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THIS WEEK’S TL;DR:

Play a part ([link removed]) in strengthening newsrooms worldwide; archive ([link removed]) your community’s stories; women leaders — apply before deadline ([link removed]) ; manage ([link removed]) media organizations of the future; refresh ([link removed]) your immigration policy know-how


** This Giving Tuesday, choose to be part of something bigger —
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** give today to strengthen journalism education.
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Studies show ([link removed]) that corruption increases in communities without local news.

With increasing cuts and growing news deserts, journalism education matters more than ever.

Without the essential coverage journalists provide, communities lose their collective memory.

If Poynter's training, articles, or newsletters have value to you, now is the time to give back ([link removed]) and support the journalism education that supported you.

"The true engine of Poynter's work is the vast community — the thousands of students, professionals and citizens — who stand with us,” said Aaron Sharockman, PolitiFact’s Executive Director and Poynter’s VP for Sales & Strategic Partnerships.
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This Giving Tuesday, we’re asking 100 readers like you to join us as donors ([link removed]) today. Your gift before Dec. 31 ensures Poynter heads into 2026 ready to defend the free press democracy depends on.

“They deliver the critical support necessary whenever we ask to advance our work by training journalists, fighting for the First Amendment, and teaching media literacy."
I value Poynter, and I’m giving back today. ([link removed])


** TIP OF THE WEEK
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By Caryn Baird ([link removed]) , Researcher, PolitiFact, The Poynter Institute
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I have been fortunate to work with some amazing reporters on a myriad of topics. From researching the history of feral children ([link removed]) to hunting down witnesses to an airplane crash ([link removed]) in the late 1970s, the requests had me hunting through jail records, flight data, court filings and obituaries. Over the years, I have accumulated over 700 bookmarks to databases, archives and court systems.

I frequently give talks to help young journalists learn some tricks of my trade because I am a librarian by trade and training. When you walk into a library and ask the librarian for a book, they search through thousands of titles and retrieve just one or two that will be useful.

Similarly, when a reporter asks me for a cell phone number or an email, I have to search through thousands of possibilities and provide just one or two contact points. It is illegal to serve cell phone numbers in a directory — you have to hunt for someone’s number. Emails also need to be searched for. There is no single directory listing all your email addresses.

I like to remind folks that news is always past tense. Arrests, fires, car accidents, births, bank robberies, speeches — they all happened and there ought to be a discoverable paper trail.

Here are some tools that can help you in your daily work:
* Find out who used to live in a city and where: Polk City Directories ([link removed]) . If it is not online here, then check your local library. They will have a full run of the hard copy. For example, a ‘James Marshall ([link removed]) ’ lived at 567 Haight St in San Francisco in 1953.

* Find experts: site:.edu “professor” “cryptocurrency” legitimate ([link removed])

* Get access to an AI-overview-free Google search: AI-free Google ([link removed]) . It adds the right code to the end of your search string.

* Google hunt social media assets: Instagram ([link removed]) , Facebook
([link removed]) , LinkedIn profiles ([link removed]) , and LinkedIn posts
([link removed]) .

* Search a network of people, organizations and their relationships: LittleSis ([link removed])

* Find out who’s behind more than 810,000 offshore companies, foundations and trusts: Offshore Leaks ([link removed])

If you’re still stumped, reach out to us (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Research%20question&body=) . We are here to help you.

💡 Check out Caryn’s resource-rich webinar ([link removed]) for journalists, researchers or curious truth-seekers.


** THIS JUST IN
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Poynter, IRE and Internet Archive launch ‘Today’s News for Tomorrow ([link removed]) ,’ a free initiative to help newsrooms preserve their digital footprint.
* Register for a virtual information session ([link removed]) at noon on Friday, Dec. 5 to find out more about the project and how your organization can get involved.
* To read more or submit an application, visit Today’s News for Tomorrow ([link removed]) .



** DEADLINE ALERT
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[link removed]

Leadership Academy for Women ([link removed])

March 23-27, 2026, in St. Petersburg, FL; $1,350

For: Women and nonbinary journalists with 3-7 years of formal leadership experience.

The impact: This competitive program teaches you to advocate, negotiate, delegate and lead with purpose and authenticity.

Deadline to apply: Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. ([link removed])


** LEARN FROM ANYWHERE
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💻 Understanding U.S. Immigration From the Border to the Heartland ([link removed]) - free self-paced course

Newly updated for 2025 to include all the original content plus a brand new primer on up-to-date policy changes.

💻 Alt+Ignite: Fuel Curiosity, Elevate Your AI Literacy ([link removed]) - free resources, tools and courses from Poynter’s MediaWise

Get valuable tools that help journalists, educators, librarians and civic leaders strengthen AI literacy and use emerging tools responsibly.

💻 AI for Journalists and Content Creators: From Understanding to Application ([link removed]) - self-paced course; (orig. $119) $99.00

Dive into comprehensive training covering AI tools, risk assessment, misinformation detection and ethical application.


** FROM OUR NEWSROOM
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* Opinion | Real reporters left the Pentagon. A new partisan crew just took their seats. ([link removed]) , by Tom Jones
* Will new federal student loan caps affect nurses? Graduate students could feel the impact. ([link removed]) , by Madison Czopek and Loreben Tuquero
* No, whooping cough isn’t just a cold. Cases are surging, and infants face the greatest danger. ([link removed]) , by Grace Abels



** MEME OF THE WEEK
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** REP POYNTER
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Poynter receives minimal revenue from sales. To support Poynter’s mission financially, go to poynter.org/give.


** Follow us
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