Parting Thoughts for 2023

The normalization of nonprofit news, and more

Welcome to Second Rough Draft, a newsletter about journalism in our time, how it (often its business) is evolving, and the challenges it faces.

Columns, I think, should have traditions, and this one, even though not yet three years old, has a couple, which will take us through this holiday period. This week will be the third year in review of our business (here’s 2021 and 2022). After a week off, next will be the second annual suggestions for stories I’d like to see reported in the new year ahead. I regard these columns as something of an exercise in self-accountability in a realm where there otherwise might be almost none. I hope they’re also interesting for you.

Looking back, I wish the national and global news was better, but here are a few things which occurred in 2023 and that deserve your attention:

Nonprofit news begins to normalize     

Instead of every development in nonprofit news heralding a new trend, we may have begun to see the industry normalize a bit. Key signs: there are winners and losers, and everything in between, which is how business goes generally. So, the philanthropy-funded journalism of the Associated Press continues to grow at a quick (and widely overlooked) pace, and my own guess is that AP is now the second-largest recipient of philanthropic major gifts. ProPublica (where I worked for 14 years) had another great year, not least in its stellar Supreme Court coverage, and continues to grow and thrive. The Marshall Project received a big gift from MacKenzie Scott.

flavor of the year in nonprofit news?

The Texas Tribune, which has been almost universally touted as a model at the state and regional level, hit some bumps, as places do, but remains on track to be the most important news organization in the state where the long-term direction of the country is most likely to be determined. The City, in New York, had a very good year in its journalism yet a tough one on the business side, but on the other coast Cityside is expanding, and back in New York, New York Focus and Documented (occasional consulting clients of mine) are starting to come into their own. Smaller newsrooms like Arizona Luminaria and Outlier Media in Detroit (where I am on the Board) continue to make encouraging progress. Mississippi Today celebrated a well-earned Pulitzer Prize. There will even be a significant merger, between Mother Jones and the Center for Investigative Reporting, with more likely ahead.

The American Journalism Project launched its second and third news orgs initially galvanized by funders rather than editors, in Houston and Indiana (after Ohio in 2022, with a recent expansion there into Akron). By the end of of 2024, we should have a much better sense if this model can offer viable replacements to legacy incumbents. Transitions from founders continue, with City Bureau in Chicago, Sahan Journal and Wisconsin Watch worth watching especially closely next year— and more to come, I’m sure.

Two big stories

I am almost certain that when people look back to 2023, they will say that the biggest news for journalism was the beginning of consumerization for generative artificial intelligence, but I have already devoted two and a half columns to that since midyear.

Perhaps next biggest will be the most significant shift in social media in more than a decade. When Twitter began to self-destruct under Elon Musk 13 months ago, the general assumption was that he’d either pull the plane out of its dive or that another entrant (Post! Mastodon! Bluesky!) would take its place. Tik Tok has passed Twitter generally and grown markedly, and Threads, notwithstanding parent Facebook’s active disinterest in news, may soon overtake Twitter in the journalism ecosystem. At least that’s what I see, for instance, when a post of mine is boosted by a large account on both platforms. (And that comes notwithstanding that I ostensibly have 40 times more followers on Twitter than on Threads.) But Facebook’s refusal to make available functionality and analytics that newsrooms want and need has left Threads understandably favored more by individual reporters than by social media editors.

The net result is that the niche formerly occupied by Twitter is mostly… empty. That is, social media as a whole is less important for journalism than it was when Musk began his demolition.

We got much of the reporting I wanted to see

The five stories I hoped to see reported in 2023 mostly bore fruit. There have been at least a couple of excellent in-depth looks at how Kamala Harris has handled the vice presidency. I’m sorry to say that they’re not encouraging about what a Harris presidency or second presidential candidacy might bring. The need for revelatory reporting about why Facebook hadn’t launched a frontal attack on a collapsing Twitter was obviated in July with the debut of Threads.

The coverage of the crimes of Donald Trump has been detailed and careful (more on that next month). COVID has become largely endemic, both in terms of health and of the journalism about it. The one story from my January 2023 list on which I think we still need much more work is how the very-foreseeable (and quite unfortunate) opinion of the Supreme Court on affirmative action is playing out on the ground. While the ruling dealt directly with college admissions, I think the fallout in workplace hiring could bear much more scrutiny.

Predictions are a risky business

I made two big ones, and got a split decision. I was right about Fox having to settle the Dominion libel case, and wrong so far about President Biden deciding to retire. I still hope he’ll change his mind (and no, I don’t think it’s too late). For 23 of the last 31 years, this country has been led by men born in the five years 1942-46, and I agree with most Americans that we need urgently to move past this narrow and aging cohort.

Second Rough Draft’s own report card

This is the 40th edition of Second Rough Draft in 2023. It has been a good year for the reach of this newsletter, for which I owe you, and am delighted to extend, my profound thanks. Readership of an average issue about doubled to well more than 4000 views; subscriptions increased more than 55% to nearly 3400. Open rates ticked up a bit to generally higher than 55%. The Substack network and LinkedIn more than made up for Twitter’s continuing decline. In an industry, and a world, with more than its fair share of troubles, that leaves me as a writer very fortunate at this season, and deeply grateful for your time and engagement.

Correction: There is a founder transition underway at City Bureau in Chicago, not at Block Club Chicago as this column originally said. Apologies to both orgs.

Second Rough Draft will be off next week. All the best for the holidays to you and your loved ones.