As a Poynter supporter, you’re receiving this newsletter each Friday so we can keep you well informed about the lifesaving work we’re doing to fight against misinformation around the world and help journalists deliver news you trust. Poynter is:

Inspiring you to engage directly with journalism

This was a big week to celebrate and support journalism. It began Sunday with UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day, a time to respect and reflect on freedom of the press. Monday brought the announcement of this year’s Pulitzer Prize winners. And Tuesday saw the debut of a new, international day of philanthropy called Giving Tuesday Now (or Giving Newsday, as we like to call it) that galvanized citizens like you to donate to their favorite charities working on the front lines of COVID-19, including your local news outlet. Now what? Poynter president Neil Brown suggests taking your support one step further.

“Combine your patronage with engagement — write letters, leave comments, attend events, call in story tips — and you become part of the equation in making the choices mean the most for your community,” Brown wrote.

After all, journalism helps us participate in democracy. But it’s up to us to actually engage. 

Answering your questions about how we pay for our homes

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Most of us have probably never spent as much time in our homes as we have in the last two months. And it’s possible most of us have never worried about paying for those homes as much as we are right now with an economic depression looming. How is the COVID-19 pandmeic affecting people’s ability to pay their mortgage? Will there be a rent strike? How does this affect landlords? Poynter senior faculty member Al Tompkins gives you insight on the reality facing those of us lucky enough to have a roof over our heads.

 

Providing you all the latest updates on COVID-19 testing in one place

Making it easier for you to fact-check your friends

Misinformation doesn’t just come from your social media feeds or favorite blogs. It’s often shared directly with you via text message from your friends and family. Because WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging platforms around the world, Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) launched a chatbot on WhatsApp to connect you and millions of other users with the translated work of more than 80 fact-checking organizations worldwide. You can easily check whether content about COVID-19 has already been rated as false by professional fact-checkers by asking the chatbot. Check out this step-by-step guide on how to use it. 

Not a WhatsApp user? We hope to evolve this feature on more messaging platforms in the future. 

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Be well,


Josh Herrington
Development Director
[email protected]

Poynter Foundation Board Members: 

Brian Tierney, CEO, Brian Communications
Michael Dreyer, President, Tampa Bay Trust Company
Frank “Sandy” Rief III, Attorney, Allen Dell, Attorneys at Law
Liz Sembler, Board Member, Corporation for Public Broadcasting