Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard
@niemanfoundation
Promoting and elevating the standards of journalism since 1938. Home of the Nieman Fellowships at Harvard, Nieman Lab, Nieman Reports, and Nieman Storyboard.
With so many significant pieces published each year, how do the Pulitzers get chosen in the first place? Last week's @niemanstoryboard.org newsletter dives into the details: https://niemanstoryboard.org/2026/05/08/behind-the-scenes-pulitzer-juror/
After two years of planning, there’s finally a date. Well, okay, a month: May. That’s when the Salt Lake Tribune, Utah’s largest newspaper, will drop its paywall. 🔗: https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/04/the-nonprofit-salt-lake-tribune-is-ready-to-tear-down-its-paywall/
Now more than ever, journalists need to adopt strong digital security measures to protect their work, their sources, and themselves. 🔗: https://nieman.harvard.edu/digital-security-resources-for-journalists/
France's independent press is growing fast. Alternative media startups see themselves as a bulwark against billionaires and the far right. Can they survive? 🔗: https://niemanreports.org/french-media-blast-mediapart-lagrasse-independent-france/
If you've tried logging into a news site recently, there's a good chance you were asked to check your email for a passcode or "magic link" instead of entering a password. 🔗: https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/why-magic-links-and-passcodes-are-taking-over-news-logins/
As artificial intelligence moves into newsrooms, four Nieman Fellows weigh in on the technology’s promise, limits, and risks. 🔗: https://niemanreports.org/ai-research-risks-journalism-artificial-intelligence-nieman-foundation-fellows/
A new book by journalist Danny Funt, Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling, tracks the legalization of sports betting. 🔗: https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/sports-betting-reshaped-newsrooms-and-its-a-little-gross-now-here-come-the-prediction-markets/
As artificial intelligence moves into newsrooms, four Nieman Fellows weigh in on the technology’s promise, limits, and risks. 🔗: https://niemanreports.org/ai-research-risks-journalism-artificial-intelligence-nieman-foundation-fellows/
Outlets like The Guardian and The New York Times are scrutinizing digital archives as potential backdoors for AI crawlers. 🔗: https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news-publishers-limit-internet-archive-access-due-to-ai-scraping-concerns/
For his latest book, “The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine”, journalist Brendan O’Meara wrote his first biography, the story of one of the most charismatic competitive runners. 🔗: https://niemanstoryboard.org/2026/01/29/brendan-omeara-reconstructs-steve-prefontaines-races-front-runner/
Bali’s main landfill is close to the island’s popular beaches. Tourism drives roughly 70% of Bali’s economy, and waste from hotels, restaurants, and homes funnels here daily, revealing the environmental cost of its global appeal. 🔗: https://niemanreports.org/plastics-crisis-intrudes-on-paradise/
On the latest episode of the @niemanstoryboard.org podcast, journalists Leah Sottile and Ryan Haas join Editor @markarms.bsky.social to discuss the final season of their serialized podcast “Hush." 🎧: https://niemanstoryboard.org/2026/01/22/leah-sottile-ryan-haas-true-crime-podcasting-journalism/
Wikipedia is 25 this month. And while it's not a news site, its most-edited articles each week read like front-page headlines. Newsrooms could learn from what Wikipedia has built. 🔗: https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/after-25-years-wikipedia-has-proved-that-news-doesnt-need-to-look-like-news/
Journalists — a friendly reminder: Applications for the $20,000 Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism and the $10,000 Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Journalism, are due by Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. We’re eager to read your best work. nieman.harvard.edu/awards/
⏰ Journalists! Applications for the $20,000 Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism are due Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. The prize honors investigative reporting of stories of national significance where the public interest is being ill-served. 1/2 nieman.harvard.edu/awards/worth...
Each year, @niemanlab.org asks some of the smartest people in digital media what they think is coming in the year ahead. Explore predictions on topics ranging from audience behavior and platform shifts to newsroom trust and more: https://www.niemanlab.org/collection/predictions-2026/
Nonfiction book authors - opportunity knocks! The submission deadline for the $25,000 Lukas Work-in-Progress Prize has been extended to Wednesday, Dec. 10. Learn more: journalism.columbia.edu/lukas
Nonfiction writers: Apply by Dec. 4, 2025, for a #LukasPrize. Four awards are given annually: two $25,000 J. Anthony Lukas Work-In-Progress Awards, the $10,000 J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize and the $10,000 Mark Lynton History Prize. We're eager to read your work. journalism.columbia.edu/lukas
Deepfake scammers are increasingly targeting journalists to sell fraudulent products on social media, but the platforms hosting these ads are struggling to respond effectively. 🔗: https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/scammers-are-using-video-deepfakes-of-journalists-to-peddle-products-online/
The record death toll for news workers in Gaza is just one of the grim realities facing those still reporting as the Israel-Hamas war grinds into its third year. More from @niemanreports.org: 🔗: https://niemanreports.org/gaza-journalists-israel-palestine-war-reporting/
Bari Weiss has sold The Free Press to CBS parent Paramount for $150 million and will lead CBS News. MSNBC is splitting from NBC News by month's end. Both released contrasting editorial principles as media trust hits historic lows. 🔗: http://bit.ly/46Z4caN
One in five Americans say they regularly get news on TikTok, a dramatic uptick from just 3% in 2020, according to a Pew Research Center analysis published last week. 🔗: https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/more-americans-than-ever-now-get-news-on-tiktok-pew-finds/
While many cartoonists have sworn off AI entirely, two established cartoonists, Joe Dworetzky and Mark Fiore, are grappling with how these tools could assist in, not replace, their work. 🔗: buff.ly/5Hpnd0u
Bluesky's new blue check verification system features standard checks for verified accounts and special scalloped badges for "Trusted Verifiers" like The New York Times that can verify their journalists directly. 🔗: www.niemanlab.org/2025/04/blue...
🚨Journalists: A reminder that the deadline to apply for a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard is fast approaching. U.S. candidates should apply by Jan. 31, 2025. 🔗: buff.ly/2yUOCgr
⏰ FINAL CALL: Entries for the $20,000 Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism and the $10,000 Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Journalism are due by midnight tonight, Jan. 22, 2025. Send us your best work! nieman.harvard.edu/awards/
Journalist friends: Remember that entries for the $20,000 Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism and the $10,000 Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Journalism are due TOMORROW, Jan. 22. We're eager to see your best work! nieman.harvard.edu/awards/
Join us today at 1:30pm ET as current Nieman Fellows share their insights about the fellowship experience and application process. Have questions about studying at Harvard, relocating with family, or taking a year away from your newsroom? Our fellows have answers. ❓Leave your questions below:
Also apply for the $10,000 Taylor Family Award for Fairness in Journalism, which recognizes fairness in news coverage by American journalists and news organizations. Deadline: Jan. 22, 2025. 2/2 nieman.harvard.edu/awards/taylo...
⏰ Journalists, a reminder: Applications for the $20,000 Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Journalism are due tomorrow, Jan. 22, 2025. The prize honors investigative reporting of stories of national significance where the public interest is being ill-served. 1/2 nieman.harvard.edu/awards/worth...