Bari Weiss outlines CBS News' core journalistic values

What is journalism? The Leaders’ Debates Commission in a report to Parliament says it will not define “journalism.” The agency twice cited by the Federal Court for attempting to enforce arbitrary definitions concluded it had no business trying to “legally define what constitutes journalism.” “It is neither the Commission’s role nor its responsibility to attempt to legally define what constitutes journalism,” said the report Debates: Democratic Exercises Serving The Voting Public. “This is a wider societal issue and the leaders’ debates are not the forum in which to litigate this.” The report follows a long-running feud between Commission lawyers and Rebel News Network. Rebel twice successfully challenged its blacklisting in 2019 and 2021. Federal Court judges ruled its exclusion from debate events was “unreasonable,” “procedurally unfair” and “troubling.” READ MORE (paywall) https://lnkd.in/eB6G7u-c

I recently attended a talk featuring Kieran Andrews, Political Editor at ITV Borders and Scottish Political Journalist of the Year 2025. Kieran offered an insightful glimpse into what a career in journalism entails, and how to break into the industry. He spoke candidly about both the highlights and challenges of political reporting: maintaining integrity in a fast-moving news cycle and the weight of responsibility that every journalist carries. What particularly resonated with me was his reflection on the power of community in journalism — how local newspapers and regional outlets remain vital to the landscape of the media. His words embodied the timeless idea that “all news is local” — that even the most global events derive through their local impact and human connection. As someone interested in pursuing a career in journalism, and as a political content creator, this reminder felt grounding and essential: in today’s digital age, where news moves faster than ever, journalism at its core is and always will be about people.

Social media is not journalism. I spoke to Hadas Gold of CNN about the importance of the craft of journalism, and how it's dramatically different than the unverified slop that is so commonly (and often unwittingly) shared across social every day. It's a big reason why J.J. Colao., Meir Sabbagh, Devin W. and the team at Haymaker Group created Media Summit | NYC: to hold a forum for journalists who are caught in an information war where confusion and obfuscation have become rhetorical tactics. And its a big reason why a portion of the Summit proceeds go to support the Committee to Protect Journalists. I don't vilify the platforms. They're powerful for good and bad. But it's up to us as readers, consumers and industry professionals to ensure that media literacy is being developed just like any other life skill. https://lnkd.in/e7XEJ9qG

Journalism needs to change. I know it, you know it. We should strive to be more useful to people, more in tune with their needs. We should learn to see our purpose as more than just 'informing the public'. For most people I interact with, these are pretty uncontroversial statements. We believe journalism needs to be more people-centric and we have a fairly good idea on how to make that happen too. The problem is there is still widespread resistance to these ideas: many people in this industry who don't feel the urgency to change, don't understand it, and often actively resist it. I want to understand this resistance better. And I'm not alone because this is essentially what I discussed in a recent call with Sarah Alvarez and Jeremy Gilbert. So I suggested something to my readers in yesterday's edition of the News Alchemists newsletter: Can we create together a list of the most common reasons people in our industry give to express skepticism towards the need for journalism to become more people-centric and useful? And then put together effective responses to each of those reasons? Like a set of FAQ, but more like... FER = Frequently Expressed Resistance. Let's try: What is an argument against people-centric journalism you've heard from a colleague or that you've come across in a conversation online, or at a conference maybe? Use this form to add it to the list: https://lnkd.in/gNesHitj The first response that came through the form is a perfect example: “𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴.” 𝘈 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘪𝘴 - 𝘪.𝘦. 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 “𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴” 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘴𝘰, 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 “𝘯𝘦𝘸”? 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘰. 𝘚𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨. [𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧: Other interesting responses are coming through the form. I'm adding them to the comments so we can discuss them together.] The idea follows the work I started earlier this year with Jeremy and the Northwestern University Knight Lab team on #JR3. Take a look at our *Debate* collective doc, where many insightful discussions developed over the last few weeks about the purpose of journalism (link in comments).

Behind Every Headline: Why Journalism Still Matters People often say journalism is no longer needed. Why do we need journalists when everyone can post the news online? But here’s the thing — journalism isn’t just about posting. It’s about proving. It’s about gathering evidence, seeking truth, and being trusted. When I first stepped into journalism, I thought it would be simple — just writing about what’s happening around me. But later, from the experiences of the experts and by following some of the media outlets that reported the truth, I realized — journalism isn’t about being the first to post. It’s about being the first to be right. Social media may spread the news faster, but when people doubt what they see online, they still turn to professional journalists — to the BBCs, Sky News, or trusted local reporters. Credibility still matters. Journalism isn’t dead. It just demands more from those who dare to do it right. #Journalism #Media #News #TruthMatters #Integrity"

In our latest newsletter, we talked about one of the types of journalism that inspires Unbias: solidarity journalism. A term coined by Dr. Anita Varma at the Center for Media Engagement - The University of Texas at Austin for journalism that stands for "basic human dignity and against suffering," the tradition of solidarity reporting insists on questioning official narratives and centers marginalized voices that are often talked about- not to. This type of journalism can undermine powerful interests pushing division and dehumanization. Because of that, in some countries it has even become dangerous and subject to attacks. Now, a new initiative, 'Dangerous Solidarity,' has collected case studies, academic research, resources, and recommendations about solidarity journalism under attack around the world. "Solidarity reporting is often a serious act of resistance against powerful actors who want journalists to ignore, deny, or equivocate about people’s struggles for survival." - Anita Varma ⛓️💥 Check it out and share widely: https://lnkd.in/ehSnxbbj

Behind Every Headline: Why Journalism Still Matters People often say journalism is no longer needed. “Why do we need journalists when everyone can post the news online?” But here’s the thing — journalism isn’t just about posting. It’s about proving. It’s about gathering evidence, seeking truth, and being trusted. When I first stepped into journalism, I thought it would be simple — just writing about what’s happening around me. But every organization I joined trained me again from scratch. They asked: “Where did you get this information?” “Can you confirm the source?” Even after providing every proof, some of my reports were still rejected. And that’s when I realized — journalism isn’t about being the first to post. It’s about being the first to be right. Social media may spread the news faster, but when people doubt what they see online, they still turn to professional journalists — to the BBCs, Sky News, or trusted local reporters. Credibility still matters. Journalism isn’t dead. It just demands more from those who dare to do it right. #Journalism #Media #News #TruthMatters #Integrity #Storytelling #Professionalism #SocialMedia #Credibility #RespectTheCraft #DigitalMedia #FactChecking #MediaEthics #Transparency #LinkedInWriters #LearningEveryday #JournalistLife

A merger between MuckRock and Sunlight Research Center will help slimmed-down newsrooms investigate local governments, public officials, and more, from Nieman Journalism Lab. https://lnkd.in/gmKGkaZe

Hot take: Journalism isn't going anywhere. We’re living the proof - noise, chaos, and misinformation flood unregulated channels when people try to get their “news” from IG, Substack, X, or wherever. Marketing and PR without reporters and editors are kids let loose on sugar. Even if traditional outlets go digital-first, journalism stays. Even if disruptors replace legacy media, journalism stays. Because journalism exists for the same reason courts do: to hold power to account. Ethics are another matter. But people confusing the two - and those assuming "digital = the death of traditional" - are missing the point. Agree? Disagree? I’m listening.

💡 A new resource created at the Reynolds Journalism Institute is tracking these initiatives and has identified 18 states where lawmakers have considered some manner of support for local journalism. By searching each state’s legislative archives, the resource has identified more than 60 bills that offer a variety of solutions. Read the full article by Jared Schroeder in Nieman Reports ⬇️ 🔗: https://lnkd.in/erdKv2Kx