will come out in fall 2026 and we’re looking for primarily reported news stories between 800-1,200 words. tinyurl.com/since2020pitch
tinyurl.com
Airtable | Everyone's app platform
Airtable is a low-code platform for building collaborative apps. Customize your workflow, collaborate, and achieve ambitious outcomes. Get started for free.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Have reporting you want to do looking at how journalism has made good on its 2020 promises around diversity and equity? We want your pitches for our upcoming print and digital magazine: tinyurl.com/since2020pitch
tinyurl.com
Airtable | Everyone's app platform
Airtable is a low-code platform for building collaborative apps. Customize your workflow, collaborate, and achieve ambitious outcomes. Get started for free.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
ICYMI: Most independent newsrooms are primarily funded through foundation grants, audience donations, or ad revenue. For Black newsrooms, systemic barriers further complicate these hybrid financing models. objectivejournalism.org/2026/05/blac...
objectivejournalism.org
Black journalists find independence isn’t as simple as Substack
Don Lemon and Joy Reid might be outliers among Black journalists going independent, starting a Substack, or freelancing.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
From @falliexo.bsky.social: "Freelance journalism is a white-dominated industry, and Black freelance journalists are potentially reaping fewer benefits from it." objectivejournalism.org/2026/05/blac...
objectivejournalism.org
Black journalists find independence isn’t as simple as Substack
Don Lemon and Joy Reid might be outliers among Black journalists going independent, starting a Substack, or freelancing.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Reporters covering artificial intelligence as part of their beats are left to develop a code of ethics as they go, but much like newsrooms, there isn't a consensus. And practical logistics of coverage are colliding with other ethical concerns about the expansion of generative AI. buff.ly/nBF6Cm3
objectivejournalism.org
Should journalism have a standard ethics policy for covering AI?
Tech journalists set their own standards as journalism organizations haven’t yet issued consistent guidelines on generative artificial intelligence.
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The Objective @objectivejournos.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
“Silicon Valley has always been driven by hype, and sees the world in a different way and portrays it in a way that’s different from reality.” @jakeadampitre.bsky.social reports on how tech reporters have developed new codes of ethics as they report on artificial intelligence. buff.ly/nBF6Cm3
objectivejournalism.org
Should journalism have a standard ethics policy for covering AI?
Tech journalists set their own standards as journalism organizations haven’t yet issued consistent guidelines on generative artificial intelligence.
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jake @jakeadampitre.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
wrote about tech journalism's lack of consensus around ethics policies for AI, and how some reporters are finding their own way through the chaos, for @objectivejournos.bsky.social objectivejournalism.org/2026/05/shou...
objectivejournalism.org
Should journalism have a standard ethics policy for covering AI?
Tech journalists set their own standards as journalism organizations haven’t yet issued consistent guidelines on generative artificial intelligence.
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