News Archive

Even when people think a story may be fake, there is still a chance they will pass it along on social media. Nieman Lab has the details in its latest “Real News About Fake News”.

In light of today’s shootings in Maryland, here is a link to some guidelines in covering mass shootings.   You can also download a helpful guide at this site

If you have a few minutes, this article will give you a better explanation of the types of bias that leads to the presence of fake news, pseudo-science and other scams that show up in your news feed.   This reprint of a study from Indiana University is provided by the Nieman Lab at Harvard  More  

News organizations are often shrinking.   How many times as you said, ” I want to do this story, but he just don’t have the time?”.  Working with other news outlets might be a solution to help you really get your good reporting idea across and to more people.

ProPublica Illinois has a some examples of success stories of collaboration between two media groups that can raise the spotlight on the issue and your news outlet.  More  

A new audit suggests that a number of Illinois counties are working to help provide transparency, but could do a better job in giving citizens information of who to contact and providing instructions.   The report comes from audits in several states including Illinois. The National Freedom of Information Coalition says the Illinois audit  showed that many of the sampled counties scored high in delivering petitioned public records,  More  

With the death of Anthony Bourdain in the news, there is a web site that provides recommendations for reporting on suicide.   The site Reporting on Suicide provides some important points to assist you in your coverage.  The American Federation of Suicide Prevention also has tips for reporters.     More  

Welcome to IBA Newsroom!  It is a new service of the Illinois Broadcasters Association designed to help improve the working lives of reporters at all levels.

The site includes a searchable pronunciation guide for places in Illinois and IBA Newsroom will provide weekly tips to help you improve your skills.     More  

Consumers spend a lot of money on their pools.  There may be some stories that reporters are missing.

The Reynolds Center for Business Journalism took a look at the The Swimming Pool Economy.

We reporters love to grumble when someone won’t return repeated attempts to contact them. How about when people try to get ahold of us? Some news rooms and reporters are not so easy to reach.

The Poynter Institute examined the issue of why newsrooms aren’t always the easiest when it comes to touching base.  More