Ever picked up what looks like a local paper or clicked on a link to what should be a local story only to find pseudo journalism masquerading as local reporting? 

Congratulations! You just got slimed. Pink slimed that is.

Pink Slime Journalism referrers to the low-cost, low-quality local-ish news content oozing across the country, especially prominent in news deserts that lack local coverage.

Domenic and Jenna interview Barrett Golding, a Peabody Award-winning producer and Reynolds Journalism Institute fellow who also created and runs the blog IFFY News, an index of Unreliable News Sources.

https://iffy.news/

Headlines:
1:38

Interview:
13:04

Spotlight:
48:03


Headline Articles:
Scripps News To Partner With ProPublica On Original Investigative Journalism

https://tvnewscheck.com/journalism/article/scripps-news-to-partner-with-propublica-on-original-investigative-journalism/

GBH employees say they were left in the dark as layoffs announced

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2024/05/22/its-really-disturbing-gbh-employees-say-they-were-left-in-the-dark-as-layoffs-announced/

GBH is laying off 31 employees, about 4% of Boston public station workforce: ‘This is painful’

https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/05/22/gbh-is-cutting-employees-at-boston-public-station-we-have-been-told-nothing-its-really-disturbing/

Spotlight Article:

I Went to Karen Summer Camp
A rage ritual might be the only place in America where the wrath of white women is welcomed.


https://www.thefp.com/p/i-went-to-karen-summer-camp

Pink Slime Journalism

It's not for everyone.

As Jenna and Dom continue to navigate their laid off journey Jenna shares how she is juggling more and more freelancing opportunities and finding it a bit overwhelming.

Dom and Jenna share their conversation with freelance journalist Sonia Weiser to get her perspective on making freelancing work, and knowing when to drop out?

Interview: 6:37

It's Not For Everyone: Freelance Journalism - Summer Check In 2

This week Dom and Jenna discuss how they are both still weathering the storm of the trauma of losing their jobs and everything that goes with the loss of work. They both try to stay focused as they cope with prolonged unemployment and try to stay focused and positive about moving forward with the podcast.

It's Hard, But Not Impossible - Summer Check In 3

It's been another busy week in news and for Dom and Jenna learning to consume the news rather than cover it is both disorienting and... freeing.

News Broke And We Didn't Have To Cover It! Summer Check In 4

This week on 'Laid Off and Looking,' Domenic Camia and Jenna Flanagan delve into the Democratic party’s seismic shift in the Presidential race as President Joe Biden steps down and Vice President Kamala Harris takes the lead as party nominee. 

They discuss another astonishing weekend news cycle and how pop culture has been driving the political discussion, particularly the viral ‘brat’ trend linked to Harris. 

They also talk about the differences in public perception and media coverage between Biden and Harris, highlighting how social media and cultural trends are energizing Harris's campaign.

Pop Culture Politics - Summer Check In 5

Jenna and Dom are back again, this time to figure out how to re-approach their careers with a better understanding work-life balance amid the industry upheaval. They both lament the hustle culture mentality of their early years in the business and how it’s impacted their ability to set healthy work boundaries. They also share plans to relaunch the podcast with full episodes on September 6th!

Work Life Balance - Summer Check In 6

Q-3 is almost over, and unfortunately that means layoff season starts up again. Dom and Jenna discuss some of the latest job loss headlines and how some media companies are failing to address the subject with the necessary sympathy of someone losing their livelihood.

Tweet reference: Sam Mintz
https://x.com/samjmintz/status/1820853855644438827

It's Cold, Grey And Depressing: Summer Check In 7

It’s unhealthy to live with this level of stress and Jenna and Dom get candid about the emotional impact of a shrinking media industry on the overall prospects for themselves and other creative professionals. 

However, they also find resilience in other people finding new ways to find fulfillment and work through social media platforms.

Headlines: 2:14
Paramount TV Studios Shutting Down Amid Major Restructuring, Layoffs
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/paramount-tv-studios-shutting-down-1235973227/

14:39
New York Public Radio Announces Another Round of Staffing Cuts as it Says it Faces Another $10 Million Deficit
https://hellgatenyc.com/nypr-more-staffing-cuts-more-deficits/

16:01
New York City’s Premier All-News Station Biting the Dust
https://www.thewellnews.com/fourth-estate/new-york-citys-premier-all-news-station-biting-the-dust/

TikToks: 26:26
https://www.tiktok.com/@_kate_elle/video/7402032660693945642?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7190025213966730795

32:31
https://www.tiktok.com/@donnellwrites/video/7401943116799921450?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7190025213966730795

Very Demure, Very Mindful... And Exhausted - Summer Check In 8

We're BACK!!!!
Season 2 of Laid Off and Looking 

Dom and Jenna talk pop culture's essential yet dismissed role in the news ecosystem and especially politics.

This week's guest is Dr Joel Penney PhD, professor of communication and media at Montclair University in New Jersey. He's also author of 'Pop Culture, Politics and the News: Entertainment Journalism in the Polarized Media Landscape' 

Pop Culture is News, Not Clickbait, University Professor Says in New Book
https://www.montclair.edu/newscenter/2023/03/03/pop-culture-is-news-not-clickbait-university-professor-says-in-new-book/

Dr Penney explains: 
How political leaders use pop culture trends to connect with voters
The under appreciated role of entertainment news within journalism
And the changes in journalistic approaches to pop culture due to digital media and its importance to younger audiences

Dom and Jenna also share what they've got planned for this new season of the podcast!

Headlines: 1:23
Interview: 17:00

Headline Links:
Hollywood Reporter: Musical Acts Who’ve Called Out 2024 Trump Campaign
for Illegal Use of Their Songs
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/muscial-acts-trump-campaign-illegal-use-songs-1235988369/

USA Today: Donald Trump's campaign prohibited from using Isaac Hayes
song after lawsuit threat
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/09/03/isaac-hayes-lawsuit-donald-trump-campaign/75061399007/

Pop The News Bubble

What separates “real journalism” from propaganda, spin and influence? ETHICS!

Dom and Jenna interview Rutgers professor of journalism, Carla Murphy about how she teaches the core ethics of journalism; particularly verification, transparency, and providing context. 
Murphy explains why it’s essential to distinguish between objectivity as a method and objectivity as a concept, because journalists must continually self-check themselves, to ensure balanced reporting. 
She also adds that journalism ethics should include diversity, equity and do no harm from within newsrooms and in published or broadcasted work. 

Headlines: 1:40
Interview: 12:54

Headlines:Moderators Should Point Out Factual Errors In Real Time, Americans Say In Poll On Eve Of Presidential Debate
https://www.bu.edu/com/articles/moderators-should-point-out-factual-errors-in-real-time-americans-say-in-poll-on-eve-of-presidential-debate/

Fair Debate Moderators Would Have Fact-Checked Harris on These Misleading Claims
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/fair-debate-moderators-would-have-fact-checked-harris-on-these-misleading-claims/

ABC’s Debate Pulled Off a Trick No One Else Has Managed in the Trump Era
https://slate.com/business/2024/09/debate-donald-trump-kamala-harris-winner.html

Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Harris drives nearly 338,000 users to government voting website
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/11/taylor-swift-harris-endorsement-election-voting-site.html

Ethically Speaking About Journalism

We're fast when news breaks but are we slow to adapt? 
Does the news media lag in the digital age?

Mark Albert, a Peabody and Emmy award-winning journalist, discusses his career transition from investigative journalism to media training, helping experts and executives craft a message they can and amplify for the media.

He emphasizes the importance for journalists to promote their work in an evolving media landscape and the critical need to increase media literacy. 
Albert also details challenges faced by modern journalists like the impact of declining revenues and the pressures of multi-platform reporting. 
He also stresses the necessity of sustaining independent journalism for democracy.

Headlines: 1:38
Interview: 18:07

Headlines Discussed:
Ohio reporters are at the center of the fight over false claims in Springfield
https://www.cjr.org/analysis/springfield-ohio-jd-vance-haitian-immigrants-fake-misinformation.php

Adrian Wojnarowski shockingly retiring from ESPN — and walking away from $20 million
https://nypost.com/2024/09/18/sports/adrian-wojnarowski-shockingly-retiring-from-espn-to-join-st-bonaventure/

Mark Albert
https://www.themarkalbert.com/

How The News Lags In The Digital Age

Award winning journalists, Jenna Flanagan and Domenic Camia turn their layoff into purpose by taking a critical eye to American journalism. 
Why an industry once considered profitable and trustworthy has been steadily cutting journalists and loosing public support?
Why has local news all but disappeared?
Why has national media become so polarizing?
And what does this mean for the future of American democracy?

We're not just laid off, we looking at what's left of the journalism industry.

New episodes drop every Friday at noon.

Pink Slime Journalism

Laid Off and Looking

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