Natalie Campisi

I am still mulling over the impressive AP/Frontline investigative film, “Documenting Police Use of Force,”and interesting panel discussion at the National Press Club about the surprisingly high number of deaths that occur from prone restraint and other “less-lethal force” police tactics. I encourage you to watch the film, read the story and explore the database. (I’ll put the links in the comments below.)

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We are all susceptible to the dangers of misinformation, especially during election cycles. Have you ever wondered what misinformation is and how it's spread? I had the privilege to speak with Alan Miller, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the founder of the News Literacy Project. This non-partisan group is dedicated to educating people on spotting misinformation and understanding who benefits from it. We are constantly bombarded with a tidal wave of misinformation, especially during elections when the stakes are so high. Alan dives deep into the data and shares practical tips on how to critically assess and vet information to protect yourself from falling victim to misleading narratives. Join the conversation! What steps do you take to ensure you're not misled? How do you vet your information sources? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below! #Election2024 #Misinformation #NewsLiteracy #AlanMiller #StayInformed #CriticalThinking The News Literacy Project

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Still in debate & draft but worthy of watching. Happy to see PbD nodded at in the least. For the pragmatic few: #PbD today and execute with #PrivacyEngineering at the technical and system of systems levels or pay dearly tomorrow when it’s past time to execute on those goals.

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Interesting POV for all stakeholders interested in the information disorder ecosystem.

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🕵️‍♂️📚 **Unveiling New Perspectives on Historic Cases** In our latest professional spotlight, we delve into an insightful interview with John Eckberg, a seasoned journalist whose recent discussion on the OJ Simpson case brings forward a thought-provoking theory involving Glen Rogers, a convicted serial killer. John's extensive experience in courthouse reporting shines through as he challenges the prevailing narrative and presents evidence suggesting a possible collaboration between Simpson and Rogers. This conversation not only revisits one of the most controversial legal cases in American history but also exemplifies the critical impact of diligent journalism and in-depth research in revising public understanding of past events. 🎥 Watch the full interview to gain a deeper appreciation of the complexities involved in criminal justice reporting. https://lnkd.in/dcNssGWz #Journalism #CriminalJustice #OJSimpson #LegalStudies #ProfessionalDevelopment #MediaInnovation

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News camerman from local TV station is taken down violently by #police at #UniversityofTexas at #Austin.  This will not improve the declining #USA ranking of 45th on the #WorldPressFreedomIndex by #ReportersWithoutBorders.  arresting reporters is one reason why the #USA is ranked 45th on #WorldPressFreedomIndex by #ReportersWithoutBorders.    The anti-war #protests are growing as more students challenge their academic institutions demanding divestment.  #Gaza #Israel #USA #CeasefireNOW Over 100 protesters arrested near #USA #Senate Majority Leader #ChuckSchumer's house in #Brooklyn. Anti-war demonstrations are growing and facing pushback from colleges using police to try to stop demonstrations. Republican Speaker of The House  Rep. #MikeJohnson and other GOP members of the #USA #Congress were booed while addressing protests at #ColumbiaUniversity. Meanwhile, 97 Journalists have been killed in #Gaza! https://t.co/Uj0EzVVacc Summary of my briefing for office of Rep. Pramila Jayapal on violations of press freedom in Gaza and declining ranking of USA on the World Press Freedom Index: https://t.co/G2sAS2o2H5 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders: https://rsf.org/en/index #pressfreedom #freepress #democracy

New from me: The House Judiciary Committee has been intensifying an antitrust probe into the Global Alliance of Responsible Media and its members, which includes major advertisers, agencies, and platforms. The Committee alleges GARM's members have been colluding to defund conservative media. While the ad industry insiders I spoke to felt the allegations were without merit, they are concerned about the chilling effect the probe -- and its numerous document and interview requests -- could have on GARM's work around brand safety and online misinformation. Read more over at Business Insider #garm #brandsafety #advertising #gop https://lnkd.in/ePpYBcRa

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For those of you who are hunters, here's a reminder and brief explainer about why "shooting your way out of a pig problem" doesn't help and actually makes things worse with wild pigs.

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This is excellent news for freelancers operating as LLCs, sole proprietorships, or those who file a Schedule C. The elimination of "Loan Outs" could have been the final blow to the already delicate support system that is the backbone of TV and film production in California. At the same time, don't think for a minute that larger corporations didn't also have their hands in influencing this outcome. Without "Loan Outs," all those workers would need to be W2 employees, which means a greater expense to the studios. https://lnkd.in/gjccP2eA

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The greatest journalists are anticipators. Their focus is always on what’s coming down the pipe. Elections happening 🗳 Laws introduced 🏛 Summits kicking off 🧑🏼‍💼 Products or services launching 🚀 And they have a knack for predicting how an evolving story is likely to play out. Where does this info come from? Newswires were my (not so) secret weapon when I was an editor. It’s basically a feed of future news events. Most papers report what’s happening today. A newswire contains stuff that’s about to break. Perhaps this might help entrepreneurs and creatives here. Every week on Monday (or every now and then) I’ll do a little look-ahead. It’s a few things that might be useful for creative entrepreneurs. To inspire and inform. Lifted from newswires. Happening this week. Here goes. 1. Well burger me 🍔 Residents of the US can look forward to National Hamburger Day tomorrow. In an ironic scheduling clash, it happens to coincide with World Hunger Day. Anyone suffering from over-indulgence will be relieved by the arrival of World Digestive Health Day on the Wednesday. (28th May) 2. Changing the world for good? 🤖 The AI for Good Global Summit is an event in Geneva organised by the UN. It’s a platform intended to promote AI to advance health, climate, gender, inclusive prosperity, sustainable infrastructure, and other global development priorities. When the world seems divided into zealots and fear-mongers, a pragmatic take on how AI could improve life sounds like a sensible idea. A good one, even. (30th – 31st May) 3. Manhattanhenge 🌆 Inner cities don’t usually play host to sublime natural phenomena. But this week, New Yorkers will be able to view Manhattanhenge. It’s an evening when the sun is in perfect alignment with the city’s streets, which run from East to West. (29th May) 4. Trailer crash 🎬 The Golden Trailer Awards is a celebration of brevity. The event prizes the creators of trailers and teasers for feature films and gaming titles. It’s been dubbed, “the awards ceremony for the short attention span”. (30th May) 5. Reimagine that 🧱 The London Festival of Architecture, LFA 2024, celebrates its 20th year. It’s a whole month of events about the built environment. Head to the city’s leading cultural institutions for installations, talks and edifying experiences. The theme is “reimagine”. (1st June onwards) 6. Venice bans groups 🚣‍♀️ Venice is to ban loudspeakers and tourist groups of more than 25 people, in a bid to ease the impact of mass tourism on the Italian city. The new rules will come into effect from June. Residents will be grateful for a (slightly) quieter canal-side. (1st June) Is this useful? If so I'll do it again next Monday. #theweekahead #news #events #futurenews

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Brilliant story from Emanuel Maiberg at 404 Media: "What I learned from this experiment is that flooding the internet with an infinite amount of what could pass for journalism is cheap and even easier than I imagined, as long as I didn’t respect the craft, my audience, or myself. I also learned that while AI has made all of this much easier, faster, and better, the advent of generative AI did not invent this practice—it’s simply adding to a vast infrastructure of tools and services built by companies like WordPress, Fiverr, and Google designed to convert clicks to dollars at the expense of quality journalism and information, polluting the internet we all use and live in every day. "Luckily, after going through this process, I also learned that while doing this is profitable to some, the practice relies on a fundamental misunderstanding of what journalism is, what makes it good, and therefore gives me more confidence than ever that a fully automated blog will never be able to replace 404 Media, or other investigative news outlets." https://lnkd.in/g6GE98AP

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I always say my “secret weapon” is the old fashioned phone call. Well, thanks to Matthew Boyle, my secret’s out! Of course, this only works when you have a really strong pitch. Also, he has a lot more to share in the original post, so be sure to check it out. But back to the phone call… The general “I hate to talk on the phone” crowd excluded, I think a lot of PR folks’ phone call hesitation stems from days when higher-ups demanded we pitch a story that wasn’t exactly newsworthy. Whatever the case, if you’re new to calling reporters, here are some tips to help you prepare: 1) Identify yourself and why you’re calling. Ask if they have a couple minutes for a quick pitch. This is common courtesy :) 2) Be extremely confident in what you’re pitching. Like, feel so good about it being the perfect fit for the reporter, their beat and the outlet/its audience that you genuinely believe they must have missed your original emailed pitch. 3) Have a written version of the pitch in front of you when you call, so you don’t forget details or lose the flow of conversation. (You’re calling a busy person and they need to know why, and fast!) And if you haven’t already sent it to the reporter, you’ll be prepared to do so immediately if they ask you to send more info. 4) Finally, know who they can interview. Have your experts identified ahead of the phone call. Know their availability, if possible. There are probably ten more tips, but these will get you out of the gate. And listen, not everybody wants to talk to you on the phone. Hearing “no thanks” is okay, and you’ll survive. But sometimes a busy reporter would rather hear it fast in two minutes than get one more cold pitch in their inbox! #prtips #mediarelations #pitching

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Meta seems ready for redemption in the 2024 election cycle. If so, it's thanks to its Oversight Board. My latest CEO Daily for Fortune. With the U.S. presidential election less than six months away, and elections also happening in the EU, U.K., India, and many more countries, now is a good time for CEOs to reflect on their company’s relationship to democracy at large. One company that has done so, and seems ready for redemption, is Meta.  Meta has come a long way. Eight years ago, the Trump campaign used improperly obtained Facebook data to build voter profiles for 50 million users, and Russia weaponized Facebook to undermine the integrity of the U.S. elections. The scandals led to Facebook’s darkest hour, and forced its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, to testify before Congress.     But 2024 isn’t 2016. A crucial part of Meta’s response since then has been the creation of an “independent” oversight board. And last week, that group released its key lessons in a historic election year. These are my takeaways: – A company should think about its principles vis-à-vis democracy and not react only to specific instances. Meta learned this lesson when it blocked former President Donald Trump’s Facebook account after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which was seen as arbitrary. When it reinstated Trump’s account in 2023, Meta did so based on more broadly applicable protocols.   – Almost no company can be entirely apolitical. Some of the most divisive societal issues concern foundational democratic principles—freedom of speech, equality, limits on government interference—written up in constitutions and human rights charters. A company must know where it stands on such values.  – Efforts to interfere with elections often start small or in inexpensive markets. They then move to more expensive markets. Some interference campaigns are subtle, using deep fakes or somewhat credible fake claims. A company must study its weakest points of entry to ensure it’s not a vehicle for such schemes. – Finally, oversight boards are a good idea for almost any organization. Meta’s self-governing board can be critical of the company, and its supervision ensures Meta is caught off-guard less often by user protest or complaints.  Meta didn’t get it 100% right. One shortcoming of its oversight board is that it still depends on Meta for funding. Over time, that’s bound to lead to problems. But Meta’s approach nevertheless benefits the company—and society—in myriad ways. For Meta, it lowers the likelihood of future PR crises. More broadly, it makes Meta act as a more responsible corporate citizen. That’s in everyone’s interest, and a model to follow. Thanks to my old classmate Simona Sikimic-French for providing very useful background, and Claire Zillman for another excellent edit. #elections #socialmedia #corporateresponsibility https://lnkd.in/e3Dq6F9D

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FEATURE: Crypto startups are carving out room in funding rounds for droves of influencers in so-called KOL deals. The influencers often get better terms, including lower valuations and shorter vesting schedules. Sometimes they’re required to promote projects, sometimes projects simply hope a “whisper network” emerges among them. But legal experts think KOL deals may draw scrutiny from the SEC. Read more on Bloomberg News 👇 https://lnkd.in/dYQTNahw

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#Freelancing #FreelanceJournalism ..is a lifestyle choice. If done right, it allows one to play around and expand into multiple roles, multiple responsibilities. Multiple domains. In 2016, I turned down two full-time job offers. Both were difficult choices to make because ten years prior, they'd be my dream jobs. Yet I chose to say no because 1. I didn't agree to their work hours (11 am to 11 pm), and 2. I didn't like the idea that I'll be working in a specific beat, hierarchy, and will be restricted from working on anything that I might feel called to. I could make those choices - because A. financially I was better off and was able to make that financial choice, and B. I loved the freedom of work hours freelancing allowed me. Yet freelancing isn't easy. Most people (want to) get back to fulltime jobs because - there's uncertainty in the flow of work and hence, income - both ruining your peace and joy. I had and still have the very same problems. How did I work around those? We all know that Indian journalism doesn't pay much. Yet there were some stories that I wanted to write/cover for the Indian market. Most Indian publications that were editorially strong and were on my list of favourites, paid peanuts months later. Naturally, I had to make sure I consistently pitched and got commissioned by publications that paid well and promptly: international journalism publications, niche clients in trade and B2B magazines, content marketing clients, and that I had good working relationships with my editors and clients so that I would get regular work with little effort. This basically meant I researched new to me publications every week, sent out pitches to new and old publications every week, and worked smart to make these pitches as fitting as possble for my editors. This also meant my pitches would often look like a couple of sentences- when I'm writing to editors I have already worked with. Or respond to calls from editors as and when they appeared, without procrastinating, and that meant having ready ideas to send out at the speed of lightning. All these were possible because I was working with a pitching system that worked for me. It might not work for someone else. It worked for me. Anyone can develop a system like this for themselves. One has to start with acknowledging a few things about themselves and how they work, their levels of motivation, desires, working styles and may I say, deep seated fears and anxieties? Also their subjects of interest, formats to pitch, kind of stories to pitch? You can do it on your own or find external help that helps you stay accountable. Such as with a mentoring session with me or with PITCH PERFECT : A Five Weeks Pitching Party. This is the second one in 2024, we start on May 14, and the details are all here: https://lnkd.in/gxSgv2HV Make the best choice for yourself.

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It's expensive to come back from the dead. And who knows what inflation will look like hundreds of years from now?   These costs have led people who plan to freeze themselves with the hopes of revival to stockpile money in trusts. I spoke with estate attorneys attempting to create trust agreements that need to span centuries and answer questions straight out of a philosophy class.   Can money, assuming it still exists, live indefinitely? Are you dead if your body is cryonically preserved? Are you considered revived if you only have your brain?   And if you're revived, are you the same person? My story on Bloomberg Tax: https://lnkd.in/eZ9fFbyZ

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Beat the clock. Weeks to go before in sleeps. Maybe days. Only Universe Knows Biden's sell-by date. Joe hasn't much time to score a legacy with your billions. POLITICO: "Biden’s $1.6 trillion visions hit reality. President Joe Biden is trying to secure an FDR-style legacy with $1.6 trillion in spending and tax breaks embodied in his climate, infrastructure, chips and pandemic-relief laws. But a POLITICO analysis finds he’s running short on time — with huge chunks of the money still in waiting as he faces a rematch with former President Donald Trump." https://lnkd.in/gZSmA8gN "4 takeaways on Biden’s massive spending plans POLITICO’s examination of the administration’s $1.6T energy and infrastructure programs shows a massive set of initiatives struggling to make headway before the clock may run out on Joe Biden’s presidency." https://lnkd.in/gAgCU48n "Poll: Biden touts his four major infrastructure and clean energy laws. Voters doubt they’re working." Even when they do see positive benefits, many voters aren’t giving the credit to Biden, a new POLITICO poll shows. https://lnkd.in/g_99-vf5

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"I've pulled together a series of fun prompts to try with ChatGPT that work with free & paid versions & covered a range of topics with these prompts, as well as different prompting styles including one where you need to enter a multi-prompt conversation."

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