Dan Kennedy
@dankennedy.net
J-prof at Northeastern University. Co-leader, with Ellen Clegg, of @whatworks-nu.bsky.social. News and commentary at Media Nation, https://dankennedy.net.
I'm sure we all understand that Thune told Susan Collins that he's got the votes and gave her permission to vote no. mainemorningstar.com/2026/08/04/b...
Breaking with Trump, Collins announces opposition to AG nominee Todd Blanche • Maine Morning Star
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins announced Tuesday that she would oppose the confirmation of Todd Blanche for attorney general. “While I believe Mr. Blanche is a capable lawyer, the Department of Justice has b...
mainemorningstar.com
I don't feel comfortable using the semi-secret free links for these @bostonglobe.com stories, but we've got some problems in #mapoli. First up: Larry Edelman on the factors dragging down the state economy and what to do about it. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/04/b...
A broken housing market, soaring costs, and Trump 2.0 are killing the Mass. economy. It’s time to do something about it. - The Boston Globe
Talk to people across industries and you’ll hear that the boundless vibrancy we once took for granted has faded, with a broken housing market and the Trump 2.0 administration partly to blame.
bostonglobe.com
Bob Sillick died with his boots on. Not the worst way to go. www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/reme...
Remembering Bob Sillick: A gifted journalist and cherished member of the E&P family - Editor and Publisher
For six years, Bob Sillick brought insight, curiosity and a deep devotion to the news media industry to the pages of E&P. His death leaves us mourning not only a gifted journalist whose work informed ...
editorandpublisher.com
Talking about local news, changing media habits and AI on the Mass. Municipal Association's podcast, "The 351." Great to share the mic with fellow @northeasternu.bsky.social j-school alum Karen Bordeleau of the @newbedfordlight.bsky.social. the-351.simplecast.com/episodes/the...
The Shifting Local Media Landscape: What It Means for Public Trust and Local Government | The 351
Local journalism has long been one of the pillars of healthy communities — informing residents, holding public officials accountable, and helping people understand the decisions that shape their daily...
the-351.simplecast.com
At Logan for the first time in a few years. Walked into three Hudson News stores. Not a single print newspaper. I was hoping to grab a Wall Street Journal for the flight.
The New Haven Independent publishes a smart voter guide pulling together the races, past coverage, and everything you need to know about voting. www.newhavenindependent.org/2026/08/03/n...
New Haven Voter Guide - August 2026 Democratic Primaries - New Haven Independent
Who's on the ballot? What do they stand for? And where do I go to vote, again? Don't worry, the Independent has you covered. Click here to read staff reporter Laura Glesby's guide to the Aug. 11 Demo...
newhavenindependent.org
Shorter David Ellison: You don’t have to worry about what I’ll do to CNN. Look at how awesome I’ve been with CBS News! www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/o...
Opinion | David Ellison: In Defense of the Paramount-Warner Deal (Gift Article)
The issue is whether I can be trusted as a steward of CNN
nytimes.com
A community can have local newspapers and still lack local news. www.poynter.org/reporting-ed...
A community can have local newspapers and still lack local news - Poynter
California’s local news landscape — from a thriving weekly in Carmel to a one-reporter newsroom in Merced — shows why counting newspapers isn't enough
poynter.org
New at Media Nation: The American way of eating is doing far more harm to us than moderate alcohol consumption. dankennedy.net/2026/08/02/t...
The American way of eating is doing far more harm to us than moderate alcohol consumption
I wasn’t planning to write anything this morning, but two stories about public health in The New York Times have got me thinking about proportionality, to use one of my friend Catherine Tumbe…
dankennedy.net
From @propublica.org: ‘The “Kafkaesque” process of getting public records from a post-DOGE government.’ link.propublica.net/view/5f0a0ab...
“They just let the whole Privacy team go,” a now-former FOIA specialist at OPM told me by email in February 2025, referring to public records office staff. The specialist was cut the next day.
link.propublica.net
From @afp.com: Trump's legal crusade against the media falters thanks to judges with integrity and an increasing willingness to fight back. I'm among those quoted. www.yahoo.com/news/politic...
Trump's legal crusade against news media falters
Donald Trump's early legal wins against broadcasters ABC and CBS have given way to defeats and retreats as courts and newsrooms act to protect press freedom. It was forced to act after a federal judge...
yahoo.com
I think the debate over ShotSpotter has gotten mixed up with the debate over Flock. I don't want to be tracked everywhere I go, but I don't see why we wouldn't want to track gunshots. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/02/m...
Would Xavier Bautista be alive today if the Cambridge City Council didn’t cave to activists? - The Boston Globe
At the very least, had that technology not been deactivated, his family would have the peace of mind of knowing everything that could have been done to save his life was done.
bostonglobe.com
I don’t know about this. If ”the Civil War” was white Southern branding, why do they call it “the War Between the States”? Of course I agree that it was primarily a slaveholders’ rebellion. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/o...
Opinion | The ‘Civil War’ Is a Lie. Let’s Call It the ‘Slaveholders’ Rebellion’ Again. (Gift Article)
To face our own history, we must be honest about it.
nytimes.com
I can’t stand drive-throughs. I always park and go inside. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/u...
How a Culver City In-N-Out Ignited a Drive-Through Debate (Gift Article)
The state gave rise to fast-food culture decades ago, but some cities are spurning drive-throughs because of the environmental and aesthetic impacts.
nytimes.com
Important turtle-related news. People suck. www.tapinto.net/towns/cranfo...
More Than 150 Box Turtles Illegally Dumped in Cranford; Officials Seek Public's Help
Native and non-native turtles are part of an ongoing investigation and must be turned over to authorities for veterinary evaluation and care.
tapinto.net
The Nieman Foundation names Henry Chu as its new curator, succeeding Ann Marie Lipinski. nieman.harvard.edu/henry-chu-na...
Henry Chu named curator of Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard - Nieman Foundation
Henry Chu, a 2015 Nieman Fellow and veteran foreign correspondent and editor, has been named the new curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. Chu will be the ninth curator in the fo...
nieman.harvard.edu
I’m an Eagle scout and the father of an Eagle scout. This is a shameful act of giving in to a bully and failing to stand by your young members. apnews.com/article/scou...
Scouting America drops diversity initiatives from event after pressure from the Pentagon
One of Scouting America’s biggest gatherings has eliminated dedicated spaces for gay youth, women and scouts of color as the organization faces pressure from the Pentagon to pull back diversity effort...
apnews.com
I hope someone finds out the story behind Adam O'Neal's departure from the Washington Post.
New at Media Nation: Two cheers for the Mass. Senate, whose proposed shield law would formalize the status quo. #mapoli dankennedy.net/2026/07/31/t...
Two cheers for the Mass. Senate, whose proposed shield law would formalize the status quo
The Massachusetts Senate has passed a shield law that would give journalists some protection from having to identify their confidential sources, reports Matt Stout (sub. req.) in The Boston Globe. …
dankennedy.net
The @bostonglobe.com reports that the state Senate has passed a shield law. It appears to be restricted to journalists working for news outlets, and it calls for a balancing test. It's unclear how much stronger this would be than the current protections offered by the state courts.
Massachusetts shield law
Amendment ID: S3200-17-R1 Redraft Amendment 17 Press Shield Ms. Rausch, Messrs. Mark and Keenan, Ms. Edwards, Messrs. Lewis, Eldridge, Finegold and Tarr, Ms. Jehlen, Ms. Lovely and Mr. Montigny move t...
docs.google.com
New at Media Nation: Former New Hampshire newspaper publisher Jay Lucas pleads guilty to securities fraud. dankennedy.net/2026/07/30/f...
Former New Hampshire newspaper publisher Jay Lucas pleads guilty to securities fraud
The strange saga of erstwhile newspaper publisher Jay Lucas has come to an end. The owner of the now-defunct Eagle Times of Claremont, New Hampshire, who is also a former Republican gubernatorial c…
dankennedy.net
During the first weeks of COVID, I read John M. Barry's book about the flu pandemic of 1918, "The Great Influenza." One of his main themes was that within a few years it had been memory-holed because it was too horrifying to keep top of mind. And now we have the inquisition of the heroic Dr. Fauci.
Approaching Google Zero: As search referrals plunge, news publishers must anticipate they’ll never rebound. www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/appr...
Approaching Google Zero: As search referrals plunge, news publishers must anticipate they’ll never rebound - Editor and Publisher
What happens when Google stops sending readers to news websites? In his “News Media Today” column this month, E&P’s Rob Tornoe explores “Google Zero,” the devastating impact of AI search on publishers...
editorandpublisher.com
‘No matter where it’s deployed, the time reporters and editors spend verifying AI’s accuracy can create what we call a “verification tax,” which can lessen the technology’s value.’ theconversation.com/as-ai-reshap...
As AI reshapes newsrooms, leading media outlets are charting different paths for its use
From the BBC’s implementation of AI guardrails to Reuters’ embrace of AI tools to disseminate breaking financial news, newsrooms’ missions and values are shaping their technological futures.
theconversation.com
Sharon Waxman writes that cutting CNN loose might pave the way for Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery to be approved. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/o...
Opinion | Could Jettisoning CNN Save the Paramount Merger? (Gift Article)
It’s a thorn in the side of David Ellison’s paused dream.
nytimes.com
Trump is sitting at minus-24. How low does he have to go before his spineless toadies in Congress start standing up to him? fiftyplusone.news/polls/approv...
FiftyPlusOne - Donald Trump Approval Polls and Average for 2026
A comprehensive list of polls and polling averages for elections and politician approval.
fiftyplusone.news
