In the news: The information gathering process for journalists has become more difficult than ever, with gatekeepers (i.e., PIOs) filtering what information makes it out of their buildings.

Access to information has always been a challenge for journalists, and in a recent Editor & Publisher piece, Alisa Cromer examines how public information officers (PIOs) in particular have complicated things for reporters. The problem, Cromer says, is multifaceted: “District journalists are no longer allowed into federal buildings without an escort and appointment.... If the public information officer (PIO) is not interested in a story or the reporter, they ignore their inquiries or ‘slow-roll it” so that the reporter misses the deadline. It’s now common practice for PIOs to join calls and monitor live interviews.’

And that’s not all. The stakes are high for officials who speak out of turn. Many gag orders, “implied or by memo,” have been imposed by various companies and agencies “so federal government employees cannot talk directly to the press without imperiling their career.” Which means that officials who want to keep their jobs and avoid potential legal trouble need to play ball by the PIOs’ rules.

How did we end up here? According to Cromer, “Censorship by PIO is so insidious in part because the media have quietly gone along. No reporters have faced arrest for pushing back. Stories get published.” In other words, without meaningful resistance from stymied editors and reporters, information sharing isn’t bound to loosen up any time soon. Read more here.

Also Notable

Working from “Roam”

What does it mean to work from “roam”? Some editors in the UK are pushing the concept to its limits, capitalizing on smartphone accessibility to do their work from home, the tube, and even the gym. Nicola Smith of Digiday.com examines how UK editors in particular are embracing the global remote work revolution. “Research [2,262 respondents who worked remotely in October 2021] released today from British media and telecom group Virgin Media O2 has revealed that of the top 15 alternative working locations, 27 percent of British people are logging on from friends’ and family’s houses, and one in ten have worked from the pub,” Smith reports, adding, “Other locations featured include gardens, train journeys, the school run, the supermarket and even while exercising at home.” Read more here.

Disability Language: A Style Guide

In September, the National Center on Disability and Journalism updated its guidelines to focus on the “source-writer relationship,” reports John Loeppky of Poynter.org, who says, “The guide now acknowledges that identity-first language (‘disabled person,’ for example) is preferred by many in the disability community.” It’s the first time the center’s guidelines have been updated since 2018. Center director Kristen Gilger tells Loepkky that the style update comes to fill a void in the AP Stylebook’s guidance on disability-related language. Read more here.

Top Reasons for Subscription Cancelations

This week, the Nieman Lab staff examined the top reasons readers ditch their subscriptions. Polling 500 readers, they found that apart from local news outlets, more subscribers canceled New York Times subscriptions than for any other newspaper. Money is the number one reason, Nieman Lab says -- some readers canceled at the end of promotional periods, while others had to cut their budget due to Covid-related constraints. But ideological/political reasons weren’t far behind, with some Times readers upset about an op-ed by Senator Tom Cotton calling for military suppression of the Black Lives Matter movement, and other readers upset that the Times subsequently apologized for publishing it. Other downticket reasons included insufficient time to read and customer service issues. Read the full summary and excerpted survey responses here.

Streamlining Editorial Workflow

This week in Poynter.org’s The Lead newsletter, Taylor Blatchford examines the pillars of effective editorial processing. The tips are geared toward first-time editors and reporters but are useful even to seasoned editors. Blatford first differentiates between macro and micro editing and then offers a step-by-step guide to editing an article. Read more here.

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