Laura E. Davis | Nieman Journalism Lab

Articles by Laura E. Davis

Laura E. Davis is digital news director of the Annenberg Media Center and assistant professor of professional practice at the University of Southern California.

The year we embrace the robots — and ourselves

“So many of our practices and habits are simply those: practices and habits. They are not what defines the profession or what makes it useful to the public.”

The focus turns to newsroom leaders for lasting change

“Reward journalism that provides real and unique value to your audience, instead of journalism that chases competitors or feeds your ego but does little for your community.”

Know the context your journalism is operating within

“Media coverage contributes to an ecosystem that harms people and democracies, and we can’t ignore that context any longer.”

More access, but not that kind

“It’s about shifting from thinking about conversation mainly as a reaction or afterthought to making it more central to how we conceive of and tell stories.”

Writing answers before you know the question

“A couple weeks ago, I tried asking Alexa, ‘What’s the latest with Roy Moore?’ She couldn’t help me. But it seems to me that news organizations need to prepare for that question and the logical following conversation sooner rather than later.”

Show your work

“Be authentic by being more honest about what you know and what you don’t. It’s a small part of all things we can do, but it’s something we can do now — and frankly should have been doing all along.”

Just tell a story

“Newsrooms needed social media and mobile editors, but it’s time to move past the part where reporters do one chunk of work and leave the rest to the various experts. That expertise shouldn’t be hoarded by one desk.”