Nieman Reports

I am delighted to share that I was awarded the Walid El-Gabry Memorial Award at the 2026 @amejaglobal.bsky.social Awards for "Sudan: Dangerously Underreported", a submission including reported works on Sudan for @nybooks.com, @niemanreports.org and @columjournreview.bsky.social

Last week, @hanaatameez.bsky.social and I reported that Meta’s new TOS allows scraping of publisher sites. On Tuesday, our reporting was cited in the U.K. Parliament and by German publishers. Both urged regulators to stop the terms from taking effect on Oct 30. www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/u-k-...

Really great follow-up by Nieman Lab today. They continue to own this story by bringing in independent legal minds to put a spotlight on reality rather than Meta’s spin. This is a flex of Meta market power for its AI needs. At expense of rest of industry. bsky.app/profile/hana...

An Oct. 14 ruling keeps CNN, MS NOW, and Politico’s White House press access in place while their lawsuit proceeds. @niemanreports.org examines the legal fight.

As protests continue across India over allegations of government corruption, dozens of members of the media have been subjected to arrest, detainment and assault, according to witnesses, press rights organizations, and the journalists themselves. niemanreports.org/gen-z-india-...

Legal experts warn Meta’s new terms still grant broad scraping permissions, despite language changes buff.ly/ByhIcB2

"We’ve built a big advertising and related convening business ... That’s one answer. It’s not the only answer, but it is one." buff.ly/YxbtRfA

#India remains one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists, ranking 151st out of 180 in RSF's Press Freedom Index. As #Modi faces mounting political challenges crackdowns on press freedom have intensified. My latest for @niemanreports.org niemanreports.org/gen-z-india-...

New in Nieman Reports: India Targets Journalists in Crackdown on Growing Protest Movement Reports of arrests and intimidation of journalists at voting rights protests raise international alarm, writes @vidyakrishnan.bsky.social niemanreports.org/gen-z-india-...

My Friday newsletter for @niemanstoryboard.org: A new podcast episode with @wudan.bsky.social on the future of fact-checking, plus writing advice from @mallarytenore.bsky.social, @naokan.bsky.social, @alexanderchee.bsky.social niemanstoryboard.org/2026/10/16/w...

Preach: “Engagement data can’t tell you what caused audiences to engage, settle a hunch, or isolate your contribution,” the report reads. “Randomization can.”

NEW: After our reporting, Meta removed “train” from its upcoming commercial terms. But the terms still allow broad website scraping and could potentially supersede robots.txt. @andrewdeck.bsky.social and I followed up with the experts: www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/lega...

On Friday, Meta changed its terms of services after @hanaatameez.bsky.social and I reported they would allow Meta to scrape any website "associated with" a business account. Despite the update, legal experts tell us the revised terms still permit mass scraping. www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/lega...

My latest for @niemanreports.org. Exploring legal bases for White House press access. niemanreports.org/press-access...

New in Nieman Reports: A federal judge blocks the Trump administration’s latest attempt to restrict press coverage. Legal precedent appears to be in the news organizations’ favor — aided, perhaps, by the administration’s own arguments in court. niemanreports.org/press-access...

Sinclair’s new Substack repackages its local TV reporting into a video podcast buff.ly/zYmaMYD

In 1996, Slate was trying to figure out what a magazine on the internet should even look like; in 2026, it’s among the last general-interest digital-native news sites, and print magazines are dying out. buff.ly/cnq6QRy

“Virtually all the new news sources are in urban areas, while rural America is increasingly arid news and information territory.” buff.ly/NWAaDX3

“Our videos are what we wish we could consume more of.” I talked to the creators of A Show About the News about comedy, explaining complicated stories, and why they traded in secure futures as business school grads for careers in making news videos. www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/two-...

What does a Nieman year look like from the inside? On Oct. 21, three 2027 fellows will join Henry Chu for a live Q&A on studying at Harvard and the fellowship experience so far. 🗓️ 10 a.m. ET, via Zoom.  📋 Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4VYU5gItRdip86Uxdteazw#/registration

The Times says AI companies should pay fairly. DOJ says the case could affect U.S. AI competitiveness, @andrewdeck.bsky.social reports.

More than 800 USA Today Co. employees called for the company to end its Palantir deal. Executives are now defending it. 

Climate.us is trying to restore plain-language explainers, expert blogs, and shareworthy maps and graphics from Climate.gov. 

Platforms made information easier to find. They also pushed newsroom resources toward analyzing what was already trending. 

RIP, Helen, a 2011 Nieman Fellow. The world has lost an outstanding woman and journalist.

The Appeal-Democrat once housed 100+ employees. Now, three editorial staffers help keep two California counties from becoming a news desert. 

“We’re in their shit. They’re not in ours”: USA Today Co. execs defend Palantir deal buff.ly/XqiEXCp

Fox News attacks the media roughly every 15 minutes, our study finds. (CNN? Every 140 minutes.) buff.ly/HUKerjU

One tactic? "Turning off the free stuff every once in awhile." buff.ly/1YC4IBJ

USA Today Co. executives are doubling down on the company's Palantir deal, claiming the newspaper chain is becoming “an intelligence organization.” buff.ly/XqiEXCp

A study of nonprofit newsrooms reveals some cracks in the model’s foundation buff.ly/VDqaVvy

“Uber agents,” undercover AI personas, and other ways newsrooms are using AI in investigations buff.ly/ZYTaNXA

📸 Photo Essay: America’s Shrinking Local Newsrooms, Through a Photographer’s Lens "My project is a love letter to local news, and a document of a fading era in print journalism." niemanreports.org/americas-shr...

For our Friday newsletter at @niemanstoryboard.org, we have a special guest edition from Erika Hayasaki on mentorship and Miriam Pawel's new book, "California Dreams." niemanstoryboard.org/2026/10/09/p... #journalism #longreads

"For many journalists, the sight of empty desks is a sadly familiar one. My first glimpse of a gutted newsroom facing further cutbacks sparked a documentary photography project that has so far taken me to more than 50 newsrooms across the United States." niemanreports.org/americas-shr...

Digital data can be precise without being particularly insightful. Gabe Bullard looks at what newsroom metrics can, and can’t, tell us for @niemanreports.org. 

"News embodies the paradox of modern convenience: We have access to more information than ever before, but misinformation and partisanship are rampant." niemanreports.org/gabe-bullard...

Some personal news: We redesigned our website! Our new look features more layout diversity, restructured archives, improved search UX, and the option to use dark mode. We hope you like it! buff.ly/tvlb9Lm

Subscribers are up, but growth is down. Here’s what worker-owned Hell Gate is trying next. buff.ly/1YC4IBJ

"The researcher found a distressing level of unpaid work that seemed to be the rule, not the exception, in small-outlet nonprofit journalism." buff.ly/VDqaVvy

The truth about a local news website is this Virginia city’s best-kept secret buff.ly/3Pncnhj