"Fake news" has been around for centuries as gossip, parodies and tips for the gullible. But unlike 100 years ago, today's dubious "facts" are created and spread — deliberately or unintentionally — through cell phone videos, photos, TikTok postings, Facebook and Instagram postings and shares that can reach thousands of people.  What role — and power — do members of the public have in halting or spreading mis- and disinformation, and what ethical considerations should they make before sharing a video or story? This Wednesday, April 24, 11:30 a.m., E.T., the National Press Club Journalism ..read more

The Grants Pass decision could change how homelessness is handled by communities. (Adobe Stock photo) As the number of homeless people in the U.S. continues to climb, many communities face conflicts over homeless campers and encampments. The rural town of Grants Pass, Oregon, "has become the unlikely face of the nation's homelessness crisis," reports Claire Rush of The Associated Press. The fate of the town's anti-camping laws is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard the case on April 22.  Grants Pass, like many communities, has "struggled for years with a ..read more

PFAS have been used in the U.S. since 1938. (Adobe Stock photo) The presence of PFAS, or "forever chemicals," in U.S. drinking water led the Environmental Protection Agency to issue its first drinking water standards earlier this month. Tagging onto that action, "The Biden administration is designating two 'forever chemicals,' as hazardous substances under the Superfund law, shifting responsibility for their cleanup to polluters from taxpayers," reports Coral Davenport of The New York Times. "The new rule empowers the government to force the many companies that manufacture or use perf ..read more

Chart by The Economist magazine, adapted by The Rural Blog The 2020 U.S. census was the first in which fewer people were counted in rural counties than in the previous census. "Over half of the country’s counties, home to a quarter of Americans, lost population," The Economist notes. "Over the coming decades still more will, because America’s population is     growing more slowly. The change will be wrenching, because of America’s demographic and administrative peculiarities." And that has special significance for rural areas. Many other wealthy countries "are growing ..read more

Learn how to prepare for the 2024 elections when news coverage is scarce. You can register for the News Literacy Project's free online educational session on Wednesday, April 24, at 6 p.m., E.T.,  Register here. As mainstream and local news outlets have shrunk nationwide, more rural Americans find themselves in news deserts, where trustworthy local news is scarce. Particularly for rural residents seeking 2024 election information, navigating away from partisan politics and social media rumors and getting to actual facts might seem like finding a black cat in a coal mine. As an antido ..read more

Addiction recovery advocates say redirecting funds isn't in the 'spirit of the settlement.' (Adobe stock photo) As opioid settlement funds hit state, county and city coffers, some have been diverted for staff salary increases and already-established budgets. Victims' families and addiction treatment advocates argue the practice, formally known as known as supplantation, is not what the money was intended to do, reports Aneri Pattani of KFF Health News. "Local officials say they're trying to stretch tight budgets, especially in rural areas. But critics say it's a lost opportunity to bo ..read more

1 in 4 U.S. teachers experienced a gun-related lockdown at their school. (Adobe stock photo) U.S. teachers must deftly manage tasks, lessons and discipline. To get the job done, educators make an average of 1,500 decisions a day. While that description sounds challenging, most teachers have the added worry of facing school gun violence, reports Jennifer Gerson of The 19th, a nonprofit newsroom for social issues. "The majority of American K-12 public school teachers say they are at least somewhat worried about the possibility of a shooting at their school, according to a new survey co ..read more

Art Cullen By Art Cullen, Editor Storm Lake Times Pilot A five-year farm bill was supposed to have been approved last year, but was held up in the House over disagreements on food stamps, conservation, crop insurance and funding. House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., announced that he will find a way to push a farm bill out before Memorial Day in order to get President Biden to sign a new farm bill by the end of the year. Don’t bet the farm on it. Sen. Chuck Grassley said he is pessimistic, and so is Sen. Joni Ernst, both Republican Ag Committee members. Rep. Ran ..read more

The Interior Department worked to bring oil and gas management into the 21st century. Drillers are angry. (Photo by J. Evans, Unsplash)   For decades, companies that  drilled on public lands for oil paid the federal government small royalties and spent little on cleanup funding, but that era is about to change. "A suite of regulatory changes from the Bureau of Land Management will increase royalties on oil and stiffen cleanup requirements," reports Heather Richards of E & E News. "The rule caps a multiyear effort by the Interior Department to 'modernize' how the U.S. m ..read more

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