--- title: "Staffers at The Washington Post are on strike today" description: "A dispute about social media research at Harvard, former Trump adviser warns of journalist prosecutions in a second Trump administration" date: "2023-12-07" authors: - name: "cstaubin" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/newsletter/the-briefing/staffers-at-the-washington-post-are-on-strike-today/" --- # Staffers at The Washington Post are on strike today [![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/prc-logo.png){.aligncenter width=348}](https://www.pewresearch.org/prc-logo/) --- December 7, 2023 # The Briefing **☀️ Happy Thursday!** *The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. [**Sign up here!**](https://www.pewresearch.org/sign-up-for-the-briefing/)* **In today*’*s email:** - **Top story:** Washington Post staffers are on strike today - **In other news: **Disinformation scholar alleges that ties between Harvard and Meta led to her dismissal - **Looking ahead: **Former Trump adviser threatens journalist prosecutions in a second Trump administration - **Chart of the week:** How Americans' international travel habits are linked to their interest in international affairs and news 🔥 **Top story** [Staffers at The Washington Post are in the midst of a 24-hour strike](https://www.axios.com/2023/12/07/washington-post-strike-layoffs-buyouts), citing frustrations with ongoing contract negotiations with management. The Post Guild, the union that represents most of the outlet’s employees, stated in a letter that “management has refused to bargain in good faith and repeatedly – and illegally – shut down negotiations” around **pay equity, remote work policies, mental health support** and an effort to **reduce the workforce by 10 percent via buyout packages**. In a 2022 [Pew Research Center survey of nearly 12,000 U.S. journalists](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2022/06/14/journalists-sense-turmoil-in-their-industry-amid-continued-passion-for-their-work/), **72% used a negative word to describe the news industry**, with common examples including “struggling” and “chaos.” And **newsroom employment at U.S. newspapers dropped by 57% between 2008 and 2020**, according to [data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/07/13/u-s-newsroom-employment-has-fallen-26-since-2008/). 📌 **In other news** - Prominent disinformation scholar **Joan Donovan** accuses Harvard of [ending her employment for Facebook favor](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/joan-donovan-harvard-meta-facebook-firing-whistleblower-rcna128091) - **The Israel-Hamas war **has recorded [the highest number of journalist deaths in over 30 years](https://www.npr.org/2023/12/03/1215798409/palestinian-journalists-killed-gaza-israel-hamas-war) - **Atlanta police** use [encrypted messaging app Signal to communicate](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/04/cop-city-atlanta-police-signal-app) about training center amid concerns over transparency - **TikTok’s** top** **trends raise [questions about how the platform defines and handles viral content](https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/6/23989124/tiktoks-biggest-hits-2023-viral-videos-trends-recommendation-algorithm) - A **Q&A **with local journalist Angus M. Thuermer Jr. on [covering climate change in Wyoming ](https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/qa-angus-m-thuermer-jr.php) - **Spanish media outlets** file lawsuit against Meta, alleging [unfair competition by using personalized advertising](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/spanish-media-association-files-598-mln-lawsuit-against-facebook-owner-meta-2023-12-04/) 📅 **Looking ahead** In a recent episode of Steve Bannon’s podcast *Bannon's War Room*, **Kash Patel**, former counterterrorism adviser on the National Security Council under President Donald Trump, [threatened to prosecute journalists](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/05/us/politics/trump-kash-patel-journalists.html) if Trump is reelected as president. Patel told Bannon that the administration would “**come after the people in the media**” who “helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.” The majority of U.S. journalists (57%) are **extremely or very concerned about potential restrictions on press freedoms**, according to our [2022 survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/02/most-u-s-journalists-are-concerned-about-press-freedoms/) of nearly 12,000 working U.S.-based journalists. Journalists have roughly similar levels of concern regardless of whether they say their news organization’s audience leans right or left (or is mixed politically). 📊 **Chart of the week** This week’s chart explores how [Americans’ international travel habits](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/12/06/americans-who-have-traveled-internationally-stand-out-in-their-views-and-knowledge-of-foreign-affairs/) relate to their views and knowledge of international affairs. Americans who have traveled to *at least five *other countries are **more likely to say they closely follow international news** than those with less international travel experience. [![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/12/image.png?w=310){.aligncenter width=310}](https://www.pewresearch.org/newsletter/the-briefing/the-briefing-2023-12-07/image-png-4/) --- *👋 That's all for this week. * The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Jacob Liedke, Sarah Naseer, Christopher St. Aubin, Luxuan Wang and Emily Tomasik. It is edited by Katerina Eva Matsa, Michael Lipka and Mark Jurkowitz, and copy edited by David Kent. *Do you like this newsletter? 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