300 After the Kirk shooting, Peter Laufer warns: Journalism is more dangerous than ever
"E & P Reports" from Editor & Publisher Magazine hosted by Mike Blinder
Release Date: 09/11/2025
313 Rewriting the California story: USA Today bets big on statewide local journalism
"E & P Reports" from Editor & Publisher Magazine hosted by Mike Blinder
California isn’t just a state. It’s a story still being written, and USA Today wants a front-row seat. With the launch of Today Californian, the national news giant is investing in a bold new experiment: statewide coverage designed to meet readers wherever they are — from inbox to Instagram. “We’re positioning ourselves as highly relevant,” says Greg Burton, the project’s editorial lead. The goal? To create a digital-first newsroom that feels local, acts regional and delivers impact at scale. Access more at this episode’s landing page, at:
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312 From hauling freight to holding judges accountable: Mark Puente’s fight for courtroom access
"E & P Reports" from Editor & Publisher Magazine hosted by Mike Blinder
Mark Puente didn’t go to j-school — he drove trucks for 15 years before stepping into a newsroom. But when a judge tried to block him from observing a public court hearing, Puente didn’t flinch. Armed with experience, instinct, and a phone call to his editor, he stood his ground — ready to risk contempt rather than walk away. What followed wasn’t just a clash over access, but a moment that reveals why blue-collar grit still matters in American journalism. Access more at this episode’s landing page, at:
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311 Half of U.S. teens think journalists make up quotes and do favors for sources, new report finds
"E & P Reports" from Editor & Publisher Magazine hosted by Mike Blinder
If you think young people aren’t paying attention to the news, think again — they are, and they have thoughts. A new study reveals just how skeptical today’s teens are about the press, and the results should make every newsroom take notice. From questions of fairness to fears of fabrication, Gen Z is forming strong opinions about who to trust. In this episode, we dive into what teens really believe — and why it matters for the future of journalism. Access more at this episode’s landing page, at:
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310 A global perspective on what news publishers must do next
"E & P Reports" from Editor & Publisher Magazine hosted by Mike Blinder
Robert Whitehead believes the news industry is entering a make-or-break era defined by AI disruption, collapsing platform traffic and growing public distrust. In a conversation with E&P, he said generative AI is “as transformative as electricity.” He warned that publishers are still distracted by “shiny objects” instead of rebuilding the fundamentals that audiences actually value. His new report, authored for the INMA, outlines why newsrooms must urgently rethink distribution, trust, and brand experience to survive. And unless publishers rapidly differentiate their value and...
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309 Stars and Stripes at a crossroads: Inside its mission, press freedom challenges and digital future
"E & P Reports" from Editor & Publisher Magazine hosted by Mike Blinder
For more than 160 years, Stars and Stripes has walked a razor-thin line: serving the U.S. military while holding it accountable. Publisher Max Lederer says that balance remains as vital — and as fragile — as ever, noting that “our staff are paid by the Department of Defense” even as the newsroom is mandated to stay “balanced, objective, independent and impartial.” Today, new Pentagon access rules, collapsing trust in media, and seismic digital shifts are putting that independence to the test. Lederer argues the mission endures because “we are dedicated to telling the story of the...
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308 Jim Slusher on rebuilding trust — and why his new book aims to “nudge the world”
"E & P Reports" from Editor & Publisher Magazine hosted by Mike Blinder
For nearly five decades, Jim Slusher has been one of the Midwest’s most thoughtful voices on what journalism owes its readers — and how it earns their trust. As managing editor for opinion at the Daily Herald, he’s spent his career pulling back the curtain on newsroom decisions and defending the value of open, honest dialogue. Now, with his new book To Nudge the World, Slusher is challenging both journalists and audiences to rethink how truth and trust are built in an era of noise and doubt. His message is clear: transparency isn’t a luxury for journalism — it’s the lifeline that...
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307 Why visuals still matter: Inside NPPA’s fight for the future of photojournalism
"E & P Reports" from Editor & Publisher Magazine hosted by Mike Blinder
In a world overwhelmed by AI-generated imagery and shrinking newsroom budgets, the value of authentic photojournalism has never been more at risk — or more essential. The National Press Photographers Association is sounding the alarm: visuals aren’t just decoration, they’re the backbone of truth, trust, and emotional connection in journalism. In this exclusive interview, NPPA Vice President Lauren Steinbrecher and Grady College’s Mark E. Johnson break down why local publishers, students, and reporters must fight for the future of visual storytelling. Because if we lose the image, we...
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306 The Medill Report on local news: More urgency than optimism
"E & P Reports" from Editor & Publisher Magazine hosted by Mike Blinder
Local news is collapsing at an alarming pace — more than 3,500 newspapers have vanished since 2005, with 130 disappearing just last year. In this episode, we interview Tim Franklin and Zach Metzger of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, the researchers behind the 2025 State of Local News report, which paints a dire picture of vanishing watchdogs, expanding news deserts, and a shrinking connection between journalism and the communities it serves. Yet amid the bleak data are signs of reinvention, from public radio stations stepping up to statewide networks and philanthropic...
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305 Best‑selling author & journalist Beth Macy returns home in Paper Girl
"E & P Reports" from Editor & Publisher Magazine hosted by Mike Blinder
Journalist & best‑selling author Beth Macy returns to the town she once delivered newspapers in to ask: what happens when the civic fabric fractures and no one is left to tell the story? In her new memoir Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America, Macy digs into her hometown of Urbana, Ohio — exploring how the collapse of local news, growing economic despair and social isolation reshaped a community she loved. Along the way, she argues that if journalism disappears from small‑town America, the consequences are national. Her message is clear: local reporting...
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304 State of Local News 2025: Smartphones surge, content creators rise, and only 15% pay
"E & P Reports" from Editor & Publisher Magazine hosted by Mike Blinder
Local news is changing faster than anyone imagined — and Northwestern University’s Medill School just put numbers to the chaos. Its new State of Local News 2025 report reveals a seismic shift: smartphones have overtaken TV, content creators now rival traditional outlets, and only 15% of Americans say they’re willing to pay for local journalism. For Medill’s Tim Franklin and Stephanie Edgerly, the findings are both a wake-up call and a roadmap for survival. The future of local news, they warn, depends on how fast publishers adapt to audiences who’ve already moved on. Access...
info_outlineIn a world where speaking out can result in being silenced forever, journalism itself is under attack. Hours before this conversation was taped, commentator and podcaster Charlie Kirk was gunned down at an event at Utah Valley University — a stark reminder that public voices, whether political or journalistic, face real and rising danger. Against that backdrop, Dr. Peter Laufer, world-traveling journalist, author and editor of the new book “Don't Shoot the Journalists: Migrating to Stay Alive,” joined E&P Reports to explore what’s at stake when reporters are exiled, threatened or even killed — and what our society loses when truth-tellers are taken off the stage.
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