Category Archives: technology

You should care more about the Nexstar/Tegna merger than you do

You should care more about the Nexstar/Tegna merger than you do because it will have an impact on you — and it won’t be good.

A friend who still works in news texted me this morning after the Nexstar/Tegna merger news: “You got out at the right time.”

I had already been talking with two other friends about the merger — one who works in news and one who also got out — when she messaged that.

Her words really struck me. Leaving journalism is something I wrestle with far too often.

I miss following stories that actually affected people’s lives — directly and indirectly, and in ways they did not even realize.

I miss knowing more than the average person about what was happening in local government, in schools, in neighborhoods, on roads people drive every day.

I miss asking elected officials very basic questions and watching them get annoyed that someone was paying attention.

I miss all of what news was.

I left full-time journalism at the end of 2022.

At the time, I was working for a television news company, but none of this happened overnight. I had seen the shift starting years earlier — even a decade earlier — as people became more hostile toward local news and as newsrooms slowly started prioritizing things other than the news itself. For me, 2020 felt like a tipping point. That is when everything already in motion seemed to move into overdrive.

Important news was still getting covered. Real journalism was still happening.

But as attention spans waned and eyeballs wandered to other forms of media (like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube), the draw to make headlines more sensational, videos shorter with less information and more gimmicks only intensified.

And it was not just happening in TV. It was happening everywhere.

There appeared to be less emphasis on actually informing people and more emphasis on feeding the machine.

More and more news outlets were referring to news as “content.” And that “content” included links to Amazon products, useless user-submitted photo galleries, rewritten news releases and archived video made to look like something new.

And, I need to note, good journalism is still out there. People are still fighting to do quality journalism every day.

But too much of it is buried under junk, largely driven by the powers that be (typically, people who just have money to buy a news outlet or a few and have no actual concern about the news — or people being driven by those demands).

Maybe my friend is right. Maybe I did get out at the right time.

But I still go back and forth. Some days, I feel like I let news down by leaving. Other days, I know I was protecting myself by stepping away from a fight that already felt lost.

What is Pittsburgh without the Post-Gazette?

Like sands through the hourglass… the drama around the impending death of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette just keeps getting more convoluted.

On Jan. 7, Block Communications dropped a bomb on the region: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — a newspaper that’s been part of this community’s civic fabric for nearly 240 years — will publish its final edition May 3, and the entire operation will cease to exist.

This isn’t just another checkmark in the long casualty list of American journalism. This is the newspaper that defined reporting in Pittsburgh, that held power accountable and that offered depth few outlets even attempt anymore.

And soon, it will be gone.

How did the PG get here?

In July 2020, the Post-Gazette declared an impasse in contract negotiations with the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh and unilaterally altered employees’ terms of employment, including health care. (Federal labor authorities later ruled those actions violated labor law.)

That decision sparked a newsroom strike on Oct. 18, 2022, that stretched on for more than three years, officially ending Nov. 13, 2025. PG journalists had been without a contract since 2017.

More recently, a federal appeals court upheld a ruling requiring the company to honor its labor obligations. Block Communications sought a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court. When the justices refused to grant it, the company chose closure over compliance.

The scramble to save something — anything

Since the Blocks refused to comply with the ruling, local groups and individuals have announced a flurry of plans — to expand coverage, remind readers they exist, build something new or attempt to acquire PG assets to keep something alive.

Nearly 50 newsroom staffers who did not strike have called for new union elections and proposed either saving the paper or starting a new one.

Those 49 staffers appear ready to bend the knee. “In today’s media landscape, we must be realistic, not idealistic,” they wrote collectively, adding that they want to “change the tone of our union’s relationship with the Post-Gazette.” Because that has ever worked well for unions.

In a separate effort, former Penguins executive Kevin Acklin is attempting to line up investors to convert the Post-Gazette into a nonprofit newsroom. In an interview with Axios Pittsburgh, Acklin said he had a “good opening conversation” with Allan Block, CEO of Block Communications.

“We feel strongly that converting to a nonprofit is a very attractive alternative to shutting down the Post-Gazette,” Acklin said. “I am hopeful the present ownership group recognizes the importance of the paper to the ongoing vitality of our city.”

His full letter to Block was published in a WESA story.

Meanwhile, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh has launched its own initiative — Pittsburgh Alliance for People-Empowered Reporting, or PAPER — aimed at carrying forward the spirit of PG journalism outside Block ownership. The union recently held a virtual meeting that it says drew 145 attendees, despite technical hiccups.

“You made it very clear that you’re eager for an alternative to the Block-owned PG — for something that authentically connects our communities and better reflects the concerns of working-class people,” the guild wrote in a follow-up message. The group plans a public launch in the coming days.

And if all of that weren’t enough, the Tribune-Review announced it will launch a weekend “Pittsburgh” print edition starting May 9. A weekly printed summary of news is not a daily newsroom embedded in the region it serves. Trib staffers are already stretched thin covering Westmoreland County, the Alle-Kiski Valley and whatever drives clicks online.

(Also: why this wasn’t launched before the PG’s closure is anyone’s guess — and speaks volumes.)

A fractured news ecosystem

Pittsburgh won’t technically become a “news desert” when the Post-Gazette closes. There are other news outlets — and operations masquerading as news outlets — that all provide some level of journalism or information sharing.

Public Source. Next Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Magazine. CityCast Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. Pittsburgh Business Times. Axios Pittsburgh. Plus television and radio: KDKA-TV, WTAE, WPXI, WESA and KDKA Radio.

None of them offers the depth, breadth or daily accountability journalism the Post-Gazette once provided. Some, in fact, often rely on the PG for their own reporting.

That fragmentation has been happening for years as the paper downsized following circulation cuts, ad revenue losses and Block dysfunction: Suburban weeklies reduced to ad circulars, websites with little original reporting, influencer feeds posing as news, PR firms pushing spin, communications teams rebranded as “content creators.”

You already have to work to find real reporting on Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Removing the Post-Gazette doesn’t simplify the ecosystem — it makes it harder.

The PG’s decline also mirrors a national trend. Locally, the region has lost countless newspapers that once covered suburban communities, school boards and borough councils. With those losses went community calendars, nonprofit announcements and everyday civic information.

People used to look in one place to understand what was happening around them. Now they must subscribe to a patchwork of newsletters, Facebook groups and alerts — and still get less news.

Newspapers helped build community

“The local newspaper not only informs citizens but also helps build community among its readers,” Andrew Conte wrote in his 2022 book, “Death of the Daily News: How Citizen Gatekeepers Can Save Local Journalism,” which examined the closure of the McKeesport Daily News.

Conte references political scientist Robert Putnam’s “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community,” which argues that social capital — networks of trust and civic participation — has been eroding for decades. Putnam also found a link between newspaper readership and civic engagement.

Without newspapers, it becomes harder for people to share information, build trust and participate meaningfully in public life.

The trance we didn’t notice

Conte also cites media theorist Marshall McLuhan, who warned about society’s failure to recognize how new media reshape behavior.

“If we continue in our self-induced subliminal trance, we will be their slaves,” McLuhan said, referring to electronic media of the time — notably, television.

He died in 1980, three years before the internet.

Apply that logic to cable TV, video games, computers, smartphones, streaming, social media — and now AI. There may never have been a moment more hostile to shared facts and verified information than now.

A less informed public and fractured communities create fertile ground for misinformation, distrust and apathy. Chaos.

This isn’t nostalgia

I love news. I love newsrooms.

But this isn’t nostalgia. It’s a sober assessment from someone who’s worked in journalism and understands what quality reporting actually looks like — as both a journalist and a reader.

Pittsburgh’s civic discourse — what we know, what we debate, who we hold accountable — is poorer without its paper of record. In May, we’re going to find out just how much poorer.

ChatGPT is a Swiftie! I asked ChatGPT to create a Taylor Swift playlist for fall. It didn’t disappoint.

ChatGPT is a Swiftie!

I asked ChatGPT to create a Taylor Swift playlist for fall.

The original prompt was, “What are 20 Taylor Swift songs that are great for a fall playlist?” From that prompt, it initially included “Folklore” as a song. I asked it to check again to ensure album titles were not listed as songs.

In the second go-around, it removed “Evermore,” which is an album title but also a great song featuring Bon Iver. So, I added it back.

As ChatGPT wrote to me, here’s the song list “perfect for capturing that cozy, autumn vibe.”

All Too Well (10 Minute Version)
Red
Cardigan
August
The Last Time
Sweeter Than Fiction
Come Back… Be Here
Sad Beautiful Tragic
This Love
The Archer
Evermore
Invisible String
You Are in Love
I Almost Do
Afterglow
It’s Time to Go
Forever & Always
Begin Again
Exile
Enchanted
Daylight

I tweaked it some to create this list on Apple Music.

Twitter’s demise leaves users in disarray

How about Twitter these days?

I’ve always enjoyed social media and the information sharing, community building and friendships that has come with it.

Before we knew what “social media” was, I was connecting via blog writing and AOL chat rooms. In the early 2000s, I made digital friends via blogging. Then MySpace, then Facebook, then Twitter.

As a journalist and community builder, finding ways to engage, build relationships and share information runs central to who I am.

Twitter, by far, has had the most impact on my digital life and, quite honestly, my real life.

I used to enjoy saying, “Most of my friends are from Twitter.” And it was true!

Before most journalists knew what Twitter was, I was already finding sources and searching for story ideas via tweets. Over the course of several years, I taught fellow journalists to use Twitter.

As time went on and more people began using Twitter, the social media site went from a thoughtful cafe to a rowdy bar. I still found community, but finding and keeping those strong connections took more effort — like trying to move through a crowded bar and shout, “WHAT DID YOU SAY?” each time your friend says something. You know the scene.

From a news perspective, Twitter has been nothing more than a vacuum of people whose thoughts and words mean very little off the platform.

But with the real-time demise of Twitter, people are jumping ship and seeking new places to set up digital residences.

I dusted off my Reddit and Discord accounts; I tried navigating my way into an account on Mastodon; I opened accounts on Tribel, Cohost, and counter.social; and even considered giving LinkedIn more of a shot.

I’m not sure what my end game is — except that I plan on using Twitter less often.

I may go retro and blog more (here or maybe on Substack).

Perhaps you’ll consider following along. Find all the links here.

Remembering Edith Hughes…

Unlike many colleagues and friends, my stories of Edith Hughes don’t involve what seemed to be a haphazard interview session or a layout filled with red ink corrections.

My first run-in with Edith came one morning in 2007 in the Gateway Newspapers former office on Greentree Road. It was early that morning — just myself and Signal Item editor Bob Pastin were in. Edith quickly zipped through the office, pausing just enough to look at me — a new face. She rushed into Bob’s cubicle and asked, “Who is that?”

Bob replied, explaining I was the new (at the time) part-time reporter for the Signal Item and Sewickley Herald. She came back out of his cubicle, looked at me as I awkwardly smiled at her — unsure of what just took place, and then she left.

The first time I spoke to Edith was in Harrisburg for a Pennsylvania Newspaper Association weeklies conference. Her first statement: “Did you get breakfast?” No, I said. She then looked me up and down and asked how I was liking the Sewickley Herald. Before I could finish a sentence, she said, “Interesting attire, young man.” I had on khakis, a polo shirt and tennis shoes — my usual work attire.

She then said, “Maybe you’ll learn something here to take back to Sewickley.”

What she didn’t know is that it wasn’t the guest speakers from The Patriot-News or any other newspaper that I’d learn from that day. It was Edith who would teach me more than I ever thought I could know.

You see, Edith had a way with more than just journalism. She had a way with life. In her eyes, good manners, proper attire and fine detail meant everything. You didn’t cut corners. You gave more than your best. And you did all of that out of respect for yourself, your talent and your colleagues.

I got to know her more through stories from colleagues and from her random visits to the Sewickley Herald office. She played a major role in the Herald’s annual honors dinner, recognizing the great community-minded individuals of the year. Place cards were handwritten, not typed. The menu offered nothing but the best food. And the entire evening was as perfect as perfect could be. Why? Because she’d settle for nothing less.

At one of the honors dinners, she looked at me and said, “You clean up well. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

In January of this year, I returned from a nearly two-week-long vacation. I had a missed call and e-mail from Edith. Odd, I thought. Out of the more than 20 voice mails and 200 e-mails, Edith’s were the first messages I responded to.

Days later, I heard from her. She wanted to talk to me in person. I was nervous, to say the least. She couldn’t fire me, she didn’t have that authority anymore. Right? But what did I do to be getting a visit exclusively from Edith?

I dressed a tad nicer than my average wardrobe (no tie, though), and awaited her visit. Snowflakes were flying. Edith called and said she’d be late. Finally, Edith arrived and whisked me away into the conference room where she shut the door.

“I need you to talk at the weeklies seminar about everything you do with technology,” she said. “It’s in April.”

This was early January — many months and inches of snow away from April.

“Yeah, I’ll do it,” I nervously said, scribbling down the words “April” and “PNA.”

“Yes, you’ll do it,” Edith said, either repeating what I said, but probably correcting my language.

She expected an outline by mid-February. I e-mailed her an outline by the end of that week in January.

The morning of the conference, Edith — oddly enough — was late. As it turned out, the massive rain and flooding from the previous day and night knocked the power out at her hotel. I stayed elsewhere in the Harrisburg area, which was unheard of in Edith’s mind because I did not get breakfast options at my hotel (though, she was impressed that I got a better room rate than she!).

Right before my turn to present, I completely re-did my entire presentation because the previous speakers took most of what I was going to say. Introducing me to the crowd, Edith explained what a dedicated and passionate reporter I was, and what I had done to help make the Sewickley Herald a newsier paper. I can remember standing there thinking, “Holy crap, Edith is saying this about me?”

Afterward, Edith told me I was the best presenter (even though I went over by 15 minutes). “That was some talk you gave” she said. “Even I was surprised. You knocked their socks off.” She paused and said, “You’re already booked for next year.” I didn’t get a chance to agree because she grabbed a mint and walked away.

I wasn’t hired by her or even worked under her, but I still felt I needed her approval as a journalist. And I’m pretty sure I got it that day.

She didn’t make the Herald’s honors dinner this year because she was traveling. But I did sit next to her in May at the Keystone Press Awards, where she, again, spoke highly of my presentation a month earlier. At the Keystone Press Awards dinner, we talked about my presentation for next April and how she thought the awards dinner chicken was too dry and the speakers were mostly boring.

She, no doubt, has made a lasting impact on my career — and more importantly, my life. Thanks to Edith, I hold myself in higher regard and respect the decisions I make and the stories I cover, knowing that my name is on whatever story I’m writing at the moment, so it better be the best it can be.

“Reporters are a dime a dozen,” she once told me. That phrase has stuck with me, allowing me to remember what my job is and to carry it out with dignity and respect.

Edith made me realize just how important grammar and proper communication skills are, and to be poignant, sharp and decisive.

My world is a better place thanks to Edith.