It’s hard to imagine an industry more poorly prepared for the arrival of a global pandemic than the media business. Even before “coronavirus” became a household word, the industry was already reeling from a series of body blows, most of them delivered by Google and Facebook and their dominance of the advertising market. Since 2008, nearly half of US newspaper journalism jobs have disappeared, according to the LA Times, leaving fewer than 38,000 reporters, photographers, and editors. Waves of layoffs have become the norm, not just for large chains like Gannett and McClatchy but for smaller papers, and even for digital giants like BuzzFeed and Vox, who at one time were seen as the future of online media. Then along came COVID-19, and with it the unprecedented shutdown of entire cities, and the erasure of huge swaths of the advertising business. For many outlets, it will likely become what media analyst Ken Doctor calls “an extinction event.” For some it already is. The LA Times profiled one example of this sad trend. Jeff VonKaenel, 69, owner of the Sacramento News & Review and sister publications in Chico and Reno, has been running weekly newspapers for almost 50 years, and has survived wildfires, recessions, and being sued by a mayor. But the extinguishing of almost all his advertising in the wake of COVID-19 left him no other choice: four days after the virus was defined as a pandemic, VonKaenel shut down his presses for the last time and laid off all 40 members of... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-04-20 11:45:00 UTC ]
To the editor: Given today’s incivility, Christians may ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?” if confronted with appointees in the Trump administration. Certainly Jesus wouldn’t ask White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave a restaurant because of President Trump’s policies and... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a statement this week, ALA president Jim Neal said there was "no legitimate policy or moral basis" for the Trump administration's "unconscionable" policy of separating families at the border. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomberg published an eyebrow-raising report Thursday night about a draft proposal being prepared by the Trump administration that would subsidize the coal industry in part by invoking a Cold War-era law intended for use in national security emergencies: Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Trump administration says it will strip legal protections for 86,000 Hondurans who live in the U.S., the latest group of longtime undocumented residents who now face the prospect of deportation back to their troubled home countries. Kirstjen Nielsen, the Homeland Security secretary, on Friday... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The American Library Association is facing significant financial challenges. The Trump administration wants to gut federal support for libraries. And librarians are fighting over whether our next executive director should be required to have a MLS degree. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Trump administration has again proposed to eliminate funding for the National Endowments for the Arts (NEA) and Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As it did last year, the Trump administration has once again proposed the permanent elimination of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, as well as the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Beneath a surge in interest for books about the Trump administration, booksellers see something more: Readers seeking to connect and make sense of a tumultuous time. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2018-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Biteback Publishing has acquired a memoir by former White House press secretary Sean Spicer. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lots of people have complained about the policies of the Trump administration, but Anderson, co-owner of Anderson’s Bookshops, is hoping to do something about them. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Despite the Trump Administration's proposal to eliminate virtually all federal library funding, the House yesterday passed a package of FY2018 spending bills that include full funding for libraries and the arts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Librarians will gather in Chicago for the 2017 ALA Annual Conference amid an organizational leadership transition, and challenges from the Trump Administration. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Congressional leaders have rejected the Trump administration's proposal to eliminate money for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, according to US news reports. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Not content with its second crack of the whip with a travel ban, the Trump administration has now issued a ban on larger electronic devices being taken on flights from certain countries. Devices larger than a cell phone will not be permitted in cabin baggage but must instead be checked in. The... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2017-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At the bookselling event, which took place in Atlanta on Monday, a closed-door session addressed indie booksellers' desire to potentially allow their stores to act as safe havens for groups they feel have been threatened under the Trump administration. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Once known for its beauty tips, Teen Vogue has become a powerful critic of the Trump administration. What’s behind its transformation?Charlie Knoles is a 39-year-old meditation coach and father based in California. He reads Politico, ProPublica and the Wall Street Journal, and posts on Facebook... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Concern over the Trump administration was a central theme at the Washington D.C. event. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Howard Cunnell's Fathers & Sons is a memoir about a search for identity and what it is to be a man that packs a punch that belies its brevity and, despite taking us to dark places, it’s a book about all kinds of love. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AWP 2017's keynote speaker, Azar Nafisi, the author of 'Reading Lolita in Tehran,' blasted President Trump in a fiery presentation and urged writers to use their imaginations to resist the tyranny of the Trump administration. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Press will release three edited collections this spring that will examine the recently-concluded presidential election and what likely lies ahead for the country under the Trump administration. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-01-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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