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Sophie Culpepper

@speppered.bsky.social
1.1K followers 243 following 9 posts

Staff writer @niemanlab.org, sophie@niemanlab.org. Local news enthusiast, midnights become my afternoons

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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Richard Tofel @dicktofel.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The recent McClatchy layoff announcement makes painfully clear where most metro newspapers are heading. This week’s Second Rough Draft newsletter dicktofel.substack.com/p/mcclatchy-...
dicktofel.substack.com
McClatchy, Cutting Newsrooms, Says the Quiet Part Out Loud
A timely reminder of where hedge fund ownership is leading
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 18/09/2026
"Largest theft of labor in human history." A "doom loop" in the making. An "existential threat" for publishers. Court records show what Microsoft and OpenAI actually thought about AI training buff.ly/dilrt1D
buff.ly
“An astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions”: Court records show what Microsoft and OpenAI actually thought about AI training
Would you call large language models training on an internet's worth of content "an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions"? Or perhaps you prefer the "largest theft of labor in human…
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 18/09/2026
“Respondents showed clear distrust of AI in the news-gathering process. Discomfort with AI was widespread.” buff.ly/9DpplnF
buff.ly
News consumers are wary of most AI use in local news, a Chicago-based report finds
Local news providers weighing AI use in the newsroom should think twice, according to a new survey from the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern. "The Medill survey provides a warning to news…
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Carrie Brown @brizzyc.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"even if we could rebuild every newsroom that has disappeared, we would still have a problem: a community can have professional journalism and still remain disconnected from its historical, community-centric knowledge base" www.niemanlab.org/2026/09/the-... Must-read on The Library Newsroom Project!
niemanlab.org
The Library Newsroom Project could be coming to a library near you
"Journalism can live inside the public library and allow people to take part in it together."
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 16/09/2026
"More than seven years later, I still remember leaving that first public gathering and thinking: This is it. This is what I want to do." buff.ly/YSUP33W
buff.ly
The Library Newsroom Project could be coming to a library near you
"Journalism can live inside the public library and allow people to take part in it together."
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · 10/09/2026
an all-too-rare feat! @lookoutsantacruz.bsky.social is profitable thanks to local ads and paid memberships. www.niemanlab.org/2026/09/many...
niemanlab.org
“Many have said it couldn’t be done”: Local news site Lookout Santa Cruz is profitable thanks to ads and memberships
Buried in an opinion piece about California's Community NEWS Act is the announcement that Lookout Santa Cruz has achieved something remarkable (and rare) in local news: It's profitable. Six years aft...
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Caitlin McGlade @caitmcglade.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
"McClatchy will invest in journalism that “is differentiated, consequential and difficult to replicate; reporting rooted in our communities and strengthened by sources, investigation, verification, context and judgment." That is what all of us who got fired do. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/b...
nytimes.com
McClatchy Makes Deep Job Cuts to Newspapers Around the Country
The owner of The Miami Herald said subscriber interest did not support its current level of investment. One employee called the layoffs a “blood bath.”
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 10/09/2026
New from me: McClatchy laid off 12 journalists at the Lexington Herald-Leader and a majority of its positions, as a part of its deep, nationwide layoffs.
lpm.org
McClatchy guts Lexington Herald-Leader newsroom, among nationwide layoffs
McClatchy laid off 12 journalists at the Lexington Herald-Leader, a majority of its positions, as a part of its deep, nationwide layoffs.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 08/09/2026
At three, Deep South Today threads the needle between “lean and mean” and “aggressive expansion” www.niemanlab.org/2026/09/at-t...
niemanlab.org
At three, Deep South Today threads the needle between “lean and mean” and “aggressive expansion”
The nonprofit news network will expand to Arkansas with the launch of its fourth newsroom later this year.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
It was great to talk to @joshuabenton.com about ProPublica’s expansion into California. Go west: With a new operation in California, ProPublica continues its expansion outside Manhattan
niemanlab.org
Go west: With a new operation in California, ProPublica continues its expansion outside Manhattan
"I think with Trump's first election in 2016, it became painfully clear to the media broadly that you can't just look at the world primarily from the coasts."
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 06/09/2026
With acquisition of Vermont newspapers, the National Trust for Local News expands to a fourth state www.niemanlab.org/2026/09/with...
niemanlab.org
With acquisition of Vermont newspapers, the National Trust for Local News expands to a fourth state
The nonprofit National Trust for Local News is acquiring the Vermont Community Newspaper Group in a deal that will close this month, the Trust announced Thursday. The deal, which will add five weekly…
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 13/08/2026
“This is a community platform, not a news site — it’s very much not a news site.” www.niemanlab.org/2026/08/can-...
niemanlab.org
Can public media build its own social network? Chicago Public Media teams up with New_Public to try
"This is a community platform, not a news site — it's very much not a news site."
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Aidan Ryan @aidanryan.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
For the @bostonglobe.com magazine, I visited Maine to profile @hcrichardson.bsky.social, the historian and Substack star who has amassed millions of followers for her distillation of contemporary American politics. Can her rallying cry for democracy help save it? www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/11/m...
bostonglobe.com
From a small town in Maine, Heather Cox Richardson has built a following of millions. She still thinks America can be saved. - The Boston Globe
Her newsletter, Letters from an American, is quick to call out MAGA. Her critics say she's less tough on Democrats.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Hanaa’ Tameez @hanaatameez.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
NEW: At least five media companies are using algorithmic pricing to decide how much news subscribers should pay. If you've been told that your news subscription price was determined by an algorithm using your personal data, please take the survey at the end: www.niemanlab.org/2026/07/this...
niemanlab.org
“This price was set by an algorithm”: News subscribers are surprised by a new line in their renewal emails
Outlets like Wired, NJ.com, and The Wall Street Journal are setting renewal prices just for you — and being forced to disclose it.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 21/07/2026
"What is the thing that only you can offer to your audience? That’s the thing to build your event around.” www.niemanlab.org/2026/07/want...
niemanlab.org
Want to build audience and revenue through live events? These five news nonprofits have some ideas to get you started
A community run? A block party? A trivia night? There are options for newsrooms of all stripes and sizes.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 13/07/2026
⚽️ Local news sites are going all in on the World Cup. From interactive city guides and podcasts to sticker book giveaways, here's what they're up to: www.niemanlab.org/2026/07/loca...
niemanlab.org
Local news went all in on the World Cup. Here’s what worked.
From sticker swaps in Boston to interactive guides in L.A., news outlets are using the tournament to test new ways of reaching audiences.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 09/07/2026
"It’s not something that Vox has ever done before. I’m not sure any newsroom has tried to discover a species like this. Which is exciting, but also makes it a little bit daunting.” www.niemanlab.org/2026/07/ther...
niemanlab.org
There are millions of undiscovered species on Earth. Vox is trying to find one.
"It’s an indication of how unexplored our world is. If you can find a new species in New York City, think how many more there must be out there."
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Matt Pearce @mattdpearce.com · 08/07/2026
that’s right
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 09/07/2026
“Our hope is that The Local: Twin Cities can serve as a model for similar future efforts elsewhere around the country.” www.niemanlab.org/2026/07/the-...
niemanlab.org
The New York Times will launch a local newsletter pilot in the Twin Cities next month
The New York Times: It wants to be your one-stop shop for cooking, games, sports...and next, perhaps, local news? On Wednesday, the Times announced it will soon launch The Local, "a new journalism…
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 07/07/2026
Rebuild Local News’ Matt Pearce is trying to help journalists and lawmakers speak the same language www.niemanlab.org/2026/07/rebu...
niemanlab.org
Rebuild Local News’ Matt Pearce is trying to help journalists and lawmakers speak the same language
"In the local journalism world, we are not super-duper experts at the political process."
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 30/06/2026
"The study is a reminder that the effects of media and political identity are not always visible in what people believe or what they know. Sometimes they show up in what people prefer, who they admire, what public figures they feel drawn to." www.niemanlab.org/2026/06/what...
niemanlab.org
What short news videos reveal about the Messi–Ronaldo debate — and news distribution today
"People don't choose to have their media diet and their football allegiances bundled together. The feed does that for them."
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Porter Square Books in Cambridge & Boston @portersqbooks.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
We chatted with NiemanLab about the Porter Square Review of Books!!
niemanlab.org
Book reviews are an endangered species. So this independent bookstore decided to start publishing its own.
“We’re not just going to complain about it!”
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · 22/06/2026
big yes!! to this ty @speppered.bsky.social for the piece www.niemanlab.org/2026/06/book...
niemanlab.org
Book reviews are an endangered species. So this independent bookstore decided to start publishing its own.
“We’re not just going to complain about it!”
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 22/06/2026
“For us at the Globe, it’s been a reminder that we are a media organization, but we’re also part of the fabric of this region." www.niemanlab.org/2026/06/the-...
niemanlab.org
The Boston Globe published a full-page ad thanking the Tartan Army for “the laughter, the bagpipes, and the memories”
You've seen the headlines, or TikToks — the traffic cones on statues, the pubs drunk dry, the throngs of men in kilts. The Tartan Army took Boston by storm in the best possible way last week during…
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 22/06/2026
A lack of books coverage, including book reviews, “hurts everyone in the books ecosystem: readers, writers, publishers, and, of course, bookstores,” Porter Square Books said in its Book Review announcement. www.niemanlab.org/2026/06/book...
niemanlab.org
Book reviews are an endangered species. So this independent bookstore decided to start publishing its own.
“We’re not just going to complain about it!”
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Chris Krewson @ckrewson.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
"Willingness to pay in attention is really different than willingness to pay in dollars." - @joshuabenton.com at Nieman www.niemanlab.org/2026/06/what...
niemanlab.org
What kind of stories are best at turning local news readers into subscribers? It’s hard news, not the soft stuff
An analysis of billions of visits to a metro newspaper's website finds that entertainment and sports stories might generate lots of pageviews, but it's topics like government, transportation, and heal...
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 01/06/2026
The program turns community residents into local journalists. www.niemanlab.org/2026/06/with...
niemanlab.org
With Monitor Local, The Maine Monitor expands to civic news — written by local residents — for rural counties
The investigative nonprofit newsroom’s local reporting initiative relies on freelance correspondents to fill local news gaps in downeast and western Maine.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 19/05/2026
The Local News Research Hub formally launches on Thursday. The new database will make academic research on local news searchable for policymakers, funders, and working journalists. www.niemanlab.org/2026/05/here...
niemanlab.org
Here’s a new database for local news research, from Syracuse University and Rebuild Local News
The Local News Research Hub aims to make academic research more accessible to audiences including policymakers, funders, and journalists.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Hanaa’ Tameez @hanaatameez.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
NEW: More than 340 local U.S. news outlets are limiting @archive.org's access to their journalism. @andrewdeck.bsky.social and I have mapped out what at looks like across the country: www.niemanlab.org/2026/05/more...
Map of the United States titled “Which local news outlets are restricting the Internet Archive?” with colored dots showing the locations of 342 local news sites owned by at least 17 companies that block one or more Internet Archive crawling bots. A legend at the top matches colors to owners, including Advance Local, The Business Journals, Fox Corporation, McClatchy, MediaNews Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Tribune Publishing, USA Today, and “Other.” Dots cluster heavily in the Northeast, upper Midwest, Southeast, and along the West Coast, with labeled cities such as Seattle, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, Atlanta, Miami, Washington D.C., New York, and Boston highlighted near concentrations of sites. A note at the bottom credits the map to Andrew Deck and Hanaa’ Tameez for Nieman Lab, created with Datawrapper.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Andrew Deck @andrewdeck.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
NEW: More than 340 U.S. local news outlets are restricting Internet Archive access. @hanaatameez.bsky.social and I mapped out the full list, showing just how dire this trend is for the future of local news archives. www.niemanlab.org/2026/05/more...
niemanlab.org
More than 340 local news outlets are limiting the Internet Archive’s access to their journalism
McClatchy, Advance Local, Tribune Publishing and other major newspaper chains are restricting the nonprofit's archiving bots.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Dan Kennedy @dankennedy.net · 25/04/2026
Insightful @aidanryan.bsky.social story on the burgeoning rivalry between the nonprofit @cambridgeday.com and the upstart @csindie.bsky.social, launched recently by the Day's founder. #journalism www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/25/b...
bostonglobe.com
A new kind of local news war? Two outlets in Cambridge are trying to revitalize the city’s coverage. - The Boston Globe
Cambridge Day and the Cambridge Somerville Independent will be competing for coverage — and donation dollars — but this isn’t a newspaper war of yore.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 14/04/2026
The Baltimore Banner’s parent nonprofit acquires the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette www.niemanlab.org/2026/04/the-...
niemanlab.org
The Baltimore Banner’s parent nonprofit acquires the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The acquisition, which will take effect May 4, is the latest example of a metro daily transforming into a nonprofit to survive.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Kate Knibbs @knibbs.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
So glad this story is gaining traction & wanted to highlight that @andrewdeck.bsky.social at @niemanlab.org broke the news that NYT/Guardian/USA Today were blocking IA earlier this year. Encourage all to read: www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news...
niemanlab.org
News publishers limit Internet Archive access due to AI scraping concerns
Outlets like The Guardian and The New York Times are scrutinizing digital archives as potential backdoors for AI crawlers.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 06/04/2026
"Traditional media doesn’t need to be more TikTok-y. Digital influencers don’t need to be more traditional. There’s room enough for all of us and together we get the job of telling the truth and holding power accountable done together." www.niemanlab.org/2026/04/v-sp...
niemanlab.org
V Spehar built a news business from under a desk. Now they’re a creator journalism pioneer.
Under the Desk News started as TikTok explainers during the pandemic. Six years later, V Spehar has become one of the internet's most trusted journalists.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Andrew Deck @andrewdeck.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Yesterday, the ProPublica Guild walked off the job in the first strike by a major U.S. newsroom over, at least in part, AI protections. I spoke with striking journalists and union leaders on the picket line in New York for @niemanlab.org. www.niemanlab.org/2026/04/prop...
niemanlab.org
ProPublica journalists walk off the job in first U.S. newsroom strike over AI
On the picket line in New York, union leaders said they expect "more concentrated conflicts" over AI in the news industry.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 09/04/2026
“If you’re producing local journalism, we want to bring audiences to your doorstep, and that’s really what Local News Day is all about.” www.niemanlab.org/2026/04/more...
niemanlab.org
More than 1,300 newsrooms participate in the first “Local News Day”
Nonprofit newsroom Montana Free Press is the managing partner behind the April 9 national day of action.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
The Poynter Institute @poynterinstitute.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Leaders said Nota News was an experiment not meant to be seen by readers. But some of the company’s actions conflict with that. A Sept. 16 Nota press release touts the initiative, which included Microsoft, TollBit and BizBudding’s Springwire as partners. The release listed URLs of all 11 sites.
poynter.org
An AI company set out to fix news deserts. Instead, it copied local journalists’ work - Poynter
Nota shut down its news sites after Axios and Poynter found dozens of plagiarized quotes, phrases and photos
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Aidan Ryan @aidanryan.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
My latest: Nonprofit news pioneer VTDigger is facing several challenges, years after it established itself as Vermont's news outlet of record: the departure of its editor and CEO, financial losses, and a tense contract negotiation with its editorial union. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/02/b...
bostonglobe.com
VTDigger is losing its top editor and CEO. What’s driving the departures at a nonprofit news pioneer? - The Boston Globe
Executive departures, financial challenges, and a tense contract negotiation with its editorial union has left VTDigger on unstable footing.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 02/04/2026
The Local Journalism Project purchased the three-bed, three-bath property in October for just under $1.5 million. Three reporters moved in within weeks; they pay 30% of their salaries as rent, well below market rate. www.niemanlab.org/2026/04/the-...
niemanlab.org
The Provincetown Independent’s reporters couldn’t find housing. So the Local Journalism Project bought a condo for them to rent.
“We determined the need, we raised the funds, we found the properties, and we are teaching young journalists what a circuit breaker is.”
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Hanaa’ Tameez @hanaatameez.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
I'm honored to be in this company, and deeply appreciative that @newhousesu.bsky.social chose to recognize a story that calls out the uncomfortable truth in our industry.
John M. Higgins Award for Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting
Hanaa’ Tameez, Nieman Lab: “From reckoning to retreat: Journalism’s DEI efforts are in decline“
Jonathan Mahler and Jim Rutenberg, The New York Times: “Inside the Murdochs’ Succession Drama” (subscription required)
Josh Dzieza, The Verge: “How Wikipedia Survives While The Rest of The Internet Breaks” (subscription required)
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Laura Hazard Owen @laurahazardowen.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
so excited that 2 @niemanlab.org stories are Mirror Award finalists: @hanaatameez.bsky.social's "From reckoning to retreat: Journalism’s DEI efforts are in decline, and @neeldhanesha.com's "How tribal radio stations are preparing for a future without the Corporation for Public Broadcasting"
newhouse.syracuse.edu
Mirror Award Finalists
The Newhouse School has recognized the best in media industry reporting since 2007.
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Neel Dhanesha @neeldhanesha.com · 01/04/2026
Excited to say I'm in great company here, along with @hanaatameez.bsky.social!
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 26/03/2026
"I found out about the death of Renée Good and Alex Pretti from Signal chats before it was posted on any other published source." Our first installment in News Diaries, a new series on people's habits for finding and consuming news. www.niemanlab.org/2026/03/news...
niemanlab.org
News Diaries: How a Minnesota mom and minister “blew past” her screen time limits when ICE came to her city
How Instagram, public radio, Signal, WhatsApp, the local paper of record, and local TV do — and don't — fit into one Minneapolis resident's daily news habits.
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Carrie Brown @brizzyc.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
"That leaves me thinking about the worthy in newsworthy. If the mainstream news does not deem people like him worthy, if it does not, in that sense, care about those people: Why would they care about the mainstream news?" www.niemanlab.org/2026/03/relu... Fascinating piece by @speppered.bsky.social
niemanlab.org
Reluctantly learning from my boyfriend’s favorite news creator
At “an evening of magic, rap battles, and a SECRET documentary screening,” would I discover the future of news?
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 16/03/2026
Callaghan has visibly matured as a reporter since the early days. But he continues to show millions of viewers the unvarnished weirdness of this country and the world, balking at nothing, earning their trust and even making them feel seen along the way. www.niemanlab.org/2026/03/relu...
niemanlab.org
Reluctantly learning from my boyfriend’s favorite news creator
At “an evening of magic, rap battles, and a SECRET documentary screening,” would I discover the future of news?
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Reposted by Sophie Culpepper
Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 08/03/2026
“The Post was always the thousand-pound gorilla in local reporting." www.niemanlab.org/2026/03/with...
niemanlab.org
With Washington Post Local diminished, other news sites step up their D.C. coverage
The 51st, City Cast, and The Baltimore Banner are among the outlets to announce expansions of Washington, D.C. metro area coverage since the Post layoffs.
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Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
"Not asking you to click on any link, just subscribe to a real news organization with real journalists doing firsthand, fact-based reporting." A.G. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, urging people to support "original reporting" wherever they find it. www.niemanlab.org/2026/03/new-...
niemanlab.org
New York Times runs in-house ad asking listeners to “support any news organization dedicated to original reporting”
The New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger has voiced a new ad encouraging listeners to support any news organization dedicated to original reporting — even if it's not the Times. It's Sulzberger's...
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The Boston Globe @bostonglobe.com · 27/02/2026
A tough job market for new college grads, and, for those lucky enough to get hired, salaries that barely allow them to scrape by. Here's how Gen Zers are making it work in Boston.
trib.al
‘It’s so hard just to survive’: How Gen Zers in Greater Boston are making it - The Boston Globe
There’s no question that Gen Zers in the Boston area are facing major financial headwinds. The Globe spoke with several twentysomethings to better understand how they are managing high costs.
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Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 24/02/2026
"If we want to continue to exist, and to do the important work that we do every day, we have to justify our existence to the people in our communities." www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/the-...
niemanlab.org
The Tampa Bay Times starts a monthly “book club” for news stories
The idea is not just to discuss a story's substance, but to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at the reporting process and decision-making that shape the published article.
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Aidan Ryan @aidanryan.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
The @bostonglobe.com presses are quiet tonight, as its executives have made the unprecedented decision to not print and deliver a paper Tuesday due to Monday's monster of a blizzard. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/23/b...
bostonglobe.com
In unprecedented decision, The Boston Globe will not print a paper for Feb. 24 delivery - The Boston Globe
A massive nor’easter that blanketed New England with snow and turbulent winds made it nearly impossible for the paper’s printing staff to get to work in Taunton.
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