Happy Sunday from Los Angeles! 

Yesterday, I walked through my neighborhood into one of the city’s many No Kings protests. It was weird to be in the middle of a protest without a cameraperson or a press pass!

The mood was cheerful, positive and friendly. I saw no press or police among the two or three thousand people I estimated lined the streets, but there were many children and a surprising number (to me) of older citizens joining in.

I would like to tell you that I was moved by the peaceful outpouring of humanitarianism and an obvious love of country — and I was — but if I’m being honest, it was the signs that surprised and delighted me. 

There’s nothing like some handmade sentiment to really bring a community together.

Ai might be coming for our jobs, but it does not currently threaten our creativity. Here’s a USAToday slideshow of the nation’s most creative work, and a much more NSFW one from BuzzFeed.

HEADLINES

Michigan ends surveillance, The Exponent feels the love, Ai videos keep getting better

Michigan will stop secretly surveilling students after a Guardian exposé.

Former staffers wrote letters of support for The Exponent at Purdue. The university cut ties with the student newspaper last month.

More background on the former Western Washington student journalists who donated their court winnings to the school’s reporting efforts.

“High-dopamine Veo 3 videos will be the ad trend of 2025,” according to the guy who made this truly wild commercial with Ai that aired during the NBA playoffs. I share it to demonstrate the speed at which people are creating video content (concept to air in 48 hours) using Ai without needing actual humans or reality. (The creator’s explanation is super interesting.)

The Committee to Project Journalists is tracking journalists hurt by law enforcement while covering recent protests. The Washington Post has more.

Related: An incredible story by Long Lead about the history of “less-than-lethal” weapons. File away for fall.

U.K. professor Paul Bradshaw assigned students to keep a diary of their Ai prompts to promote lessons in transparency.

This year, social media creators will make more ad revenue than traditional media.

Ohio State is launching an Ai fluency initiative, while The New York Times documents how OpenAI wants to “embed Ai in every facet” of higher ed. 

News outlets’ traffic is tanking now that Ai summaries don’t include links to their content. Yay! More dystopian tech nightmares for journalists to deal with!

For Pride Month and to bookmark:

• The NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Stylebook

• Guide to Trump’s anti-trans executive orders and tips for coverage

TRY THIS AT HOME

Twin Cities magazine experiments with a student takeover

An alternative news site in the Twin Cities got a boost last week with Racket Goes to College: A Week of Student Stories. The outlet partnered with professor Scott Winter at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, to have students pitch, polish and publish several pieces.

“The stakes are raised for students when they publish with professional partners,” Winter said.

And folks at the writer-owned news outlet got more than some good additional content.

“All of (the 13 students) were ambitious and smart and friendly and engaged, and definitely challenged any stereotypes increasingly old people like me might have,” said Jay Boller, one of the four owner/writer/editors behind the publication. “They were bright, smart, and they did a really great job.”

While a grant from a Bethel administrator ensured the students’ work would be funded, other professors across the country should keep an eye on the Center for Community News at the University of Vermont, which provides small grants to professors who wish to do something similar in their own markets. 

LEADERSHIP BEST PRACTICES

Trauma-informed educators can make a big difference in their classrooms and student newsrooms

At this year’s AUSMM conference, I was struck by how many folks in student journalism remain steadfast in their dedication to the mental health of their students. That’s why this American Press Institute reporting on trauma-informed leadership jumped out at me. Some highlights:

• As a practitioner, you should be considered by staff and colleagues as trustworthy, respectful, collaborative and empowering.

• We should be banking and spending our relational currency regularly.

• Becoming a trauma-informed news leader takes time, knowledge and practice.

Here's the link if you want to dive in. Trauma-informed leadership: How psychological safety can enhance journalistic well-being (American Press Institute)

TEACHING HELP

I built you some assignments, lesson plans and ethics case studies. Help me test them?

Starting this week, I’m building up my library of resources for the fall, and I’ve LOVE LOVE LOVE to get your feedback on them before the start of the semester.

We kick off this grand experiment this week with the following:

• An ethics case study with discussion questions on the Terry Moran “firing.”

• A lesson plan on the San Francisco Chronicle’s experience of being accused of faking images.

• An assignment you can hand out to your students in the fall about the state of fake IDs on your campus.

All you have to do (for now) is click them. I’m counting on you, my stalwart readers, to imagine deploying these in classrooms or newsrooms come fall. Then, offer me feedback on what I’ve done well and/or what I need to improve to get you to pay for them. How’s that for radical transparency?!

IN THE LOOP

Take students to Minnesota, win some SPLC cash, and check out The Nutgraf

✈️ Attend ACP’s College Media Mega Workshop in July in Minneapolis.

⚖️  The Student Press Law Center is offering cash prizes for courageous student journalism and public records reporting. Apply by June 30.

🏅 This week in The Nutgraf, a profile of Georgia’s (high school) student journalist of the year — now headed to Harvard. 

FEEDBACK

Entering the Hearsts, and other ways to engage me

The 2024-25 Hearst Journalism Awards wrapped up in San Francisco earlier this month.

If you are an accredited journalism school and you aren’t entering these awards, you are quite literally leaving money on the table, since the contest pays you to enter. 

Let me help you, your department or your student newsroom with:

• Hearst Awards

• Consulting

• Training

• Grant fulfillment

Book a free 30-minute consultation  or you can email me at [email protected] anytime. 

Have a great week!