journalist

When an investigative journalist calls

At Evidence Live this year, the focus of the conference was on communication of evidence - both academically, and to the public. And part of that is the role that investigative journalism has to play in that. At the BMJ we’ve used investigative journalistic techniques to try and expose wrong doing on the part of government and industry - always...




journalist

Two student journalists among placewinners in Keystone Media Awards

Entries from two Penn State students were among winners in categories for professional television journalists as part of the Keystone Media Awards.




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U.S. Escalates Media War With New Restrictions on Chinese Journalists

New 90-day limits on work visas for Chinese journalists followed Beijing’s expulsion of American journalists and raised the threat of further retaliation by the Chinese government.




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[Ticker] Berlin journalists attacked by lockdown protesters

For the second time in a week, journalists in Berlin have been attacked by anti-lockdown protesters, Deutsche Welle reports. Each time a TV crew with camera were attacked when they approached a group of people protesting against measures to contain the coronavirus. Germany's foreign minister Heiko Maas condemned the attacks, saying on Twitter "those who attack journalists also attack our democracy."




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New Journalist Exchange Focuses on China’s Growing Clout

New Journalist Exchange Focuses on China’s Growing Clout

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (center, left) with participants in the EWC’s China-U.S. Journalists Exchange program discussing Chinese investment in Los Angeles.

The East-West Center’s first China-United States Journalists Exchange focused on China’s more assertive role in regional issues and its increasing economic might.




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Slain Sri Lankan Journalist was EWC Jefferson Fellow

Slain Sri Lankan Journalist was EWC Jefferson Fellow
(HONOLULU) Jan. 9 -- Prominent Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga, who was gunned down yesterday in Colombo, was a 1995 participant in the East-West Center’s Jefferson Fellowships for journalists. Wickramatunga, the editor of the weekly Sunday Leader newspaper, was shot by unidentified gunmen on motorcycles as he drove to work.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to Mr. Wickramatunga’s family and loved ones,” said East-West Center President Charles E. Morrison. “His tragic death underscores the courage with which so many of the international journalists who have participated in Center programs pursue their vital work at great personal risk.”




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Video: Beijing journalists speak on Post-Olympics China

Video: Beijing journalists speak on Post-Olympics China

Haili Cao, Josephine Ma, and Mark Magnier

On Sept. 5, four eminent Beijing-based journalists participating in the EWC’s Northeast Asia Journalists Dialogue presented a lively discussion panel at the Center on “Post-Olympics China.”

Click here to view a video of the event via the news website “Think Tech Hawaii.” (Note: requires email registration to view.)

Speaking at the event were:




journalist

Spotlight on Seminars: U.S. and Asian Muslim Journalists Explore Each Other’s Worlds

Spotlight on Seminars: U.S. and Asian Muslim Journalists Explore Each Other’s Worlds

 




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Journalists Kick Off Inaugural Pakistan-U.S. Exchange

HONOLULU (April 11, 2011) -- Participants in the East-West Center’s inaugural Pakistan-U.S. Journalists Exchange began their fellowship in Honolulu last week with lively discussions on the complex U.S.-Pakistan relationship and issues facing the media in both countries. Over the weekend, the Pakistani participants left for their tour to Washington, D.C., New York City, and Columbia, Missouri, while the Americans departed for Islamabad and Lahore, Pakistan. Follow the East-West Center’s Facebook and Twitter accounts for posts and news articles from the participants.




journalist

Student Journalists from Pakistan and India Meet in Nepal for Cross-Border Media Dialogue

Photos courtesy Kunda Dixit.

HONOLULU (Aug. 28, 2019) -- Journalism students from Jamia Millia Islamia university in New Delhi and the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi met recently in Nepal for a two-day dialogue about cross-border media collaboration. The six Indian and Pakistani students were joined by three Nepali journalism students for the dialogue in Kathmandu, which was moderated by EWC media alumnus Kunda Dixit, Editor and Publisher of the Nepali Times.




journalist

Chinese and American Journalists Meet In Inaugural Exchange Program

Chinese and American Journalists Meet In Inaugural Exchange Program
Travel and dialogue program is designed to deepen
public understanding of the two countries and their relationship

HONOLULU (Sept. 22, 2010) - Seven Chinese and seven American journalists are meeting at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i this week for a mutual dialogue culminating a new journalism exchange program in which each group visited the other’s country and are now comparing impressions.

The Chinese journalists traveled to Washington, D.C., New York City and Los Angeles, while the U.S. journalists visited Beijing, Chengdu and Hong Kong. Both groups met with government officials, community and business leaders, educators, local journalists, and others to gain insights on diverse issues and perspectives that shape the relationship between the two countries.




journalist

East-West Center Announces New China-U.S. Journalists Exchange Program

East-West Center Announces New China-U.S. Journalists Exchange Program

Travel and dialogue program is designed to deepen public understanding of the two countries and their relationship

HONOLULU (June 17, 2010)




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Leading Chinese Journalist Hu Shuli to Make First Public Comments since Leaving Caijing

Leading Chinese Journalist Hu Shuli to Make First Public Comments since Leaving Caijing
Media Contacts:

Derek Ferrar
East-West Center
Hong Kong Mobile: (+852) 6256-5774
Email: ferrard@eastwestcenter.org

Ms. Kylie Chan
HKU Journalism and Media Studies Centre
Mobile: + (852) 2219-4416
Email : kyliec@hku.hk

Leading Chinese Journalist Hu Shuli to Make First Public Comments since Leaving Caijing

Highly Anticipated Speech Will Be Streamed Live at EWC50.org/mediaconference2010 April 27 at 11:45 a.m., Hong Kong time




journalist

East-West Center Awarded Nearly $95,000 for Japan-U.S. Journalists Exchange Program

East-West Center Awarded Nearly $95,000 for Japan-U.S. Journalists Exchange Program
HONOLULU (June 10) – The East-West Center has received a two-year grant of $94,747 from the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership to support the Japan-United States Journalist Exchange .

This 12-day exchange program, co-sponsored by the East-West Center and Nihon Shinbun Kyokai (NSK), sends six to seven Japanese journalists to the United States and an equal number of U.S. journalists to Japan to broaden the journalists’ knowledge of the relationship and challenges faced between the two countries.




journalist

EWC Receives $275,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation for the Korea-United States Journalists Exchange Program

East-West Center Receives $275,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation for the Korea-United States Journalists Exchange Program
Applications Currently Being Accepted

HONOLULU (Dec.15) -- The East-West Center has been awarded a three-year grant totaling $275,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation to provide renewed support for the Korea-United States Journalists Exchange program.




journalist

Eminent Journalists to Speak on Post-Olympics China at East-West Center Luncheon

Eminent Journalists to Speak on Post-Olympics China at East-West Center Luncheon
HONOLULU (Aug. 29) – Four leading China-based journalists will speak on the impact and aftermath of the Olympics on China at an East-West Center luncheon on Friday, Sept. 5., at the Center’s Hawai‘i Imin International Conference Center (Jefferson Hall, 1777 East-West Road).
Speaking at the event will be:




journalist

Muslim, U.S. Journalists to Speak at EWC Luncheon

Muslim, U.S. Journalists to Speak at EWC Luncheon
HONOLULU (May 14) – Participants in the East-West Center’s  Senior Journalists Seminar representing the United States and Asian countries with substantial Muslim populations will speak at noon on Friday, May 25, at the EWC’s Hawaii Imin International Conference Center (Jefferson Hall, 1777 East-West Road). Cost for the luncheon is $20 for co-sponsor members and $22 for the general public.

The seminar program affords senior U.S. and Asian journalists the opportunity to engage their peers on issues that have hurt relations between these Asian countries and the U.S., especially since 9 / 11. The Asian Muslim journalists travel to the U.S. mainland for a slice of American life, while their U.S. counterparts travel to Asia.




journalist

Journalists Wrestle with Complex Pakistan-U.S. Relationship

HONOLULU (April 18, 2011) — Thirteen journalists from Pakistan and America are currently visiting each other’s countries as part of the East-West Center’s inaugural Pakistan-U.S. Journalists Exchange.
At the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, the journalists participated in focused discussions on the complex U.S.-Pakistan relationship and issues facing the media in both countries. The Pakistani participants then travelled to Washington, D.C., New York City, and Columbia, Missouri, while the Americans visited Islamabad and Lahore, Pakistan.
They will meet again in Honolulu to exchange notes and impressions, and will participate in a public panel discussion on U.S. engagement in Pakistan on April 21.
The participants in the fellowship are:
Pakistan:




journalist

U.S. Embassy in Pakistan Awards East-West Center $1.09 Million for Journalist Exchange Programs

HONOLULU (Aug. 15, 2011) – The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, has awarded the East-West Center $1,087,762 over three years to continue and expand several training and exchange programs for journalists. The award will fund the continuation of the Center’s Pakistan-U.S. Journalists’ Exchange program, which was held for the first time in April this year, as well as funding participation by Pakistani journalists in the Center’s existing multinational Jefferson Fellowships and Senior Journalists Seminar programs.

Under the overall theme of “Deepening Democracy through Media in Pakistan,” the objectives of the East-West Center project are to promote free, fair and responsible media in Pakistan to help the country cope with its political and developmental challenges and to bridge the gaps in understanding between the United States and Pakistan.




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Foreign Journalists Embark on East-West Center’s U.S. Presidential Election Reporting Tour

HONOLULU (Nov. 2, 2012) – Eight journalists from various parts of Asia have begun the East-West Center’s special U.S. Presidential Election Reporting Seminar. On the 12-day tour immediately before, during and after the election, the journalists will visit Florida, Ohio and Washington, DC to gain inside perspectives on the American electoral system and the key issues involved in this year’s presidential contest.




journalist

EWC Hosts Journalists and Officials from Island Nations to Observe U.S. Election

HONOLULU (Nov. 8, 2012) -- For a number of years the East-West Center, with support from the U.S. Department of State, has fielded multinational election observation teams to learn about and offer suggestions for improving the ways in which elections are conducted in various Asia Pacific nations.

This year, for the first time, the Center’s Pacific Islands Development Program hosted a multinational group of election officials and journalists and during the 2012 U.S. presidential election. The program sought to provide participants with first-hand knowledge and experience of America’s national, state and local electoral systems through direct observation and interaction with a diverse range of individuals engaged in the electoral process.

The participants included:




journalist

Jefferson Fellowships Journalists' Exchange Visiting Myanmar for the First Time

YANGON, MYANMAR (June 25, 2013) -- Sixteen distinguished journalists from 10 Asia Pacific nations, including the U.S., are currently visiting Myanmar on a study tour, as the East-West Center brings its internationally recognized Jefferson Fellowships journalists’ exchange program to the country for the first time in the program’s 46-year history.




journalist

Doris Duke Foundations Award East-West Center $300,000 Grant to Support U.S.-Islamic Journalist Exchange

HONOLULU (Aug. 8, 2016) – The East-West Center has been awarded a three-year grant totaling $300,000 from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in support of the Center’s Senior Journalists Seminar media exchange program, which seeks to enhance media coverage and elevate the public debate regarding U.S. relations with Muslim majority regions.




journalist

Korea-United States Journalists Exchange

The East-West Center announces the 2020 Korea-United States Journalists Exchange scheduled for August 23 - September 2, 2020. This 14th Exchange will focus on relations between North and South Korea, the US and ROK, and South Korea and its neighbors. The program aims to give both Korean and US journalists a clear understanding of how the Trump and Moon administrations are managing their alliance relationship despite the tensions regarding Washington’s request that South Korea increases its financial support for US troops stationed there. Additionally, due to the lack of progress in US-North Korea negotiations, the North-South Korea dialogue has been set back; North Korea refuses to progress further with the South until there is more headway in US-NK talks.




journalist

US Toughens Visa Rules for Chinese Journalists to Add to ‘Greater National Security Protections’

In late February, China expelled three Wall Street Journal correspondents after the newspaper’s publication of an opinion column that Beijing condemned as racist. ......




journalist

Finucane condemns threat against journalists

9 May, 2020 - by John Finucane Sinn Féin MP John Finucane has condemned loyalist threats against journalists and said the PSNI must do all in its power to put the crime gangs responsible out of...





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Police Hold Suspect Over Killing of Journalist in Mogadishu

[Dalsan Radio] A suspected has been arrested in connection with the stabbing of Kalsan TV journalist Said Yussuf after he stabbed him 5 times yesterday evening in Mogadishu.




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Loyalist terrorists threaten journalists with violence

Loyalist terrorists in the North have issued threats against journalists working for the Sunday Life and Sunday World newspapers.




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11 Peshawar journalists infected by coronavirus

PESHAWAR: Eleven journalists working with different media organisations in the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after testing positive for the coronavirus are undergoing treatment.They have been quarantined at their homes. All are members of the Peshawar Press Club. They are working for...




journalist

US imposes fresh visa restrictions on Chinese journalists as media once again finds itself a target

The United States has tightened visa rules for Chinese journalists as the tit-for-tat war on the media between the two sides escalated.The rules, which will take effect on Monday, limit visas for Chinese passport holders to 90 days with the option for an extension, the US Department for Homeland Security said on Friday.Journalists with passports from Hong Kong or Macau will not be affected.“The department is issuing this rule to address the actions of the PRC [People’s Republic of China]…




journalist

Protect Journalists’ Rights so We can Stop the COVID-19 Disinfodemic

Stella Paul is the recipient of the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award, a multiple winner of the Asian Environmental Journalism Awards, the Lead Ambassador for World Pulse and a senior IPS correspondent.

The post Protect Journalists’ Rights so We can Stop the COVID-19 Disinfodemic appeared first on Inter Press Service.




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Veteran journalists urge the public to defend press freedom, democratic rights

“Di ko akalain na ang kalayaan na na-achieve natin noong 1986 ay manganganib uli ngayon.” (I did not expect that the freedom we had achieved in 1986 would be threatened once again.)

The post Veteran journalists urge the public to defend press freedom, democratic rights appeared first on Bulatlat.





journalist

U.S. tightens visa rules for Chinese journalists amid coronavirus tensions

The United States issued a new rule on Friday tightening visa guidelines for Chinese journalists, saying it was in response to the treatment of U.S. journalists in China, a shift that comes amid tensions between the two nations over the coronavirus global pandemic.




journalist

Yikes!: Russian Helicopter Accidentally Fires Missiles At Journalists

This is a video from Russia's Zapad-2017 military exercises where a KA-52 Alligator helicopter accidentally fired two missiles towards a group of journalists covering the event (allegedly as a result of a short-circuit in the helicopter's electric system according to the Russian military *eyebarrelroll*). Three of the journalists were injured in the incident (amazingly not critically either), including the one seen strolling along the highway to the danger zone the video. Man, those missiles come QUICK. If you think you're gonna outrun one of those things like a tarantula in Animal Crossing, think again. I mean sure The Flash could do it, but he could also pleasure himself infinitely in the time it took you to read this article. "Huh?" How his penis doesn't catch fire is beyond me, there must be other superpowers at play too. Keep going for a couple versions of the video (the second with slow-mos), as well as a news report which includes the copter's gun view.




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Colleagues remember Lyra Mckee on first anniversary of Northern Ireland journalist's murder

The National Union of Journalists gathered for a special virtual tribute




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Harry and Meghan 'help journalists write bombshell new biography' that risks opening new royal wounds




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U.S. continues media battle with Beijing, limits Chinese journalists' visas

The back-and-forth continues.The Department of Homeland Security said Friday the United States will shorten the visa length for Chinese journalists working for non-American news outlets to 90 days. Previously, journalists with Chinese passports were granted open-ended visas. They can apply for extensions under the new rules, but renewed visas will also last just 90 days. The new limit won't apply to reporters from Hong Kong Macau, or to mainland Chinese citizens who hold green cards.It's the latest development in a media war between Washington and Beijing that has intensified during the coronavirus pandemic. American officials said the rules were meant to counterbalance the "suppression of independent journalism" in China, whose government expelled journalists from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post in March. Before that, the U.S. reduced the number of Chinese citizens employed by multiple state-controlled Chinese news organizations to work in the country. The New York Times notes the move wasn't unexpected; U.S. intelligence officials have long believed some journalists at Beijing-run outlets are spies, and the Trump administration has designated some Chinese news agencies foreign government functionaries.The heightened tensions between the world's two biggest powers didn't just show up in the media world Friday. U.S. lawmakers wrote to nearly 60 countries asking them to support Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization, a move that likely won't sit well with China. And Washington also blocked a United Nations security council resolution calling for a global ceasefire during the pandemic because it indirectly referenced the WHO, which the U.S. has blamed in conjunction with China for failing to suppress the outbreak.More stories from theweek.com Outed CIA agent Valerie Plame is running for Congress, and her launch video looks like a spy movie trailer 7 scathing cartoons about America's rush to reopen Trump says he couldn't have exposed WWII vets to COVID-19 because the wind was blowing the wrong way





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On World Press Freedom Day, Malaysia investigates journalist over 'provocation'

Police in Malaysia confirm they are investigating a journalist over her reporting on mass raids targeting migrants and refugees amid the COVID-19 pandemic.




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Trump takes swipe at China, bickers with journalists during virtual town hall meeting

The US President said China tried to cover up the coronavirus outbreak before trying to blame other countries for the ensuing health pandemic.




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Murray Bridge journalist launches online service after ACM suspends newspaper

A journalist left out of work after Australian Community Media shut down his regional printing press starts his own online newspaper in an effort to keep the community informed.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention

"Throughout our history, the efforts of journalists have rendered a clear picture of life in this country – of the historic achievements we have made, and the harsh realities that far too many faced. Without your work, we would not have a starting point for progress – or, in many cases, for the pursuit of justice."




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Former CIA Officer John Kiriakou Charged with Disclosing Covert Officer’s Identity and Other Classified Information to Journalists and Lying to CIA’s Publications Review Board

A former CIA officer, John Kiriakou, was charged today with repeatedly disclosing classified information to journalists, including the name of a covert CIA officer and information revealing the role of another CIA employee in classified activities.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former CIA Officer John Kiriakou Indicted for Allegedly Disclosing Classified Information, Including Covert Officer’s Identity, to Journalists and Lying to CIA’s Publications Board

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou was indicted today for allegedly repeatedly disclosing classified information to journalists, including the name of a covert CIA officer and information revealing the role of another CIA employee in classified activities.



  • OPA Press Releases

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I’m an Investigative Journalist. These Are the Questions I Asked About the Viral “Plandemic” Video.

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.

The links to the viral video “Plandemic” started showing up in my Facebook feed Wednesday. “Very interesting,” one of my friends wrote about it. I saw several subsequent posts about it, and then my brother texted me, “Got a sec?”

My brother is a pastor in Colorado and had someone he respects urge him to watch “Plandemic,” a 26-minute video that promises to reveal the “hidden agenda” behind the COVID-19 pandemic. I called him and he shared his concern: People seem to be taking the conspiracy theories presented in “Plandemic” seriously. He wondered if I could write something up that he could pass along to them, to help people distinguish between sound reporting and conspiracy thinking or propaganda.

So I watched “Plandemic.” I did not find it credible, as I will explain below. YouTube, Facebook and Vimeo have since removed it from their platforms for violating their guidelines. Now it’s available on its own site.

Sensational videos, memes, rants and more about COVID-19 are likely to keep coming. With society polarized and deep distrust of the media, the government and other institutions, such content is a way for bad actors to sow discord, mostly via social media. We saw it with Russia in the 2016 election and we should expect it to continue.

But what surprised me is how easily “Plandemic” sank its hooks into some of my friends. My brother also felt alarmed that his own church members and leaders in other churches might be tempted to buy into it.

The purpose of this column is not to skewer “Plandemic.” My goal is to offer some criteria for sifting through all the content we see every day, so we can tell the difference between fair reporting and something so biased it should not be taken seriously.

Here’s a checklist, some of which I shared with my friends on Facebook, to help interrogate any content — and that includes what we publish at ProPublica.

Is the Presentation One-Sided?

There’s never just one side to a story. I mentioned this point in 2018 when I wrote about my faith and the biblical basis for investigative reporting. One of my favorite Proverbs says, “The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.” So a fair presentation should at least acknowledge opposing points of view.

I didn’t see this in “Plandemic,” so I called the filmmaker, Mikki Willis, who is also the film’s narrator, to ask him whether I had somehow missed the other side of the argument. I had not. “The other side of the argument plays 24/7 on every screen in every airport and on every phone and in every home,” Willis said. “The people are only seeing one side of the story all the time. This is the other side of the story. This is not a piece that’s intended to be perfectly balanced.”

I asked Willis if it was fair to call his film “propaganda,” which the Oxford dictionary defines as “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.”

He said he doesn’t feel there’s anything misleading in his film, but otherwise the definition fits. And based on that definition he feels 100% of news reporting is propaganda. “What isn’t propaganda these days?” he asked. “In that sense, what we’re doing is fighting fire with fire.”

Is There an Independent Pursuit of the Truth?

The star of “Plandemic,” medical researcher Judy Mikovits, is controversial. The magazine Science reports that it published and then retracted one of her papers in 2011. A search warrant provided to ProPublica by one of her former attorneys shows she was fired from her position at Whittemore Peterson Institute, a research center in Nevada, in September 2011. Then she allegedly stole notebooks and a laptop computer from the Institute, the search warrant said, leading to an arrest warrant for alleged possession of stolen property and unlawful taking of computer data. She was arrested on Nov. 18, 2011, but denied wrongdoing. The charges were dropped.

But “Plandemic” ignores or brushes past these facts and portrays her as an embattled whistleblower. “So you made a discovery that conflicted with the agreed-upon narrative?” Willis says to Mikovits, introducing her as a victim. “And for that, they did everything in their powers to destroy your life.”

A typical viewer is not going to know the details about Mikovits’ background. But as the primary source of controversial information being presented as fact, it’s worth an online search. The fact-checking site PolitiFact details her arrest and criminal charges. Clearly, there’s more to her story than what’s presented in “Plandemic.” That should give us pause when we assess its credibility.

Is There a Careful Adherence to the Facts?

In “Plandemic,” Willis asks Mikovits about her arrest: “What did they charge you with?”

“Nothing,” she replies. “I was held in jail, with no charges.”

Being charged with a crime is one of those concrete facts that we can check out. Science magazine reported Mikovits’ arrest and felony charge. I also found a civil lawsuit she filed against the Whittemore Peterson Institute in 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. “Mikovits was arrested on criminal charges…” her complaint says in the case, which was eventually dismissed.

I asked Willis about the apparent discrepancy, where she said in his film that she wasn’t charged, when court documents show that she was charged. After my inquiry, he said he spoke to Mikovits and now feels it is clear that she meant that the charges were dropped.

I tracked down Mikovits and she said what she meant in the film is that there were no charges of any type of wrongdoing that would have led to her being charged with being a fugitive from justice. She admitted that all the controversy has been hard for her to sort out. “I’ve been confused for a decade,” she told me. She said she would try to be more clear in the future when she talks about the criminal charge: “I’ll try to learn to say it differently,” she said.

This underscores the importance of careful verification, and it distinguishes the craft of journalism from other forms of information sharing. People often speak imprecisely when they’re telling their stories. It’s our duty to nail down precisely what they do and do not mean, and verify it independently. If we don’t, we risk undermining their credibility and ours. That’s in part why we at ProPublica and many other journalists often link directly to our underlying source documents, so you can verify the information yourself.

Are Those Accused Allowed to Respond?

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is one of the nation’s leaders in the response to the coronavirus. In “Plandemic,” Mikovits accuses Fauci of a cover-up and of paying off people who perpetrate fraud, among other things. PolitiFact found no evidence to support the allegations against Fauci.

Every time I write a story that accuses someone of wrongdoing I call them and urge them to explain the situation from their perspective. This is standard in mainstream journalism. Sometimes I’ve gone to extreme lengths to get comments from someone who will be portrayed unfavorably in my story — traveling to another state and showing up at their office and their home and leaving a note if they are not there to meet me. “Plandemic” doesn’t indicate whether the filmmakers reached out to Fauci for his version of the story. So I asked Willis about it. “We did not,” he told me.

Are All Sources Named and Cited, and if Not, Is the Reason Explained?

All sources should be identified, with their credentials, so viewers can verify their expertise or possible biases. If they can’t be for some reason, then that should be explained. “Plandemic” features unnamed people in medical scrubs, presented as doctors, saying they’re being wrongly pressured to add COVID-19 on people’s death certificates or are not being allowed to use the drug hydroxychloroquine to treat patients. But the speakers are not named, so we can’t really tell who they are, or even if they are doctors at all. That makes it impossible to tell if they are credible.

I asked Willis why he didn’t name those people. He told me he was in a hurry to release the 26-minute version of “Plandemic,” but the doctors will be named in the final version. “We should have done that,” he said.

Does the Work Claim Some Secret Knowledge?

“Plandemic” calls itself a documentary that reveals “the hidden agenda behind COVID-19.” We are in the midst of a global pandemic where few people in the world can figure out what is happening or the right way to respond, let alone agendas. We have almost every journalist in the country writing about this. And if the truth about a conspiracy is out there, many people have an incentive to share it. But “Plandemic” would like us to think it’s presenting some exclusive bit of secret knowledge that is going to get at the real story. That’s not likely.

Plus, to be honest, there were so many conspiratorial details stacked on top of each other in the film I couldn’t keep them straight. When I spoke to Willis I told him I was having a hard time understanding his point. Then I took a stab at what I thought was the main thrust of his argument. “Are you saying that powerful people planned the pandemic and made it happen so they could get rich by making everyone get vaccines?” I asked.

It turns out Willis isn’t sure either. “We’re in the exploratory phase,” he told me. “I don’t know, to be clear, if it’s an intentional or naturally occurring situation. I have no idea.”

Then he went on to say that the pandemic is being politicized and used to take away our civil liberties and leverage other political policies. “Certain forces” have latched onto the situation, he said. “It’s too fishy.”

He had me at, “I have no idea.” That sums it up. This is a vast pandemic and massive catastrophe. Our country wasn’t prepared for it, and the response by our top leaders has been disjointed. We’re restricted to our homes. Many people have lost their jobs and some are afraid or sick or dying. That makes us vulnerable to exploitation by people who will present inaccurate or intellectually dishonest information that promises to tell us the truth.

Perhaps “Plandemic” is guilty of sloppy storytelling, or maybe people really do believe the things they’re saying in the video. Or perhaps they’re being intentionally dishonest, or it’s a biased connecting of the dots rooted in personal and professional grievances. I don’t know because I can’t get inside their heads to judge their motives.

Ultimately, we’re all going to need to be more savvy consumers when it comes to information, no matter how slickly it’s presented. This may be but a signal of what’s to come in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, when memes and ads of unknown origin come across our social media feeds. There are standards for judging the credibility of the media we take in every day, so let’s apply them.





journalist

Illegal Amazon Gold: Fight to Protect the Amazon Unites Celebrity Artists, War Journalists, and You

"How are we going to protect it if we don't understand what's at stake?"




journalist

US tightens visa rules for Chinese journalists amid coronavirus tensions

The United States issued a new rule on Friday tightening visa guidelines for Chinese journalists — a shift that comes amid tensions between the two nations over the coronavirus global pandemic.




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Bangladeshi journalist is jailed after mysterious 53-day disappearance

Campaigners warn Shafiqul Islam Kajol faces a lengthy sentence as his family worries about his exposure to Covid-19 in prison

Fifty-three days after he disappeared, Bangladeshi journalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol turned up on Sunday in police custody at a border town 150 miles from where he had last been seen.

“I am alive,” he told his son by phone, the first time the family had heard his voice since his disappearance in early March, a day after a case was filed against him and 31 others under the country’s controversial new Digital Security Act.

Continue reading...




journalist

Helping journalists understand the power of machine learning

Editor’s note: What impact can AI and machine learning have on journalism? That is a question the Google News Initiative is exploring through a partnership with Polis, the international journalism think tank at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The following post is written by Mattia Peretti, who manages the program, called JournalismAI.

In the global survey we conducted last year about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by news organizations, most respondents highlighted the urgent need to educate and train their newsroom on the potential offered by machine learning and other AI-powered technologies. Improving AI literacy was seen as vital to change culture and improve understanding of new tools and systems:

AI literacy is crucial. The more the newsroom at large embraces the technology and generates the ideas and expertise for AI projects, the better the outcome. New powers, new responsibilities:
A global survey of journalism and AI

The message from newsrooms was loud and clear. So we decided to do something about it. That’s why we’re announcing a free training course produced by JournalismAI in collaboration with VRT News and the Google News Initiative. 

This Introduction to Machine Learning is built by journalists, for journalists, and it will help answer questions such as: What is machine learning? How do you train a machine learning model? What can journalists and news organizations do with it and why is it important to use it responsibly?

The course is available in 17 different languages on the Google News Initiative Training Center. By logging in, you can track your progress and get a certificate when you complete the course. The Training Center also has a variety of other courses to help you find, verify and tell news stories online.


The Introduction to Machine Learning is available on the Google News Initiative Training Center in 17 different languages.

It’s a tough time for journalists and news organizations worldwide, as they try to assess the impact that COVID-19 will have on the business and editorial side of the industry. With JournalismAI, we want to play our role in helping to minimize costs and enhance opportunities for the industry through these new technologies. This course complements our recently launched collaborative experiment, as well as our effort to highlight profiles and experiments that show the transformative potential of AI and machine learning in shaping the journalist, and the journalism, of the future.

At the end of the course, you’ll find a list of recommended resources, produced by journalism and technology experts across the world, that have been instrumental in designing our Introduction to Machine Learning and will help you dive even deeper in the world of AI and automation. 

And we are not done. After this course, and the previous training module with strategic suggestions on AI adoption, we are planning to design more training resources on AI and machine learning for journalists later this year. Sign up for the JournalismAI newsletter to stay updated.



  • Google News Initiative