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Good morning and happy Thanksgiving week.

It has become a tradition in this newsletter this time of year for me to ask my colleagues what they are thankful for in the world of media and journalism. So today, we present the annual 妩媚直播淲hat We妩媚直播檙e Thankful For妩媚直播� edition of The 妩媚直播 Report.

This will be our last newsletter of the week. We will return Nov. 27.

The growth of worker-owned media

Annie Aguiar, audience engagement producer

This year, I妩媚直播檓 thankful for the growth of worker-owned media. As layoffs hit the wider media industry and left many journalists with uneasy career paths, some journalists looked around at their former colleagues and decided to set up their own shops.

Continuing in the success of Defector forming in 2020 from the ashes of G/O Media妩媚直播檚 once beloved and now-gutted Deadspin sports blog, 2023 has seen more worker-owned outlets come onto the scene. These websites are tightly run on subscription models to avoid the advertising and SEO angst affecting much of digital media, and could provide a business model to follow for years to come.

Tech outlet and video game site , both founded in the second half of 2023, are particular bright spots for me. 404 Media has already established itself as an essential read for people interested in technology (I particularly recommend this article on how the online advertising economy妩媚直播檚 sense of and other websites).

Aftermath, formed this month with writers who previously covered games for outlets like Kotaku, Vice and The Washington Post妩媚直播檚 video games section Launcher (which I eulogized earlier this year), is a much-needed bright spot in the blighted hellscape of video game writing. It妩媚直播檚 important and necessary coverage of an industry that made .

I妩媚直播檝e been reading some of these writers妩媚直播� work for years (Gita Jackson, in particular, is an essential writer when it comes to video games), and I妩媚直播檝e been disheartened by a media economy that wants to destroy things people care about because a line on a chart didn妩媚直播檛 go up fast enough. Employee-owned media is an experiment in sustainability for content that doesn妩媚直播檛 have algorithmic mass appeal. I妩媚直播檓 thankful that so far, it seems to be working.

PolitiFact妩媚直播檚 team and impact

Caryn Baird, researcher

I’m thankful I work on a team that helps bring light to the dark corners of the internet. PolitiFact helps clarify misinformation and has built a database of facts that anyone interested can access. It makes me proud to hear it mentioned out in the wild and know we are being read.

The beauty of fact-checking

Maria Brice帽o, PolitiFact staff writer

I have to say, I am very grateful to have started working at PolitiFact and learning the beauty of fact-checking. While days are usually full of fake posts of images and videos, I am grateful to have amazing editors and resources that help me debunk claims. Most importantly, I’m grateful to see more Spanish outlets out there and feel proud that PolitiFact is one of them.

Spanish-language fact-checking

Marta Campabadal, PolitiFact staff writer

As a native Spanish and Catalan speaker who does journalism in Spanish and English in the United States, I am thankful for organizations that understand the need for more journalism in Spanish in the U.S., and also for those who speak English. It’s just different to be able to read in your native language, and I appreciate that PolitiFact is doing that, but also that other outlets are, such as the podcast from NPR.

Corrections

Amaris Castillo, research/writing assistant for NPR public editor妩媚直播檚 office and contributor to 妩媚直播

This year I am grateful for corrections in journalism. We妩媚直播檝e all made mistakes. What matters is admitting that an error took place, and doing something about it. I appreciate the journalists who take extra care in correcting the record. It helps build trust with their audiences. It also shows me they give a damn about telling the most accurate story.

Getting ready for the 2024 election

Matthew Crowley, PoltiFact copy chief

As the 2024 election approaches, with broad implications for our democracy, I妩媚直播檓 excited to see what politicians say, how stories develop and how coverage evolves. I妩媚直播檓 grateful for fellow journalists who will pursue the stories on all of the platforms, social and legacy, maybe in ways yet unimagined.

Thanks for tools to do our jobs better, including Otter.ai to transcribe speeches, Photoshop to make pictures look their best, Infogram to create tables, iPads, laptops and Wi-Fi to allow work anywhere. Hooray for resources including Nexis and Google to help us get the latest news and track the latest trends. Shoutout to the Django developers who invented the system that trafficks and stores our stories and the web designers who create and update our sites. Thanks to TinEye for reverse-image searches, public databases to scour public records and Slack channels to share ideas on specific topics, such as climate change, or share snapshot pictures to let far-away colleagues feel connected.

Appreciation to the International Fact-Checking Network and fellow fact-checkers worldwide who spot falsehoods alongside us. Hail to student journalists who pursue this work, even as the industry consolidates and job prospects seem uncertain. Gratitude to journalists who risk fiscal or bodily harm, or worse, as they cover wars and political conflicts. And mad props to my top-flight PolitiFact and 妩媚直播 teammates, set to cover everything that comes.

Books and the power of reading

Angie Drobnic Holan, director of the International Fact-Checking Network

Journalist Maria Ressa, one of the winners of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, poses with her book “How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future.” during its launch, in metropolitan Manila, Philippines, that coincided with International Human Rights Day, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

I am grateful for books and the power of reading. There are so many big ideas in the world, so many concepts worth exploring at length and in depth, and the book remains my favorite technology for doing so. (And it is a profound technology! A book is so much easier to read than a roll of papyrus or parchment.)

I find I never have enough time to read and I妩媚直播檓 perpetually behind on the latest releases. But books I read and enjoyed this year included 妩媚直播淭he Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future,妩媚直播� a political deep dive by Franklin Foer; 妩媚直播淗ow to Stand up to a Dictator,妩媚直播� a searing personal memoir from journalist Maria Ressa; and 妩媚直播淎 World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,妩媚直播� an international history by Mary Ann Glendon. I can only imagine the concentration and labor it took to write these books, and I try to pay back the authors with sustained attention and sensitive understanding.

In a world of fast-moving social media posts and scrolling news feeds, it妩媚直播檚 ever so soothing to sink back into the comfort of a good book. I remain grateful for books and those who write them.

In-depth, long-form journalism

Alanna Dvorak, international training manager for the International Fact-Checking Network

In 2023, when everyone talked incessantly about Twitter/X and tried to distill news into a social media blurb or sound bite, I’m grateful for the journalists continuing to produce hard-hitting and impactful long-form and in-depth journalism. From ProPublica’s investigative work into the to the on the OceanGate disaster that captivated the world to last week’s , we’ve been treated by reporters willing to take the time and do the work to get the details.

Sharp and timely (and free!) media insights

Rick Edmonds, media business analyst

I妩媚直播檓 grateful for stalwart 妩媚直播 contributors. Notably, Columbia University妩媚直播檚 Anya聽 Schiffrin, who has made an international beat of getting Google and Meta to pay for news from publishers; Steven Waldman, prolific and ingenious advocate for government subsidies for journalism (and co-founder of Report for America); Tim Franklin, former 妩媚直播 president, whose Medill Local News Initiative produces a steady stream of coverage of important trends 妩媚直播� last week Penny Abernathy妩媚直播檚 latest research on news deserts.

Also, check out . Tofel, former president of ProPublica, has much to say about journalism issues in general and the challenges of financing nonprofit startup sites in particular.

And all these insights on the business of media are free!

Journalists who risk it all

Mel Grau, senior product specialist

It’s been a particularly dangerous year to be a journalist. I’m grateful for those risking their lives to show the world what’s happening in war-torn regions of the world, most recently in Israel and Gaza. The image of Clarissa Ward in a trench swearing under her breath as rockets explode nearby sticks with me, and it’s upsetting that moments like that are being warped by cheapfakes. Despite this, journalists press on. Thank you.

A new path

Jon Greenberg, PolitiFact senior correspondent

I’m thankful that I had the chance to go down a fascinating new path this year. In October 2022, I got the call from my bosses to launch something called Beat Academy and right after the midterms, this fact-checker morphed into a guy running a training program aimed at local and regional journalists, helping them find meaty local takes on big national issues. We covered private equity, climate change, immigration, crime, affirmative action, and the list goes on.

I’m grateful for all the people who enrolled (we blew past our aspirational goal of 250 and connected with over 380 people!) and the nitty gritty conversations we all had about actually getting this reporting work done. I’m grateful to the researchers and reporters who joined our panels and shared top-notch insights. I loved how much I learned, both in terms of craft and subject matter. I’ve totally dug seeing the stories that have emerged.

Huge thanks to the foundations who supported this work. And a major shoutout to my bosses and colleagues at 妩媚直播 for giving me a long leash and for pulling together to help build this plane while we were flying it.

The promise of early career journalists

Kristen Hare, faculty

I’m thankful for early career journalists who are willing to question the things in our industry that don’t work. One example is former 妩媚直播-Koch fellow Justin Baxley, who built a project to help his newsroom cover violent crimes in a more humane and trauma-informed way. If we want journalism to have a future, we have to allow the people who will be there to help shape it.

NPR妩媚直播檚 climate reporting

Josie Hollingsworth, audience specialist at 妩媚直播, audience director at PolitiFact

I really appreciated how NPR has stayed committed to covering the changing climate, both through in-depth and on their most popular shows and podcasts. 妩媚直播淯p First妩媚直播� actually talked about climate change every week this year. And, in some weeks, stories about the environment led the daily newscast a majority of days. Last month妩媚直播檚 climate week focused on , and included more on the series 妩媚直播�.妩媚直播�

This kind of constant and diversified climate narrative is the exact style of environmental coverage that empowers readers with knowledge and solutions, and reverses doom and gloom mentality. It identifies long-term trends, and leads to opportunities to string together a story about climate.

A little good news about humanity and the planet

Ren LaForme, managing editor聽

Did you know that 75 million lives have been saved since 2000 thanks to global cooperation in the fight against tuberculosis? That shoplifting across the United States has decreased from 45 per 100,000 residents before the pandemic to an average of around 36 per 100,000 this year? That deforestation in the Colombian Amazon is down 70% since 2022?

Probably not. I didn妩媚直播檛 either, until I read last week妩媚直播檚 edition of , a newsletter about good news for people and the planet.

Hold on. It妩媚直播檚 not what you think. It妩媚直播檚 not feel-good fluff about people overcoming obstacles or a couple finding their affordable dream home in Syosset. Instead, all links shared in the newsletter center on a big premise: Amid grim news of wars, plagues and climate change, the planet 妩媚直播斅燼nd humanity 妩媚直播斅燼re doing a lot better than you might believe.

Not every item will knock your cynical socks off. If you read a lot of news (and, since you妩媚直播檙e reading this newsletter, I妩媚直播檓 guessing that妩媚直播檚 true), you妩媚直播檙e still probably going to sigh loudly when you check your push notifications every morning. But Future Crunch might make you pause and wonder, even for just a moment, if things might actually turn out alright. Frankly, in 2023, I am thankful for even a soup莽on of optimism.

ChatGPT. Seriously.

Alex Mahadevan, director of MediaWise

The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays output from ChatGPT, Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

I妩媚直播檓 thankful for ChatGPT. Seriously.

The rise of generative artificial intelligence 妩媚直播� in the hands of anyone through Bing, Bard and ChatGPT 妩媚直播� has lit a fire under journalism妩媚直播檚 ass. It妩媚直播檚 triggered an 妩媚直播渁dapt or die妩媚直播� urgency. And forced tough conversations about ethics, transparency, labor and bias.

Sure, generative AI spews misinformation through hallucinations and may bring on a wave of 妩媚直播減ink slime.妩媚直播� It generates . It even . But, the buzzy program normal people can now use to harness generative AI has put the topic front and center for journalists 妩媚直播� and .

Because now is the time to gear up for AI妩媚直播檚 effects on the news. This year feels like another big hinge point for journalism.

Is it a just pivot-to-video-style mirage, or are we truly entering the post-social media era? Will AI unleash a scourge of highly personalized misinformation and reduce trust in media, or make newsrooms more creative, equip them to cover more communities and effectively fight falsehoods? Is it all overblown?

My boring answer: Who knows?

But, thankfully, The Associated Press, and its experts like Aimee Rinehart and Ernest Kung, has stepped up to answer the call with and seemingly constant training workshops. have been indispensable. Newsrooms appear to be elevating the voices of oft-ignored data journalists/engineers/programmers to address the issue. And the brings together smart minds to help journalists and editors experiment with this shiny new thing.

We妩媚直播檝e seen some hilarious who did not consider their audience before trotting out AI-generated articles. They serve as a warning: Humans must be involved in anything you do with AI, and the audience must come first.

ChatGPT has forced newsrooms to confront the threat and opportunity of artificial intelligence. I妩媚直播檓 hopeful the industry will adapt quicker than in the previous technological crises.

Investments in investigative audio reporting

Sitara Nieves, vice president, teaching and organizational strategy

It妩媚直播檚 been a year or two of pretty deep cuts in the audio business. in a 妩媚直播渟trategic realignment妩媚直播� earlier this year that would lead to 妩媚直播�.妩媚直播� Vox, Pushkin, Amazon, NPR and others cut podcast jobs, too.

Those layoffs 妩媚直播� and the new economic realities that fueled them 妩媚直播� have been tough for the entire industry, and, of course, for the people who lost their jobs. And it appeared that they could hit investigative podcasts particularly hard, for obvious reasons: Investigative podcasts are expensive. They reflect mission, audience service and journalistic impact, but aren妩媚直播檛 a cheap and quick way to bring in ad dollars.

So here妩媚直播檚 what I妩媚直播檓 thankful for. I妩媚直播檓 thankful that in a time of increasing industry upheaval, organizations have continued to invest in investigative audio reporting 妩媚直播� the kind that can change lives, minds, and policies, and reach people in that emotionally resonant way that only beautiful audio storytelling can.

Here are a few good examples and bright lights. On the same day that Spotify announced its layoffs earlier this year, New Hampshire Public Radio an incredibly reported and brilliantly written investigative podcast about abuse within the addiction treatment industry, representing a continued commitment and investment in investigative journalism from that station. (The team that produced this show also after the podcast was published.)

earlier this year after it was canceled in 2022 by American Public Media (disclosure: I once worked for that company, but did not work for the division that ran 妩媚直播淚n The Dark妩媚直播�). It is one of the most significant investigative podcasts in the medium妩媚直播檚 history, and the team妩媚直播檚 relentless reporting for its second season . I saw its cancellation in 2022 as an ominous sign for audio investigations, and I妩媚直播檓 grateful that this news means the team can turn its considerable talent to producing new seasons, with the support of the team at The New Yorker.

And Nashville Public Radio and ProPublica妩媚直播檚 investigative collaboration about a Tennessee juvenile detention center illegally jailing children led to a that was launched last month. It follows Nashville Public Radio妩媚直播檚 long and impressive track record of investing in investigative audio journalism.

These are only a few examples 妩媚直播� and I妩媚直播檓 thankful this year that there are many more than I have space to write about here.

The persistence of fact-checkers

Enock Nyariki, community manager, International Fact-Checking Network聽

I am grateful to the fact-checkers at nonprofit news outlets around the world, whose laser focus on debunking misinformation upholds the integrity of discourse on critical public interest issues.

This year, chilling attacks on those journalists have intensified, ranging from lawsuits and threats of violence to intimidating letters from politicians upset over having their baseless claims challenged. Yet, their determination to expose false statements in public debates remains unwavering.

I am fortunate to support the work of hundreds of fact-checkers, who operate in more than 100 countries and across 159 organizations that operate in a nonpartisan and transparent manner.

ProPublica妩媚直播檚 powerhouse reporting

Jennifer Orsi, senior director, publishing and local news initiatives

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas joins other members of the Supreme Court as they pose for a new group portrait, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Oct. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

This year, I妩媚直播檓 thankful for the powerhouse reporting of ProPublica, the nonprofit investigative news site that works with numerous partners to spit out major investigations like coins from a slot machine. In perhaps the site妩媚直播檚 biggest investigation of the year, Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski revealed in April that by Republican billionaire Harlan Crow 妩媚直播� then published follow-ups about more financial benefits to Thomas, as well as to Justice Samuel Alito from another benefactor. This reporting clearly helped lead to this month妩媚直播檚 announcement that the court would . That and related reporting raised serious questions about who had the potential to secretly influence the court.

But that blockbuster wasn妩媚直播檛 all. ProPublica regularly pairs with local news organizations and other partners, like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Northwestern University to show that problems with breathing machines for sleep apnea that could send toxic particles into the lungs of millions. ProPublica and The Capitol Forum revealed the 妩媚直播� in some cases without even looking at them. And another report that, while perhaps smaller in scale, was chilling to me, depicted how by climbing under or between trains that blocked railroad crossings for days on end, just so they could get to school.

ProPublica isn妩媚直播檛 the only great news organization doing this work, but they deserve thanks just the same.

Journalists who embrace a little fun

Katie Sanders, PolitiFact editor-in-chief

The news has been so heavy this fall, so I am grateful to the PolitiFact team for embracing a little fun. We had faithful participation in a campaign to call two people on the team and ask how they妩媚直播檙e doing. Our virtual and optional Halloween contest had almost all of our journalists in costume with matching Zoom backgrounds 妩媚直播� we saw a French bedbug, sparkly alien, Sandra Dee from 妩媚直播淕rease,妩媚直播� Olivia Rodrigo, Tanya from 妩媚直播淲hite Lotus妩媚直播� and, of course, Barbie. We revived a pandemic tradition of rotating in a mystery DJ to play songs before our staff meeting. These efforts bring remote colleagues together and cost nothing, and the feedback I妩媚直播檝e heard is that staffers want more. I妩媚直播檓 preemptively thankful for the ideas I’ll hear from other newsroom leaders that balance very serious work with moments of silly release.

Finally, a thanks from Tom Jones, author of The 妩媚直播 Report

I妩媚直播檓 thankful to my 妩媚直播 colleagues for contributing to today妩媚直播檚 special edition of The 妩媚直播 Report. And I妩媚直播檓 thankful for you, the readers of the newsletter. Yeah, yeah, I know. It sounds a little cheesy to say that, but it妩媚直播檚 true. The newsletter is written for you, and you reading it and offering your thoughtful feedback (even if you do drop in a few expletives from time to time) is so appreciated. So thank you.

More resources for journalists

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• Got a story you妩媚直播檇 like to write for 妩媚直播? Email pitch@poynter.org with your idea, approximate timeline and word count.

Have feedback or a tip? Email 妩媚直播 senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.