AND THE AWARDS GO TO...

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80th Silurians Press Club "Excellence in Journalism Awards" Honor Local Reporting On Crime, Sex Trafficking, Migrants, Brain Surgery and More

The 80th Silurians Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards was celebrated with a festive dinner on June 18 at the historic National Arts Club in New York City, honoring outstanding work across 16 categories spanning print, broadcast, and online journalism. The event showcased the enduring strength and diversity of New York-area journalism. Dominating the evening were The New York Times, Newsday, and The Record (NorthJersey.com), which collectively earned the majority of Medallions and Merit awards. Yet, the spotlight was also shared by powerhouse teams at Bloomberg News, ProPublica, and NBC’s I-Team, all of whom took home top honors. Notably, smaller but influential newsrooms such as NJ.com, THE CITY, and STAT News also earned Medallions, affirming the vital role of local and specialized journalism.

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News Media News

Trump Threatens to Sue The Times and CNN Over Iran Reporting


The president has criticized media coverage of a preliminary classified report that ran counter to his assertion that U.S. strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.

Read NY Times Story [paywall]
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Pew Research Center: Six Facts About Fox News


Fox News holds a unique place in the American media landscape, particularly for those on the ideological right. While Democrats in the United States turn to and trust a variety of news sources, none come close to matching the appeal of Fox News for Republicans.

Read Results of Pew Center Survey

National poll shows widespread American support for federally funded public radio


Over half of Republicans (58%) and three-quarters of Democrats (77%) support federal funding for public radio. And, 59% of Republicans and 76% of Democrats agree it is a good value for taxpayer dollars.

Read Story on Editor & Publisher

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez Sounds Alarm Over Trump Administration’s ‘Absolute Pattern of Censorship and Control’


'Think about the repercussions on our democracy,' Gomez tells the National Assn. of Broadcasters convention of FCC chief Brendan Carr's campaign against DEI, '60 Minutes'

Read Story in Variety

Newsprint not affected by increase in US tariff on Canadian imports


Administration confirm exemption for USMCA-compliant products will remain in force. This means that at this time newsprint from Canadian mills will NOT be subject to tariffs when the new rate takes effect. 

Read NNA press release on Editor & Publisher

CBS Chief Defends $16 million Settlement of Trump Lawsuit; Allows Company to Focus on ‘Core Objectives,’ Avoid ‘Reputational Damage’


Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks — who is the head of CBS — defended deal at the 2025 annual shareholder meeting. “Settlement offers a negotiated resolution to allow companies to focus on their core objectives rather than being mired in uncertainty and distraction,” Cheeks said settlement does not include an apology.

Read Story in Variety

Trump Threatens to Sue The Times and CNN Over Iran Reporting


The president has criticized media coverage of a preliminary classified report that ran counter to his assertion that U.S. strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.

Read NY Times Story [paywall]

Pew Research Center: Six Facts About Fox News


Fox News holds a unique place in the American media landscape, particularly for those on the ideological right. While Democrats in the United States turn to and trust a variety of news sources, none come close to matching the appeal of Fox News for Republicans.

Read Results of Pew Center Survey

Silurians Scholarship Program

Prepare To Be Inspired

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Kennedy Sessions, 2025 Dennis Duggan Award Recipient

Sessions, 26, specializes in Local Accountability Reporting and Data Journalism at the CUNY Newmark J-school.. Interested in covering how elected officials' decisions and policies impact lives of constituents.

See Sessions Acceptance
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Marina Samuels, 2025 Local Reporting Scholarship

Samuel, 24, specializes in Local Accountability Reporting and Data Journalism at the CUNY Newmark J-School, . "Work that we do should...reflect the struggles, amplify the voices of the community, and fights for its needs.

See Samuels Acceptance
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Anna Oakes, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism

Anna Oakes spent the last two years reporting on immigration, social movements, and healthcare.Will work as a summer fellow in local accountability journalism at The City. 

Read More About Anna Oaks

Journalism and AI


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Artificial Intelligence in journalism is no longer a question of if, but how fast and in what forms. Its use by print, broadcast and alternate news media is accelerating at a remarkable clip.

Here you will find links to articles, clips and videos that will be updated from time to time to help better understand this accelerating trend.

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Axel Springer CEO: “Digital is the new print. AI is the new digital.” 

Speaking to more than 100 world-wide executives, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner warned,  "Dependence on search and Social is a weakness. Owning the audience is a strength.”

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Texas Tribune survey: What are your current views on AI in journalism?

Artificial intelligence develops at a rapid pace. "We’re interested in how your trust, expectations and understanding of AI have — or haven’t — evolved, and what questions you still have."

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The AI scraping fight that could change the future of the web

Publishers are increasing efforts to protect websites from tech companies scraping content for AI tools. Media companies are suing, creating licensing deals, and trying to block AI crawlers to protect their content.

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How Gannett | USA Today and The Independent Are Leading Journalism’s AI Evolution

 Mike Reed, CEO of Gannett | USA Today and Christian Broughton, CEO of The Independent, explore how generative AI is shaping the future of journalism/ Interview sponsored by Taboola, a digital ad company.

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A.I. Videos Have Never Been Better. Can You Tell What’s Real?

Artificial intelligence tools have taken another leap forward. A new wave of generators can create lifelike video along with realistic audio, including dialogue. Can you tell which one is real and which is AI created?

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A lot has changed since we created AI ethics guidelines for newsrooms. Here’s what you need to know now

Poynter Instiute updates its AI guidelines for journalists after just one year. The new update includes a section to walk newsrooms through the considerations for using AI in visual work — with serious cautions.

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‘Automating the Boring Stuff’ with Pollfinder.ai

Tow Center for Digital Journalism developing Pollfinder.ai tool to help polling aggregators discover, extract, and organize polling data more efficiently.


from the June 2025 Silurian News, Page 6



Gossip to Gospel: When Is It News?

Should gossip columnists have to apologize to the journalism community—and to the public—for their craft (and their livelihood)? Here, one veteran of that niche explains why justification is not necessary, and contrasts her craft with today’s rancorous world of social media.—The Editors

By Karen Feld


  Gossip is fun when not malicious. It’s always been part of American culture, but more acceptable today than ever before.

  People magazine took it mainstream, and Donald Trump has taken it beyond where most ever imagined. When I started out it was a predominantly feminine trade, relegated to the back sections of papers, considered “unserious.”

  However, in politics, then as now, much of what originates as “gossip” quickly graduates to “gospel” seen on front pages around the world. The lines between public and private life have always been complicated, but in today’s climate, they’re almost nonexistent.

Read [MORE}

Silurians Scholarship Program

Prepare To Be Inspired

Kennedy Sessions-Black woman in white sweater

Kennedy Sessions, 2025 Dennis Duggan Award Recipient

Sessions, 26, specializes in Local Accountability Reporting and Data Journalism at the CUNY Newmark J-school..

See Sessions Acceptance
A woman is standing at a podium in front of a microphone.

Marina Samuels, 2025 Local Reporting Scholarship

Samuel, 24, CUNY Newmark J-school. "Work that we do should...reflect the struggles, amplify the voices of the community.

See Samuels Acceptance
A woman with long curly hair is smiling for the camera

Anna Oakes, Columbia Journalism School

"The importance of reporting with sensativity, thoroughness and persistence."

Anna Oaks Acceptance
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Garrett Owen

“Adherence to the hard truths and standards of integrity must always be followed and respected. We get to do that; We have the honor and privilege to do that. It’s a good kind of pressure.”

Garrett Own's Acceptance

Journalism and AI


A double exposure of a woman 's face and a computer screen.

Artificial Intelligence in journalism is no longer a question of if, but how fast and in what forms. Its use by print, broadcast and alternate news media is accelerating at a remarkable clip.

Here you will find links to articles, clips and videos that will be updated from time to time to help better understand this accelerating trend.

Recent Guests/Speakers

[More] Silurians Speaker/Event Videos

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