Management sims are all about decisions; in News Tower, my first decision was the name of my newspaper. This being Nieman Lab, I decided to call my newspaper The Experiment. Some things about the game are all too familiar to anyone who's paid any attention to the state of journalism lately. When you first start the game, the paper is struggling: You have a few options for getting out of the hole.
Since Donald Trump's return to the presidency, student journalists have been instrumental in covering his administration's attacks on everything from the gutting of the Department of Education, to the rollback of diversity and equity initiatives, to the crackdown on free speech and attempted deportation of international students speaking out on Palestine. During this time of increased repression, we remain proud-as well as astonished-to be alone among national news outlets in regularly publishing student perspectives.
Since the start of 2025, at least 30 cities have canceled their contracts with Flock Safety, the AI surveillance company whose CEO wants to end all crime within the decade by blanketing the country in ever-watchful security cameras. That startling figure comes courtesy of NPR, which reports that concerned activists are putting mounting pressure on cities to cut ties with the company. "We are seeing a lot more momentum," Will Freeman, a Colorado-based organizer who runs the website DeFlock.org, told the broadcaster.
During the first Trump Administration, Sinclair, a company that owns almost two hundred local TV stations across the United States, and is known for its conservative bent, instructed its news anchors to recite a near-identical script on air. The sharing of bias and false news has become all too common on social media, and more alarming, some media outlets publish these same fake stories without checking facts first.
Food carts are a staple of New York City dining, dispensing everything from dosa and doner kebabs to dogs and dim sum in short order. But no matter how enticing the aroma of a cart's food, the smelly gas generators that keep the lights on threaten to put customers off their meals. Cart owners and customers may not have to suck on fumes much longer.
The industry's attempts to educate consumers "[seem] to largely have gone unheard," Amy Mitchell, then Pew's director of journalism research (she now heads the Center for News, Technology, and Innovation) said in a briefing at the time. "There's really a disconnect there between the public's knowledge and understanding about the industry and how it's functioning, compared with what we see in headlines day in and day out about budget cuts and revenue declines."
Press Forward made almost $23 million in grants to 22 organizations aimed at bolstering the infrastructure for local news. The grants were the culmination of a request for proposals process that began accepting applications in November 2024, and elicited 559 proposals.
If you've worked in a technical role in news for long enough, you likely remember when the "show your work" spirit was everywhere. Newsroom nerds shared code on GitHub, swapped tips on social media and unfurled long blogs guiding others on how to get things done. You might also have a vague sense that - like reaction GIFs, demotivational posters, and that guy who sang "Chocolate Rain" - you're seeing less of it these days.