Plan to address election misinformation now

Ahead of the presidential election next month, there are widespread fears about the impact of misinformation. The AP is hoping to curb election-night misinformation by hiring 5,000 people to cover Election Day, a record for the organization, reports Sara Fischer for Axios. And Google plans to block political ads after the polls close to prevent the spread of misinformation about election results, Fischer also writes.

Conspiracy theories that emerged around the recent hurricanes have particularly worried election watchers, writes Miranda Nizarro for The Hill. Some researchers say that those rumors were amplified by Chinese and Russian agents, reports Jeff Cercone for Poynter, raising concerns about their potential influence in the election.

Already, bad actors online are spreading scams about voting registration, polling locations and campaign fundraising, report Ann Pistone and Jason Knowles for ABC 7. Dana Miranda at CNET has a guide to the most common text scams this election season, and Mollie Muchna at Trusting News recommends that news outlets prewrite explainers about the election to help set expectations for the vote counting process.  

News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> Journalists Under Fire: U.S. media report daily threats, harassment and attacks at home (IWMF)

A new survey of journalists who attended safety trainings found that more than a third (36%) of journalists have experienced or been threatened with physical violence, and nearly a quarter (24%) experience sexual harassment. 

>> Don’t say ‘vote’: How Instagram hides your political posts (The Washington Post)

Meta has downplayed political content across all of its platforms, suppressing posts that include the word “vote” without providing transparency to users about their decisions. 

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Culture & Inclusion

>> BBC boss says word ‘talent’ banned as workplace culture review begins (The Guardian)

The BBC has launched a review of workplace culture after disturbing stories emerged about several high-profile personalities. The director general said in an interview that no one at the organization is indispensable, and that he’s discouraging the word “talent” in the review to emphasize that all employees should be working to serve the public. 

>> Condé Nast’s high-profile head of diversity quietly stepped down this summer over internal disputes around Gaza (Semafor) 

Yashica Olden became the highest ranking nonwhite employee at Condé Nast when she was hired in 2020, but some Jewish employees felt she did not take their concerns about antisemitism seriously. 

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> In Germany, a ‘public media critic’ tackles Trump and ‘epistemological Switzerland’ (Columbia Journalism Review)

Media studies professor Bernhard Poerksen has been hired by German newsmagazine Der Spiegel to regularly write about how the outlet is covering major stories. Unlike a public editor, he is not employed by the magazine, and he views himself as a “public media critic” much like Jay Rosen. 

>> It’s time to connect journalism research with media professionals (Digital Content Next) 

Bridging the gap between academic researchers and journalists is a key for newsrooms to benefit from the work of journalism research. One key way for these groups to connect is through conferences, where journalists can learn about progress in research and researchers can better understand the types of data that are most useful for news organizations. 

+ Related: The research-practice gap in journalism: Why it exists and how we can address it

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Revenue & Resilience

>> What to know about new FTC rule making it easier to cancel subscriptions and memberships (CBS News)

The FTC’s new rule will require that companies make it just as easy to cancel a subscription as to sign up for one, while also banning unclear text that traps users in recurring subscriptions. Most of the rules will go into effect in 180 days. 

>> A year in, The Guardian’s European edition contributes 15% of the publisher’s pageviews (Nieman Lab)

The Guardian amped up its European coverage after the UK left the European Union in 2020, and since launching its European edition last year, has hired nearly a dozen journalists focused just on Europe. 

>> Economist ‘future-proofing’ bid brings back brand advertising and targets students (Press Gazette)

The Economist is offering free subscriptions of its streamlined Espresso apps to high school and college students aged 16 and over. The goal is to “future proof” the brand by creating habits among student readers. 

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What else you need to know

⚖️ Former Las Vegas-area Democratic politician gets at least 28 years in prison for killing journalist (Associated Press)

💰 Press Forward awards $20 million to 205 small local newsrooms (Nieman Lab)

🗞️ St. Louis Post-Dispatch to stop printing locally, lay off 72 press employees (STLPR)

🪧 New Yorker Fest strike averted as Condé Nast reaches deal with union (The Hollywood Reporter) 

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Weekend reads

+ For the reporters of Hell Gate, heaven is covering Mayor Eric Adams (The Washington Post) 

+ John F. Kennedy Jr.’s 1990s-era magazine is back, with a QAnon twist (The New York Times) 

+ What should a music magazine be in the TikTok era? Pitchfork alumni have an idea. (The New York Times)

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