Notable links
Notable links: July 17, 2026
At a time when journalism is increasingly under attack, we need PIT Crews for news.
Ben Werdmuller
Ben Werdmuller helps leaders at newsrooms, non-profits, and mission-driven organizations to navigate their biggest technology challenges.
Media
To innovate, news needs allies
"Allies, archives and infrastructure in the AI age" - a list of people with the potential to push news forward.
Democracy
The SFPD leaked its drone footage. It shouldn't be surveilling to begin with.
Surveillance doesn't improve crime or make anyone safer. It wastes civic dollars and creates new risks for vulnerable communities. The SFPD's leak demonstrates one reason why.
Media
We need a PIT Crew for news
Zohran Mamdani has unveiled a radically collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach to building internal technology capacity. News has a lot to learn from it.
Democracy
Climate.gov was destroyed. Open data saved it.
"After losing their jobs at NOAA, Rebecca Lindsey, her sister and another colleague teamed up to rebuild a pivotal resource the Trump administration took offline."
Media
The Trump administration is subpoenaing journalists to reveal sources. Their data security is more important than ever.
"Historically, the Justice Department has sought to subpoena reporters only as a last resort after other reasonable options have been exhausted." Now the FBI is doing it to satisfy an angry President.
Notable links
Notable links: July 10, 2026
In the face of declining trust in media, communities are part of the solution.
Media
Communities will build trust and loyalty for local public media. Chicago Public Media is taking a big leap forward.
Chicago Public Media is launching a region-wide social platform as a way to bolster its journalism. I believe it represents a path to the future.
Technology
As social networks fill up with AI slop, trusted relationships and communities will win.
Long-form LinkedIn posts are 41% slop. Other social networks are not far behind.
fiction
IndieWeb Fiction Carnival: May 2026 Roundup
Three short fiction pieces
Business
Startups track business metrics. Newsrooms should learn from them.
I've rarely seen newsroom business teams discuss metrics like LTV, CAC, and even ARR outside fundraising or finance. They should be commonly known.
Media
CNN and CNBC promote gambling to make a cheap buck
Some newsrooms are making money from deals with prediction markets. It will only serve to further destroy the public's trust in news.