Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza conflict, journalists’ lawyers face retaliation around the globe, and creating national funds to support public-interest media

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Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza conflict. As of 19 October, at least 21 journalists have been killed since the war began on 7 October.

Tipping the scales: journalists’ lawyers face retaliation around the globe. When lawyers for reporters fear retaliation as much as the journalists do, it creates an environment of censorship that harms citizens’ ability to stay informed about what is happening in their countries.

Creating national funds to support journalism and public-interest media. A GFMD policy brief examining government funds that support journalism in the funders’ country (not development aid). We summarise the existing literature, describe how such funds are designed and allocated, provide examples from around the world, and close with recommendations on setting up journalism funds to support quality news.

The Media Show. The deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza raises many questions about how the media is covering the Israel Gaza war. The BBC’s Ros Atkins talks to senior executives from Reuters, BBC and AFP about how news organisations should report claims being made by both sides. Plus the terms of engagement for journalists after a Reuters video journalist was killed in a strike in Lebanon, and what it’s like reporting on Hamas. With Alessandra Galloni, Editor in Chief, Reuters; Phil Chetwynd, Global News Director, AFP news agency; Richard Burgess, Director of News Content, BBC News; Emily Bell, Director, Tow Center for Digital Journalism; Isobel Yeung, foreign correspondent.

The fog of war. The entire social media landscape is now a virtual minefield. If conflicts like the current one in the Middle East are lenses through which we understand our information environment, “then one must surmise that, at present, our information environment is broken.”

Weaponising the law: attacks on media freedom. A report on the legal threats to journalists by the Tow Center for Digital Journalism and the Thomson Reuters Foundation provides the first step towards a global overview of the weaponisation of the law against journalists and a springboard into future research.

Misinformation reloaded? Fears about the impact of generative AI on misinformation are overblown. Many observers of the current explosion of generative AI worry about its impact on our information environment, with concerns being raised about the increased quantity, quality, and personalization of misinformation. We assess these arguments with evidence from communication studies, cognitive science, and political science. We argue that current concerns about the effects of generative AI on the misinformation landscape are overblown.

For the CEO of PumaPodcast in the Philippines, creative community engagement is vital to success and longevity. PumaPodcast CEO Carl Javier believes podcasters should think about community engagement from the start. He’s found that audiences are thirsty for connection with their favorite podcasts and fellow listeners.

‘I knew it was a car bomb straight away’: the day my mother was murdered. 16 October marked 6 years since Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination.

How paid podcasts fit into The Economist’s subscription strategy. The Economist has led the way in subscription-based access to its content. Last month it announced that it would put its podcasts beyond a paywall. As one of the first publishers to make such a move, insight into the strategic decisions around the launch are particularly valuable for any other publishers considering doing the same.

Local newspapers are vanishing. How should we remember them? As smaller newspapers shrink or disappear, it’s easy to romanticize the role they played. But one reporter’s memories of the heyday of American local journalism reveal a much more complicated reality.

Pune Institute cancels award for Kashmiri journalist, jury refuses to attend event in protest. Safina Nabi’s report had been unanimously chosen as the winner of a media award instituted by the journalism school run by the Maharashtra Institute of Technology-World Peace University.

Iran accused of threatening ‘terrified’ BBC staff in London. Journalists at BBC Persian say they are scared to go out alone as UK counter-terrorism police raise security levels.

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