Benjamin Toff
@benjamintoff.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota and Director of the Minnesota Journalism Center. I study trust in news, news avoidance, public opinion, and changing media.
Among the many reasons newsrooms ought to have clear ethical guidelines around the use of AI... (cc: @alexmahadevan.com) The journalistic benefits of doing something like this (are there any?) pretty clearly do not outweigh all the negatives (i.e., confusing and annoying your audience).
KSTP meteorologist posting AI videos on Twitter of what he says is what Minneapolis will look like if his forecast is correct is really something… not a valid weather news source going forward imo
November 26, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Among the many reasons newsrooms ought to have clear ethical guidelines around the use of AI... (cc: @alexmahadevan.com) The journalistic benefits of doing something like this (are there any?) pretty clearly do not outweigh all the negatives (i.e., confusing and annoying your audience).
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
Social media researcher @taliastroud.bsky.social (New_ Public and @engagingnews.bsky.social) presents our new nationwide poll results on how Americans really connect with their neighbors online — and the surprising gaps that deserve more attention.
Watch here 📹
Watch here 📹
The Local Connection Crisis: New Data on What Communities Need
YouTube video by New_ Public
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Social media researcher @taliastroud.bsky.social (New_ Public and @engagingnews.bsky.social) presents our new nationwide poll results on how Americans really connect with their neighbors online — and the surprising gaps that deserve more attention.
Watch here 📹
Watch here 📹
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
The UW Center for an Informed Public is looking for postdocs (for 2026-2028) from across diverse disciplines whose research sheds light on the challenges of our modern information environment, promotes civic health, and/or helps people/communities navigate online spaces: apply.interfolio.com/177901
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:26 PM
The UW Center for an Informed Public is looking for postdocs (for 2026-2028) from across diverse disciplines whose research sheds light on the challenges of our modern information environment, promotes civic health, and/or helps people/communities navigate online spaces: apply.interfolio.com/177901
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
Friends, there are several CS positions open at NYU; calling in my socio-technical researchers including HCI researchers
cs.nyu.edu/dynamic/jobs...
cs.nyu.edu/dynamic/jobs...
NYU Computer Science Department
cs.nyu.edu
November 24, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Friends, there are several CS positions open at NYU; calling in my socio-technical researchers including HCI researchers
cs.nyu.edu/dynamic/jobs...
cs.nyu.edu/dynamic/jobs...
I’ve been wondering about this as well. I think a lot of what’s argued in the piece is right although I tend to think changes in the media environment shouldn’t be underestimated. TikTok and Instagram in 2025 are VERY different platforms compared to social media of 2018.
November 24, 2025 at 2:50 PM
I’ve been wondering about this as well. I think a lot of what’s argued in the piece is right although I tend to think changes in the media environment shouldn’t be underestimated. TikTok and Instagram in 2025 are VERY different platforms compared to social media of 2018.
Croptoberfest!
Prairie Island Indian Community let us come check out the fall cannabis harvest at the tribe's 13-acre cultivation and manufacturing facility outside of Hastings. Definitely the most weed I've ever seen in one place.
www.startribune.com/prairie-isla...
www.startribune.com/prairie-isla...
November 21, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Croptoberfest!
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
ANES Data Release! electionstudies.org/data-center/...
The 3-wave ANES panel is now available. It merges data from 3 election studies (2016-2020-2024), the first time the ANES has collected interviews of the same respondents across 3 presidential elections.
The 3-wave ANES panel is now available. It merges data from 3 election studies (2016-2020-2024), the first time the ANES has collected interviews of the same respondents across 3 presidential elections.
2016-2020-2024-panel-merged-study - ANES | American National Election Studies
electionstudies.org
November 1, 2025 at 8:47 PM
ANES Data Release! electionstudies.org/data-center/...
The 3-wave ANES panel is now available. It merges data from 3 election studies (2016-2020-2024), the first time the ANES has collected interviews of the same respondents across 3 presidential elections.
The 3-wave ANES panel is now available. It merges data from 3 election studies (2016-2020-2024), the first time the ANES has collected interviews of the same respondents across 3 presidential elections.
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
Please repost:
We're looking for an excellent writer/editor with strong data journalism skills to join the religion team at @pewresearch.org.
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Center...
We're looking for an excellent writer/editor with strong data journalism skills to join the religion team at @pewresearch.org.
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Center...
October 23, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Please repost:
We're looking for an excellent writer/editor with strong data journalism skills to join the religion team at @pewresearch.org.
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Center...
We're looking for an excellent writer/editor with strong data journalism skills to join the religion team at @pewresearch.org.
pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Center...
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
You can get a hardback copy of The Minneapolis Reckoning now for just $9 as PUP books go on sale (sale code: SAVE70). The paperback version is coming May 2026 but this is an even better deal.
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
October 25, 2025 at 12:13 AM
You can get a hardback copy of The Minneapolis Reckoning now for just $9 as PUP books go on sale (sale code: SAVE70). The paperback version is coming May 2026 but this is an even better deal.
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
How effective are user corrections on social media, and does adding a link to a fact check improve effectiveness?
In piece led by @sachaltay.bsky.social we find corrections have small effects, adding a fact-check unlikely to make them more effective misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/the-... 1/6
In piece led by @sachaltay.bsky.social we find corrections have small effects, adding a fact-check unlikely to make them more effective misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/the-... 1/6
July 23, 2025 at 1:03 PM
How effective are user corrections on social media, and does adding a link to a fact check improve effectiveness?
In piece led by @sachaltay.bsky.social we find corrections have small effects, adding a fact-check unlikely to make them more effective misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/the-... 1/6
In piece led by @sachaltay.bsky.social we find corrections have small effects, adding a fact-check unlikely to make them more effective misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/the-... 1/6
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
Economists! We’re hiring an assistant professor who focuses on domestic labor or public economics. The Humphrey School is wonderful and Minneapolis is the best city ever in my humble opinion.
More details here:
hr.myu.umn.edu/psc/hrprd/EM...
More details here:
hr.myu.umn.edu/psc/hrprd/EM...
October 14, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Economists! We’re hiring an assistant professor who focuses on domestic labor or public economics. The Humphrey School is wonderful and Minneapolis is the best city ever in my humble opinion.
More details here:
hr.myu.umn.edu/psc/hrprd/EM...
More details here:
hr.myu.umn.edu/psc/hrprd/EM...
“At age 82, three years before she went viral, Mom typed a few notes for anyone who might write her obit. At the end, she wrote: ‘This is more than anyone would want to know. Any obituary should leave out the frills underlined in color.’ Those frills included her 22 AP state writing awards.”
"Way back in 2012, the internet wasn’t yet the angry, shrieking wasteland it has become. A simple story about a no-nonsense lady in North Dakota could break through the noise." www.wsj.com/us-news/mari...
Marilyn Hagerty, Whose Column on Olive Garden Went Viral in 2012, Dies at 99
It was a simpler time online, her son recalls—and his no-nonsense mother broke through the noise for all the right reasons
www.wsj.com
September 20, 2025 at 4:43 AM
“At age 82, three years before she went viral, Mom typed a few notes for anyone who might write her obit. At the end, she wrote: ‘This is more than anyone would want to know. Any obituary should leave out the frills underlined in color.’ Those frills included her 22 AP state writing awards.”
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
This story — which asks what happened to all of those newsroom DEI jobs, committees, and promises from 2020 — is the hardest one I've ever worked on. I hope you'll spend some time with it today.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/from...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/from...
From reckoning to retreat: Journalism’s DEI efforts are in decline
Diversity-related newsroom jobs haven't totally disappeared — but they also haven't stuck.
www.niemanlab.org
September 11, 2025 at 2:41 PM
This story — which asks what happened to all of those newsroom DEI jobs, committees, and promises from 2020 — is the hardest one I've ever worked on. I hope you'll spend some time with it today.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/from...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/from...
Can someone please build an AI tool that will read all your social media feeds, filter out the ads and garbage, and repackage it in a custom feed that aggregates content from across these services while providing users full control over how it is all displayed?
September 11, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Can someone please build an AI tool that will read all your social media feeds, filter out the ads and garbage, and repackage it in a custom feed that aggregates content from across these services while providing users full control over how it is all displayed?
I wrote this piece for the Local News Impact Consortium, which tries to make sense of what everyone is talking about when they’re throwing around terms like “landscape scans,” “needs assessments,” “ecosystem analyses,” or “asset mapping.”
www.localnewsimpact.org/2025/09/01/a...
www.localnewsimpact.org/2025/09/01/a...
A Shared Vocabulary for Local News Ecosystem Research | Local News Impact Consortium
www.localnewsimpact.org
September 2, 2025 at 1:38 PM
I wrote this piece for the Local News Impact Consortium, which tries to make sense of what everyone is talking about when they’re throwing around terms like “landscape scans,” “needs assessments,” “ecosystem analyses,” or “asset mapping.”
www.localnewsimpact.org/2025/09/01/a...
www.localnewsimpact.org/2025/09/01/a...
I wish more people appreciated the importance of attention w/ regards to news. Being more transparent about ___, covering more stories on ___, or quoting the right/wrong people… lots of reasons these things matter for quality of journalism but if no one is paying attention, it won’t increase trust.
If you work in message testing or persuasive communication, this may be the most importantly paper you will read this month, perhaps all year. From @carnes.bsky.social and Henderson in @bjpols.bsky.social
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
August 15, 2025 at 1:20 PM
I wish more people appreciated the importance of attention w/ regards to news. Being more transparent about ___, covering more stories on ___, or quoting the right/wrong people… lots of reasons these things matter for quality of journalism but if no one is paying attention, it won’t increase trust.
Being a faculty member at a university has never been a big part of how I define my identity and I mostly haven’t had much patience for battles over faculty governance. But THIS from the president and general counsel of Harvard’s AAUP chapter really resonates…
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/14/o...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/14/o...
August 15, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Being a faculty member at a university has never been a big part of how I define my identity and I mostly haven’t had much patience for battles over faculty governance. But THIS from the president and general counsel of Harvard’s AAUP chapter really resonates…
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/14/o...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/14/o...
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
I missed this news before (but suspect we'll see more announcements like this in the coming months):
"The department also hopes to resume admissions for the fall 2027 class. However, no new applications will be accepted this cycle."
www.michigandaily.com/news/news-br...
"The department also hopes to resume admissions for the fall 2027 class. However, no new applications will be accepted this cycle."
www.michigandaily.com/news/news-br...
UMich cancels doctoral epidemiology program admissions for 2026
The University of Michigan School of Public Health will not admit a 2025-2026 admissions cycle cohort to its PhD in Epidemiologic Sciences program.
www.michigandaily.com
August 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
I missed this news before (but suspect we'll see more announcements like this in the coming months):
"The department also hopes to resume admissions for the fall 2027 class. However, no new applications will be accepted this cycle."
www.michigandaily.com/news/news-br...
"The department also hopes to resume admissions for the fall 2027 class. However, no new applications will be accepted this cycle."
www.michigandaily.com/news/news-br...
This seems very very bad
The White House is taking new steps to undermine every international student at our universities.
It has approved a new rule restricting student visas to 4 years max. That's not long enough for PhD students, or about half of undergrads, to finish their degree.
Likely to enter force within days.
It has approved a new rule restricting student visas to 4 years max. That's not long enough for PhD students, or about half of undergrads, to finish their degree.
Likely to enter force within days.
August 8, 2025 at 4:12 PM
This seems very very bad
Interesting how far ahead of other public media sites @mprnews.org is in their online reach with @laist.com in second (also under nonprofit parent org APMG).
Top 25 local public media sites, ranked by estimated monthly visits to their websites in June 2025. www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/thes...
Hey, @joshuabenton.com What is WNYC doing at number 11 when it has the largest market in the country?
Hey, @joshuabenton.com What is WNYC doing at number 11 when it has the largest market in the country?
August 5, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Interesting how far ahead of other public media sites @mprnews.org is in their online reach with @laist.com in second (also under nonprofit parent org APMG).
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
AEA Statement on Dismissal of BLS Comm.
"The independence of the federal statistical agencies is essential to the proper functioning of a modern economy. Accurate, timely, and impartial statistics are the foundation upon which households, businesses, and policymakers make critical decisions."
"The independence of the federal statistical agencies is essential to the proper functioning of a modern economy. Accurate, timely, and impartial statistics are the foundation upon which households, businesses, and policymakers make critical decisions."
August 2, 2025 at 1:50 PM
AEA Statement on Dismissal of BLS Comm.
"The independence of the federal statistical agencies is essential to the proper functioning of a modern economy. Accurate, timely, and impartial statistics are the foundation upon which households, businesses, and policymakers make critical decisions."
"The independence of the federal statistical agencies is essential to the proper functioning of a modern economy. Accurate, timely, and impartial statistics are the foundation upon which households, businesses, and policymakers make critical decisions."
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
We’re hiring a junior colleague in AP @au-spa.bsky.social
Please share broadly & questions can come to me! (I’m chair!)
american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/AU/job/Main-...
Please share broadly & questions can come to me! (I’m chair!)
american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/AU/job/Main-...
Assistant Professor, Department of Government
American University is a student-centered research institution located in Washington, DC, with highly-ranked schools and colleges, internationally-renowned faculty, and a reputation for creating meani...
american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
July 25, 2025 at 9:24 PM
We’re hiring a junior colleague in AP @au-spa.bsky.social
Please share broadly & questions can come to me! (I’m chair!)
american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/AU/job/Main-...
Please share broadly & questions can come to me! (I’m chair!)
american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/AU/job/Main-...
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
Attention Patrick Soon-Shiong, Jon Stewart, and anyone else who needs reminding:
No, the Green Bay Packers are not a realistic business model for your local newspaper
www.niemanlab.org/2022/08/no-t...
No, the Green Bay Packers are not a realistic business model for your local newspaper
www.niemanlab.org/2022/08/no-t...
No, the Green Bay Packers are not a realistic business model for your local newspaper
Until the news business adopts NFL-style revenue sharing — which, um, it won't — the Packers are more of an exception than a useful metaphor.
www.niemanlab.org
July 23, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Attention Patrick Soon-Shiong, Jon Stewart, and anyone else who needs reminding:
No, the Green Bay Packers are not a realistic business model for your local newspaper
www.niemanlab.org/2022/08/no-t...
No, the Green Bay Packers are not a realistic business model for your local newspaper
www.niemanlab.org/2022/08/no-t...
Reposted by Benjamin Toff
Copy of my book just arrived in the mail today! Feels unreal. You can preorder it here: press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
July 21, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Copy of my book just arrived in the mail today! Feels unreal. You can preorder it here: press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
Among the many things outrageous in this story, what kind of nonprofit news organization forces its own journalists to sign “non-disparagement and confidentiality agreements as a condition of severance?”
What went wrong at the Houston Landing? www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/what...
What went wrong at the Houston Landing?
“We tried to be too much, too fast, for too many people.”
www.niemanlab.org
July 18, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Among the many things outrageous in this story, what kind of nonprofit news organization forces its own journalists to sign “non-disparagement and confidentiality agreements as a condition of severance?”