Four Kinds of News Sites

1-Quality news brands (like the BBC and The Washington Post) have earned their reputations over time as consistently reliable news sources (not perfect, but more trustworthy). Savvy readers don’t expect as much from 2-inconsistent outlets that sometimes show bias but are not “fake” (Huffington Post, Fox News). In these cases, some information may be misleading by the way an issue is framed. Then there are 3-satirical news sites (The Onion, Clickhole, and The Babylon Bee). The articles and videos are intentionally fake but intended to be funny or make a point. They aren’t designed to fool anyone. 4-Fake news sites deliberately fabricate stories. (RT News, The Globe) Packaged as legitimate journalism, these articles may mix some truth with outright lies to deceive readers or gain clicks. Fact-checkers distinguish between misinformation, where the sharer may not realize the information is fraudulent, and disinformation, where the creator/sharer knows the information is false. In each case, the motivation of the sharer can be different.

Google searches for “Fake News” since 2014

The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics encourages journalists to “seek truth and report” and “be accountable and transparent” while doing it. Looking for these qualities is an effective way to separate the fake and the real.

Letting go of the old life

Change can happen at any time, but transition comes along when one chapter of your life is over and another is waiting in the wings to make its entrance. Transition does not require that you reject or deny the importance of your old life, just that you let go of it. Far from rejecting it, you are likely to do better with the ending if you honor the old life for all that it did for you. It brought you everything you have. But it is time for you to let it go of it. It's time to let it go.

William Bridges, The Way of Transition

7 Webinars This Week about AI, Journalism, & More

Mon, July 29 - Implementing AI in Your Classroom or Student Newsroom

What: Do you want to implement AI tools into your existing classes but don’t know how? Does your syllabus or student newsroom have an AI policy? Or do you want to create your own standalone AI journalism course?  Our experts will walk you through ways to do just that, as well as provide examples and materials you can build into your classes or newsrooms right now.

Who: Mike Reilley Senior Lecturer, University of Illinois-Chicago; Matt Waite Professor of Practice, College of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free for members, $25 for nonmembers

Sponsor: Online News Association

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Tue, July 30 - Protecting mental health in the face of online and offline attacks  

What: How trauma affects journalists and available resources including A Mental Health Guide for Journalists Facing Online Violence released in 2022. This resource was created with the needs of journalists in mind by mental health professionals specialized in working in trauma and the media.

Who: IWMF Next Generation Safety Trainer Rosem Morton is a documentary photographer, registered nurse, and safety consultant based in Baltimore, Maryland. She is a National Geographic Explorer whose work focuses on daily life amidst gender, health, and racial adversity.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Pen America, International Women's Media Foundation, Committee to Protect Journalists

More Info

 

Wed, July 31 - Research Update: AI’s Impact on Newsrooms, with researcher Felix Simon

What: A discussion of AI’s impact on the news, building on Simon’s 2024 research paper Artificial Intelligence in the News: How AI Retools, Rationalizes, and Reshapes Journalism and the Public Arena. We’ll get into what’s changed since that report and discuss recent research about how audiences are thinking about AI. We’ll also talk about the ways AI is changing the way technology interacts with the public sphere more broadly, including media, government and civil society.

Who: Felix M. Simon, Research Fellow in AI and Digital News, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free for members, $25 for nonmembers

Sponsor: Online News Association

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Wed, July 31 - What You Need to Know About Artificial Intelligence

Who: Chiraag Bains, senior fellow at Democracy Fund and nonresident senior fellow with Brookings Metro; Miranda Bogen, Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s AI Governance Lab; David Brody, Managing Attorney of the Digital Justice Initiative at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Spencer Overton, the Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professor of Law at the George Washington University; Jon Greenbaum, Founder of Justice Legal Strategies.

When: 12 noon, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Center for Democracy & Technology

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Wed, July 31 - Covering AI in your Community

What: You’ll learn: How AP is handling its coverage of AI. What went into the new chapter on AI in the AP Stylebook. How to approach stories that involve AI as a reporter and an editor.

Who: Pia Sarkar, deputy business editor; Garance Burke, global investigative reporter; Sally Ho, investigative reporter; Shawn Chen, global technology news editor

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Associated Press

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Wed, July 31 - Harness the Power of Generative AI for Good

What: This session will delve into practical use cases of generative AI that demonstrate how nonprofits can leverage these tools to more effectively achieve impact, enhance their operations, and drive engagement. In addition, you'll receive an overview of key generative AI technologies that have emerged, including agents, retrieval-augmented generation, and fine tuning. You'll learn the types of problems each of these technologies allows you to solve and when to consider using them in your own practice.

Who: Ryan Harrington, Tech Impact Director of Strategy and Operations

When: 10 am

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: TechSoup

More Info

 

Wed, July 31 - Navigating AI Ethics

What: This presentation for academic librarians and instructors on the critical importance of ethics in the development and deployment of AI systems. We will discuss the fundamental principles of AI ethics, including transparency, fairness, and non-maleficence, and examine real-world ethical issues such as privacy concerns, surveillance, and the tension between AI decision-making and human autonomy.

Who: David Hatami has developed expertise in the emerging field of AI Ethics & AI Policy frameworks for Higher Education. David provides effective and innovative solutions for online learning and education management in the 21st Century.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Niche Academy

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The Power of Touch

A study of NBA players found the best teams touch each other a lot, while the losing teams seldom touch each other.

Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley looked at what happened between teammates during the 2009 season and found the most touch-prone were the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, two of the league’s top teams at the time. The mediocre Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Bobcats were at the bottom of the touch list. The same held true for individual players. The study took into account the possibility of teams high-fiving just because they were winning and adjusted accordingly. Even when the high expectations surrounding the more talented teams were taken into account, the correlation persisted.

A warm touch reduces stress by releasing hormones that promote a sensation of trust. This can free up the part of the brain that regulates emotion so it can engage in problem-solving.

The investigators also tested couples, finding with more touching came greater satisfaction in the relationship. Previous research has suggested students receiving a teacher's supportive touch on the arm or back or arm were much more likely to volunteer in class, and a sympathetic touch from a doctor gives patients the feeling that a visit lasted twice as long as it actually did.

Stephen Goforth

The best moments of our lives

The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.

Optimal experience is thus something that we make happen. For a child, it could be placing with trembling fingers the last block on a tower she has built, higher than any she has built so far; for a swimmer, it could be trying to beat his won record; for a violinist, mastering an intricate musical passage. For each person, there are thousands of opportunities, challenges to expend ourselves.

Such experiences are not necessarily pleasant at the time they occur. The swimmers muscles might have ached during his most memorable race, his lungs might have felt like exploding, and he might have been dizzy with fatigue – yet these could have the best moments of his life. Getting control of life is never easy, and sometimes it can be definitely painful. But in the long run optimal experiences add up to a sense of mastery – or perhaps better, a sense of participation in determining the content of life –that comes as close to what is usually meant by happiness as anything else we can conceivably imagine.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow

9 Weaknesses We All Have

These biases are broad tendencies rather than fixed traits or universal behavioral laws. Everyone does not uniformly share them. Plus, multiple influences result in a given behavior.

1. FALSE MEMORIES. Studies have shown we are susceptible to false memories. We selectively remember our own experiences, much less historical and cultural events. Planting fake memories has become easier these days with AI-enhanced photo and video forgeries on the internet.  

2. CONFIRMATION BIAS. We tend to seek information that confirms what we already believe to be true. Ask yourself: Do I want to believe this report, not because it is well-sourced and reported, but because it fits with what I already believe? One study found about one in ten US adults are willing to accept anything that sounds plausible and fits their preconceptions about the heroes and villains in politics.

3. CORRELATION VS CAUSATION. Just because events or statistics have a connection doesn’t mean you can assume one causes the other.

4. WE OVERVALUE NARRATIVE. Adding a story to a fact increases the likelihood that people will believe it—even when the story narrows the likelihood of it being true. We like tidy stories, not ambiguity.

5. FOOLED BY RANDOMNESS. Humans tend to read meaning into the unexpected and the improbable, even where there is none.    

6. OVERSIMPLIFICATION. To avoid conflict and uncomfortable thinking, we oversimplify to reduce tension. Soon, one side looks good, and the other is dismissed as evil.

7. SUNK COST FALLACY. We hang on to a course of action or idea when we have invested in it, even when circumstances and reasoning show we should abandon it.

8. GOOGLE SEARCH RELIANCE. Google is not neutral. When you Google something, the algorithm isn’t weighing facts but other factors, such as your search history. Google tailors your results to what you want—or what the search engine “thinks” you want. Because of this personalization, you are probably getting different results than the person sitting next to you. Be critical of search engines as you are critical of the media. Don’t assume the first link or the first page that comes up when you Google something is the best answer to your question.

9. AVAILABILITY BIAS. This shortcut for making quick decisions gives your memories and experiences more credence than they deserve, making it hard to accept new ideas and theories.    

12 Fact-Checking Sites

Most fact-checking sites give out-sized space to political issues. This misses a deal of quality journalism published in other areas (health, environment, religion, etc.). Also, a complaint leveled at fact-checkers is that they will sometimes fall into “selection bias”—the tendency to pick apart stories promoting views with which they disagree.  

Fact-Checker                     News Literacy Project

FactCheck.org                    Politifact

Hoaxy                             Snopes        

Irumor Mill                      SourceWatch                   

Media Bias Fact Check        Truth or Fiction

MetaBunk Washington Post Fact Checker

More about fake news

Language that Ignites

Language that speaks of hopes, dreams, and affirmations (“You are the best!”), this kind of language--let’s call it high motivation--has its role. High motivation is not the kind of language that ignites people. What works is.. speaking to the ground-level effort, affirming the struggle. Phrases like, “Wow, you really tried hard,” or “Good job, dude,” motivate far better than empty praise.

Daniel Coyle, The Talent Code

AI Definitions: Algorithms

*Algorithms - Direct, specific instructions for computers created by a human through coding that tells the computer how to perform a task. This set of rules has a finite number of steps that instruct the computer how to perform a task. More specifically, it is code that follows the algorithmic logic of “if”, “then”, and “else.”  

The code follows the algorithmic logic of “if”, “then”, and “else.”  An example of an algorithm would be:        

IF the customer orders size 13 shoes, THEN display the message ‘Sold out, Sasquatch!’;  ELSE ask for a color preference.     

The two approaches by algorithms:

1. Rule-based algorithms – direct, specific instructions are created by a human

2. Machine-learning algorithms – under the larger umbrella of AI, the data and goal is given to the algorithm, which works out for itself how to reach the goal.. There is a popular perception that algorithms provide a more objective, more complete view of reality, but they often will simply reinforce existing inequities, reflecting the bias of creators and the materials used to train them.

More AI definitions here.

22 Tools for Spotting Fake News

Ad Fontes Media - Producer of The Media Bias Chart® which rates media sources in terms of political bias and reliability. 

Bellingcat - Investigative search network for citizen journalists using open-source information such as videos, maps and pictures. 

Botcheck - Suggests whether an X/Twitter account is likely to be a bot.

Botometer - Checks the activity of an X/Twitter account and gives it a score based on how likely the account is to be a bot.  

ChatGPT Detector - Developed by the ChatGPT team to determine the likelihood that text was produced using GPT technology.

Database Search Engine - Domain, name and keyword searches across more than 1300 databases (subscription required).

Deepfake-o-Meter - Check images, video and audio to see if they are fake. Free but requires signup.

FactCheck Explorer - Filter and analyze date from the Google Fact Check Explorer.

Facterbot - This Facebook Messenger chatbot aimed at delivering fact checks.

Google Reverse Image Search - Check the history of a photo: When it was first used and where.

Hoaxy - Visualizes the spread of articles across social media.

InVID Verification Plugin

Islegitsite - Check if a website is legit or a scam.

MapChecking – A tool that makes crowd size estimates (protests, rallies). This video explains how it works.  

NewsBot - This Facebook Messenger app identifies the political leaning of an article.

NewsGuard - Steven Brill’s site that uses trained journalists to rate news items and information sites. Produces an email newsletter that tracks misinformation.

Phone Validator - Use this database to detect robo-call and spam numbers.  

RevEye -  A Chrome reverse image search engine add-on. 

Sensity - This tool is designed to spot fake human faces in pictures and videos. Engineers say they trained detectors using 100s of thousands of deepfake videos and GAN-generated images. Free.

TinEye - A reverse image search engine to help determine when an image first appeared on the internet. A free extension for Chrome and Firefox browsers.

Trust Project - A Microsoft project providing indicators of reliable, ethical journalism. 

WatchFramebyFrame - Fact-check videos by looking frame by frame for out of place shadows and such.

More about fake news

37 Articles about Spotting Fake News

6 Tips for Identifying Fake News, Sabrina Stierwalt, Quick & Dirty Tips

6 tips to help you detect fake science news, Marc Zimmer, The Conversation

As Fake News Spreads Lies, More Readers Shrug at the Truth, Sabrina Tavernise, New York Times

Beware partisan ‘pink slime’ sites that pose as local news, Margaret Sullivan 

The Breaking News Consumer's Handbook, WNYC Studios

‘Cheap fakes’: Viral videos keep clipping Biden’s words out of context, Bill McCarthy, Politifact

The Conspiracy Theory Handbook, Stephan Lewandowsky John Cook

Critics of Dan Rather’s tips about fake news brought up his past. But the points are still solid, Alex Horton, Washington Post

The Fact Checker’s guide to manipulated video, Washington Post

Fake news and the ugly rise of sponsored content, John Pelle, PR Daliy

False, Misleading, Clickbait-y, and/or Satirical “News” Sources, Melissa Zimdars  

A Finder's Guide To Facts Steve Inskeep, NPR 

How I Detect Fake News, Tim O'Reilly, O’Reilly Media

How Science Fuels a Culture of Misinformation, Joelle Renstrom, Open Mind  

How to detect if content is written by AI? — ChatGPT Detector, Brandon Carter, Medium  

How to fight lies, tricks, and chaos online, Adi Robertson, The Verge 

How to Outsmart Election Disinformation, Karim Doumar & Cynthia Gordy Giwa ProPublica

How to spot a fake video, Elyse Samuels, Sarah Cahlan, Emily Sabens, Washington Post

How to Spot Fake News, Eugene Kiely and Lori Robertson, FactCheck.org

How to Spot Visualization Lies, Nathan Yau, Flowing Data  

How to Stay Informed Without Getting Paralyzed by Bad News, Jacqueline Lekachman, Wired

How to avoid falling for misinformation and conspiracy theories, Heather Kelly, Washington Post

Hundreds of ‘Pink Slime’ News Outlets are  distributing algorithmic stories and conservative talking points, Priyanjana Bengani, Columbia Journalism Review

Infographics Lie. Here's How To Spot The B.S., Randy Olson, Fast Company

In disasters, people are abandoning official info for social media. Here's how to know what to trust, Stan Karanasios, Peter Hayes, The Conversatio 

Media Manipulation and Disinformation Online, Alice Marwick, Rebecca Lewis 

A philosopher explains America’s “post-truth” problem, Sean Illing, Vox

Photographs cause false memories for the news, Deryn Strange, Maryanne Garry, Daniel M Bernstein, & D. Stephen Lindsay, Semantic Scholar

Reclaim the Facts: Campaigning for information literacy

Searching for Alternative Facts: Analyzing Scriptural Inference in Conservative News Practices, Francesca Triopodi, Data Society

Simple tips to help you spot online fraud, Washington Post

Snopes' Field Guide to Fake News Sites and Hoax Purveyors, Kim LaCapria, Snopes

Ten Questions for Fake News Detection, Checkology.org  

To navigate the dangers of the web, you need critical thinking – but also critical ignoring - Beth Daley 

Understand the landscape of information disorder, First Draft    

Want to resist the post-truth age? Learn to analyze photos like an expert would, Nicole Dahmen & Don Heider, Quartz  

What’s the Harm? – List of reliable sources about misleading information 

More about fake news

13 Webinars This Week about AI, Journalism, & More

Mon, July 22 - Jason Rezaian on freedom 10 years since imprisonment and global press freedom

What: Jason Rezaian, the former Tehran bureau chief for The Washington Post, who was unjustly imprisoned in 2014 in Iran on charges of espionage for 544 days, joins The Washington Post’s Frances Stead Sellers to reflect on his freedom 10 years since his imprisonment, his work to raise awareness about journalists being held captive and the state of global press freedom.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Washington Post

More Info

 

Tue, July 23 - Growth-Driven Website Design for Nonprofits

What: Learn how to create an impactful online presence that drives growth and advances your nonprofit cause.

Who: Jason Spangler, Tapp Network,  Director of Sales; Jon Hill Tapp Network, Web Project Manager

When: 10am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: TechSoup

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Tue, July 23 - FakeSpotting: Verifying visuals in the age of generative AI

What: Learn about the strategies to identify and verify AI-generated content as well as the tech tools you will want to consider.   

Who: Patrick Dell, Senior Visuals Editor for The Globe and Mail

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free to members or $25 for nonmembers

Sponsor: Online News Association

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Wed, July 24 - AI Essentials for Nonprofits: Understanding Bias

What: This session is designed for nonprofit professionals to demystify AI, with a particular focus on understanding biases in AI and a framework for assessing your organization's readiness to embrace AI technologies. Learning outcomes include understanding what the collective challenge with AI is and understanding what can be done when we intend to center the community at the core of the design.

Who: Meena Das of Namaste Data

When: 12 noon

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: The NonProfit Learning Lab

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Wed, July 24 - AI Audio Innovations: Transforming Content Creation and Engagement

What: Tailored for newsrooms in radio and podcasting, participants will delve into practical demonstrations, discussions on real-world applications, and critically examine the ethical implications of AI in the industry.

Who: Davar Ardalan, audio industry veteran and Founder of TulipAI

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free to members or $25 for nonmembers

Sponsor: Online News Association

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Thu, July 25 - The Digital Marketing Blueprint Series: Creating Engaging Social Media Content 

What: This virtual workshop is designed to equip small business owners with the knowledge and practical insights necessary to develop an effective social media content strategy that drives engagement and business growth.    

Who: SBDC Business Consultant Elizabeth Fegert; Ellen Mattis of Hello Social Co.  

When: 12 noon, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Penn State Small Business Development Center

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Thu, July 25 - Free legal trainings for journalists covering 2024 political conventions 

What: Legal training for journalists covering the 2024 Democratic National Convention events taking place in Chicago. Attorneys will discuss journalists’ newsgathering rights, safely reporting on protests, ways to avoid arrest and what to do if arrested, local bail procedures, potential security restrictions, and more. Journalists will come away with practical tips and resources to support their work around the 2024 elections.

Who: Jen Nelson Senior Staff Attorney, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press; Mickey Osterreicher General Counsel·National Press Photographers Association

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsors: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, National Press Photographers Association

More Info

 

Thu, July 25 - Retaining and engaging audiences post-election

What: Experts will share a “lightning round” of ideas on how to keep everyone engaged after votes are counted and winners are announced.

Who: Katie Vogel is the Politics and Washington, D.C., editor for the Associated Press; Shay Totten is API’s newsroom success manager; Gabrielle Jones is the Vice President of Content at Louisville Public Media.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: American Press Institute, Associated Press

More Info

 

Thu, July 25 - Journalism in Crisis: How Did We Get Here and What Comes Next?

What: Journalism is facing a series of intersecting crises. Funding models have not kept pace with technological change, leading to large-scale layoffs and the shuttering of outlets across the country. Misinformation and disinformation are rampant. And increasingly sophisticated generative A.I. stands to exacerbate both these problems and undermine the entire enterprise. Join us for a look at how we got to this point and where we go from here.

Who: Cassandra Willyard Freelance Science Journalist and NASW President; Benjamin Toff Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota; Courtney Radsch Center for Journalism and Liberty at the Open Markets Institute; Patrick Dell Senior Visuals Editor at The Globe and Mail.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: National Association of Science Writers

More Info

 

Thu, July 25 - The State of Gen Z and the Future of Advertising

What: Actionable insights across all screens, to help marketers gain new insights into this key consumer cohort and optimize ways to engage and convert them across social, digital, TV, and streaming.  

Who: Danan Ren, SVP, Client Insights and GTM Enablement, Comscore; Bo Liu, Principal Analyst, Client Insights, Comscore; Caleb White, Product Marketing Principal, Comscore.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: The Association of National Advertisers

More Info

 

Thu, July 25 - Your New Instructional Design Sidekick Training Network

What: In this workshop you will leave equipped with the skills to leverage AI as your instructional design partner. Together we will explore AI's capabilities and limitations, ensuring you can use different AI tools effectively.

Who: Shannon Tipton, Learning Rebels

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Training Magazine

More Info

 

Thu, July 25 - Nellie Bly: The Investigative Journalist Who Reformed America

What: Explore the fascinating life and legacy of Elizabeth Cochran (1864-1922) — aka Nellie Bly — a tireless and dedicated undercover reporter, wartime journalist, suffragist, and inventor who was a driving force of much-needed change and reformation in America during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Who: Dave Gardner is a licensed New York City tour guide and is also a member of GANYC (Guides Association of New York City).

When: 7 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: $12

Sponsor: The New York Adventure Club

More Info

Thu, July 25 - Artificial Intelligence for Journalists with AI expert and digital guru Sree Sreenivasan (this is a rescheduled event from July 11)

Who: Sree Sreenivasan has been teaching generative AI workshops worldwide for the past year. He was a full-time journalism professor at Columbia University for 20+ years and served as the chief digital officer at Columbia. He is the 2024 president of the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA), which he co-founded in 1994.

When: 7 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists

More Info

 

Fri, July 26 - Design Workshop: How to create compelling visuals when it’s not usually your job

What: Best practices for creating visuals, regardless of your hands-on design experience. We’ll work through specific exercises during the program, so plan to walk away inspired and with at least one design you can use right away.  

Who: Beth Francesco, the National Press Club Journalism Institute’s executive director

When: 12 noon, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: $25

Sponsor: The National Press Club’s Journalism Institute  

More Info