Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Sarah Scott Scire

Emily Bell @emilybell.bsky.social · 2d

New Reuters Institute report on how people are increasingly using LLMs for search. no surprises (in many markets the figure will be higher) . It’s not really so much *replacing* what publishers do as ‘aggregating’ publisher material and failing to credit www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/peop...

People are using ChatGPT twice as much as they were last year. They’re still just as skeptical of AI in news.

"For news organizations, our findings are in some ways bitter medicine."

www.niemanlab.org

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Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · 1d

MIT becomes first school to reject proposed "compact" with Trump administration www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/10/b...

MIT becomes first school to reject proposed ‘compact’ with Trump administration - The Boston Globe

MIT president Sally Kornbluth said the university’s practices already “meet or exceed” the federal government’s list of demands.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Alexandra Witze @alexwitze.bsky.social · 2d

You've probably heard how a high percentage of #Nobel laureates are immigrants. The US in particular has benefited from the influx of bright minds.

@jennaahart.bsky.social ran the data for this century's Nobel prizewinners — and shows more than 30% immigrated. 🧪

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

More than 30% of this century’s science Nobel prizewinners immigrated: see their journeys

The most common destination for eventual Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry and medicine since 2000 is the United States, Nature has found.

www.nature.com

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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 2d

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 3d

Exclusive: The Pentagon has investigated nearly 300 Defense Department employees for online comments after the death of Charlie Kirk.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's order to target those critical of Kirk reflects deepening alarm over his stewardship.

Hegseth’s sprawling hunt for Charlie Kirk critics spans nearly 300 investigations

The inquiry, resulting in a smattering of disciplinary action so far, follows an extraordinary directive aimed at silencing criticism of the slain activist and Trump supporter.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · 3d

great @columjournreview.bsky.social interview with the eic of @restofworld.org. Anup Kaphle was on vacation in Nepal when a revolution erupted. www.cjr.org/the-intervie...

Anup Kaphle on how Gen Z's online discontent toppled Nepal's government.

The editor in chief of Rest of World was on vacation in his home country. Then a revolution unfolded.

www.cjr.org

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Michael Socolow @michaelsocolow.bsky.social · 4d

This is an excellent, well-informed piece that demonstrates a very sharp understanding of the huge differences between the worlds of TV news and web publication.

Elizabeth Lopatto @lopatto.bsky.social · 4d

please read my memo www.theverge.com/business/793...

Memo to Bari Weiss Re: CBS News: You’re doomed

Bari Weiss has sold her company, The Free Press, to manage the decline of broadcast news at CBS. How many ways can it go wrong?

www.theverge.com

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Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · 9d

"Storytelling" didn't test well either, but @niemanlab.org readers already knew that. www.niemanlab.org/2022/03/jour...

“Sounds like a well-trained liar”: Journalists lose some credibility by calling themselves “storytellers”

A survey in the U.S. found the public associates "storytellers" with liars and making things up. Probably not what you were going for with your Twitter bio.

www.niemanlab.org

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Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · 9d

What gets Americans interested in supporting local news?

New research shows words that test poorly across demographics include: Democracy (when used as a political appeal), Republican/Democrat, Marginalized (without clear civic relevance), Objective, and Political www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/dont...

Don’t dwell on “democracy,” and other new findings about how to market local news

"Here’s the paradox: 93% of people believe reliable local news is necessary for democracy, yet many of these same people react negatively to explicit 'democracy' messaging."

www.niemanlab.org

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Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · 10d

Math and reading scores have been declining for a decade in New England. The “Southern Surge” should be a wake-up call, reporting in @bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/01/m...

New England schools are failing – and ‘nobody seems to care’ - The Boston Globe

Our math and reading scores have been declining for a decade. The “Southern Surge” should be a wake-up call.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Reposted by Sarah Scott Scire

Steve Mullis @stevemullis.net · 10d

Today is public media’s first day without federal funding

Michel Martin, NPR @michelmartinnpr.bsky.social · 10d

I never do stuff like this but what the heck ... it's the start of a new era in public media ..

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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 11d

President Trump was met by silence as he began his Quantico address, a contrast from the rousing applause he expects at his speeches.

“I’ve never walked into a room so silent before,” Trump said. “If you want to applaud, you applaud.” wapo.st/4gSqzmS

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City Nolan @ndhapple.bsky.social · 11d

Wonder how PRI and WGBH feel about The Times naming a newsletter ‘The World.’

Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · 12d

the @nytimes.com is leaning on more video-heavy and personality-driven news products. its new newsletter The World (”The Morning” for non-Americans) is the newest example. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/hell...

“Hello, world!” The New York Times hopes to take the success of The Morning global with a new newsletter

The Morning is the most popular news newsletter in the world. Now the Times is launching a video-heavy and personality-driven newsletter targeting readers outside the United States.

www.niemanlab.org

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Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · 12d

the @nytimes.com is leaning on more video-heavy and personality-driven news products. its new newsletter The World (”The Morning” for non-Americans) is the newest example. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/hell...

“Hello, world!” The New York Times hopes to take the success of The Morning global with a new newsletter

The Morning is the most popular news newsletter in the world. Now the Times is launching a video-heavy and personality-driven newsletter targeting readers outside the United States.

www.niemanlab.org

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Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · 15d

The CC location is always busy!

Reposted by Sarah Scott Scire

Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 15d

"Michael and I probably both subscribe to the theory that 90 percent of life, and reporting, is just showing up.”

At our sister publication @niemanstoryboard.org, @michaelkruse.bsky.social and his longtime editor, Bill Duryea, reflect on a 16-year partnership. niemanstoryboard.org/2025/09/26/e...

Everybody needs an editor - Nieman Storyboard

Michael Kruse and Bill Duryea reflect on a 16-year partnership. Plus: Telling a family's story, without everyone's participation.

niemanstoryboard.org

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Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 16d

GOOD NEWS.

Clinical teams across the country are forming a five-year, $37 million consortium to research stillbirth, a neglected public health concern.

“There’s no question that the ProPublica reporting was intimately tied to this,” one expert said.

Specifically, @deldeib.bsky.social's reporting.

NIH Launches New Multimillion-Dollar Initiative to Reduce U.S. Stillbirth Rate

Clinical teams across the country are forming a five-year, $37 million consortium to research stillbirth, a long-neglected public health concern. “There’s no question that the ProPublica reporting was...

www.propublica.org

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Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · 16d

The Banner (@thebaltimorebanner.com) is one of the most promising local news nonprofits out there. I talked to the incoming editor-in-chief, CEO, and founder-backer for @niemanlab.org

Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 16d

The Baltimore Banner names WNYC’s Audrey Cooper as its next editor-in-chief www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/the-...

The Baltimore Banner names WNYC’s Audrey Cooper as its next editor-in-chief

The nonprofit newsroom won a Pulitzer Prize before its third birthday but is still pursuing financial sustainability. Banner news executives said to expect "an evolution, not a revolution” under the…

www.niemanlab.org

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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 20d

I keep seeing "none of these make news" posts like these...

... Even though the Trump/Bondi story is leading the NYT and Washpost home pages right now

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Dave Itzkoff @ditzkoff.bsky.social · 21d

it was literally in a bag

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/u...

Tom Homan, who was later named President Trump’s border czar, was recorded in September 2024 accepting a bag with $50,000 in cash in an undercover F.B.I. investigation, according to people familiar with the case, which was later shut down by Trump administration officials.

The cash payment, which was made inside a bag from the food chain Cava, grew out of a long-running counterintelligence investigation that had not been targeting Mr. Homan, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the case.

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Tristan Werkmeister @tristanwerkmeister.com · 22d

📱 The way people get their news is changing fast — and Reuters is changing with it. Excited to share this Q&A with @sarahscire.com for @niemanlab.org about my role as @reuters.com’ first social-first video reporter. 👉 Read the full interview here: www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/its-...

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Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 24d

Scoop: Business Insider informed its staff this week that they are allowed to use ChatGPT to generate first drafts of their stories, while also indicating the newsroom will not disclose such A.I. use to readers.

Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/business-i...

Business Insider and the Bots

The Axel Springer-owned newsroom is buzzing over new ChatGPT writing guidelines—part of an aggressive A.I. strategy pushed by its German parentco and detailed in a memo obtained by Status.

www.status.news

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Sarah Scott Scire @sarahscire.com · 26d

The average household income in Montgomery County is the 20th-highest among U.S. counties.

The county has the highest percentage (29.2%) of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate degrees. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/nonp...

Nonprofit news site The Banner expands beyond Baltimore

The Banner, the three-year-old Maryland news nonprofit that earned national recognition with a Pulitzer win this year, is launching a news bureau in Montgomery County. The expansion into Maryland's mo...

www.niemanlab.org

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Ryan Mac 🙃 @rmac.bsky.social · 29d

Musk, who has funded lawsuits against companies for terminating employees based on what they've said on social media, is tagging the CEO of Microsoft on X to complain about what some of his employees are saying on social media.

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