Insights into WITF’s newsroom and an invitation to join in the pursuit of trustworthy journalism.
Subscribe to The Purple Buck
Welcome to The Purple Buck, WITF’s new, weekly journalism email newsletter.
We’re glad you’re here. It’ll give us a chance to talk about the massive amounts of news you come across every day from dozens of different sources, and to share ideas on what makes for trustworthy news that can strengthen communities and promote civic participation and civil dialogue. We’ll also bring you inside the WITF newsroom in ways we’ve never done before, letting you know what goes into journalism decisions and asking for your thoughts.
Mostly, you’ll be hearing from me, Scott Blanchard, director of journalism here. But other writers will take turns along the way. As we get started, feel free to email me with any questions, concerns, frustrations or success stories about where you’re finding credible news. I’m at scott_blanchard@witf.org
And if your first question is “What’s the deal with the name?” — the answer is right here.
Catch up on past editions
Sept. 30: New partnership for election information
Sept. 23: We’ve missed these voices in our election coverage
Sept. 16: Campaign rally coverage: Unlocking one approach
Sept. 9: What’s the best way to cover a controversial statement?
Sept. 2: Tapping a journalist’s artistic side
Aug. 26: Theater comes to radio
Aug. 19: Sec. of State Schmidt to answer your election questions
Aug. 12: We respond to a specific criticism
Aug. 5: In search of *local* election issues
July 29: Having ‘tough conversations’ to help democracy work
July 22: Here’s how we try to show up in your search results
July 15: Trump rally shooting: What do you want from WITF?
July 8: We need to define why we do community engagement
July 1: “Off the record means…what, exactly?”
June 24: So many good story ideas, it hurts
June 17: How do we act ethically when a journalist writes about a family member?
June 10: How we use push notifications amid growing news — and cell phone — fatigue
June 3: Insights from the career of Scott LaMar
May 27: A four-way test for journalism
May 20: Defining horse-race coverage (and how not to do it)
May 13: Roundtable with listeners, NPR’s public editor
May 6: Election-coverage FAQ: Our answers to your questions
April 29: A newsroom discussion you might not expect
April 22: Getting a cross-section of perspectives matters
April 15: On that NPR liberal-bias column people are talking about…
April 8: Takeaways from our unusual candidate forum
April 1: Despite violent threat, journalists kept doing their jobs
March 25: How slowing down can lead to better journalism
March 18: How this Congressional candidate forum will be different
March 11: In Red Lion, great conversation — and questions for us
March 4: A newsroom listens to its community’s pain, and acts
Feb. 26: High schoolers embrace the challenge of news judgment
Feb. 19: Meet WITF’s new democracy beat reporter, Jordan Wilkie
Feb. 12: Covering a campaign speech, differently
Feb. 5: We’re going cross-country for insight on Pa.
Jan. 29: AI is part of this WITF effort. Here’s a look at how it will work
Jan. 22: A new, easy way to get your election questions answered
Jan. 15: What we (and facts) are up against
Jan. 8: Wading in to social media comments
Dec. 18: What we missed in the Harrisburg Palestine rally story
Dec. 11: Can we do better at covering politics amid polarization?
Dec. 4: How often do you just scan headlines?
Nov. 27: A short rant about lying and journalism
Nov. 20: What’s the deal with ‘couldn’t be reached for comment’?
Nov. 13: ‘It made me cry’
Nov. 6: WITF’s election conflict of interest, and how we’ll handle it
Oct. 30: Should journalists change to address lack of trust?
Oct. 23: Listening in Lititz
Oct. 16: An airport security scare, and lessons learned
Oct. 9: Live theater + journalism
Oct. 2: How will we cover the 2024 election?
Sept. 25: An artist’s thank-you and its deeper meaning at WITF News
