The Latest: ‘Coup’ or ‘Anarchy’, ‘Conservative’ or ‘Radical Right’; What’s your ‘snack-to-sentence ratio’?; Job search lessons

The Latest: Covering today, informing tomorrow

January 4, 2021

■ Punchbowl arrives from reporters who left POLITICO's Playbook (New York Times) / Inside the POLITICO Playbook shake-up , Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer's exit (Daily Beast)

■ ‘Fox and Friends’ says Trump courts ‘anarchy’ with call for election protests: ‘There is no proof’ of fraud (The Wrap) / Media should call GOP election fight an attempted coup , historian says (CNN) / What is a coup ? (Poynter) / Perspective: We must stop calling Trump’s enablers ‘conservative.’ They are the radical right. (Washington Post)

■ Washington Post employees to receive $2,021 'special bonus' (The Wrap)

■ USPS delays are threatening small-town newspapers . So is a postage price increase. (Washington Post)

■ Tribune Publishing creates team to review Alden’s buyout offer (Wall Street Journal) / Earlier: Alden Global seeks to buy Tribune Publishing (Wall Street Journal)

■ ’We're Google workers. And we're forming a union ,’ employees announce in New York Times op-ed (New York Times)

■ Providence's NBC affiliate faces firestorm after host's comments about incoming female lawmakers of color (Boston Globe)

■ Local news must stop using the term 'officer-involved' shooting (Salt Lake Tribune)

■ Ken Jennings defends co-podcaster John Roderick amid "Bean Dad" controversy (Hollywood Reporter)

■ A photographer secretly snapped strangers' text messages and turned them into art (CNN)

■ Why Julian Assange's victory does little to help the cause of press freedom (Fortune) / Why Chinese 'citizen journalist ' and press freedom matters now more than ever (Dallas Morning News) / 'The Dissident' tracks the killing of Jamal Kashoggi (Los Angeles Times) / New book memorializes work of NPR photographer killed in Taliban ambush (Current)

■ A Q&A with Helen Branswell, one year after COVID became a full-time job (STAT) / Larry King removed from ICU during COVID-19 hospitalization (The Wrap) / Remembering Tiffany Shackelford (Society for News Design) / More than 500 journalists and media workers have died from COVID-19 (Poynter)

■ ICYMI: Host of 'The Daily' clouds 'N.Y. Times' effort to restore trust after 'Caliphate' (NPR) / “It has been the privilege of my life to support your important work.” — After 42 years, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., retires and says goodbye to @nytimes (Cliff Levy) / How the dusty old op-ed pages became the red-hot outrage-generating machine of 2020 (Washington Post) / 5 anchorwomen to leave NY1 after settling discrimination suit (New York Times) / POLITICO to acquire energy trade publication E&E News (Wall Street Journal) / Washington’s secret to the perfect Zoom bookshelf ? Buy it wholesale. (POLITICO) / Surprise ending for publishers : In 2020, business was good (New York Times)

What’s your 2021 writing resolution? Washington Post’s Jessica Contrera shares hers

With the help of inspiring journalists, we learned about writing in many different ways over the last year — from sharing about personal loss to evoking emotions through detail; and finding your focus to turning your memories into a memoir. As we enter the new year, we reached out to our previous writing program instructors to hear about their 2021 writing resolutions.

Name: Jessica Contrera

Current job: Enterprise reporter, Washington Post

Previous program: Writing through – The power of details

What are your writing resolutions for 2021?

Contrera: I can’t wait until the day when doing in-person reporting is my default again, and I sure do hope that day comes in 2021. There’s simply no substitute for being in the room when someone is going through a moment that matters to a story, and while that’s not impossible now, it takes a whole lot more coordination, caution and calculated risk. I have a whole new appreciation for what a gift it is to be present with people, and I hope that my writing can reflect that.

What lesson about writing most influenced your writing during 2020? What do you hope to learn in 2021?

Contrera: I learned how to keep writing even in moments of real fear, like when federal forces were firing tear gas and stun grenades at protestors and my colleagues who were sending me feeds from the ground. I was updating our story every few minutes, and I’ve never typed so fast while simultaneously shouting words not fit for print. In 2021, I hope to improve on just about everything, because there’s always another story to do.

How did your writing change during the pandemic?

Contrera: My snack-to-sentence ratio is significantly more embarrassing. And I’ve relied on my journalism friends and my editor, Lynda Robinson, more than ever, to push me to keep trying to do ambitious work and to take breaks when I need them.

Click here to read our Q&A with Contrera on her story that follows a burger from cow to customer.

People read action, not minds

Let’s face it: We tend to read messages through the prism of our worst fears. Leaders can reinforce trust when they share the intention behind feedback or directions. When people share their intentions, they influence whether the message they really mean to share sticks the landing. Remember, your team watches what you say (and don’t), where you are (and aren’t), who you spotlight (and appear to ignore). As the person in charge, you may not be able to share everything you know. Be transparent about all you can, and vocalize your intentions.

Advice from Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity, Loyola University Chicago, Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership

Click here to read Jill’s previous posts.

Class of 2020: Where are they now? Michael Tobin

The next generation of journalists graduated in 2020 into a challenging job market unlike any other. We spotlighted them last summer, shared advice from their role models, and are checking in with them to see where they are now and what they’re learning about journalism.

Name: Michael Tobin

School: University of Oregon

Current Job: Bloomberg News

New wackiest story: The national coin shortage

Where are you working right now?

Tobin: I’m working full time at Bloomberg News after interning (remotely) over the summer.

My first rotation at Bloomberg was on the foreign exchange/rates desk. I was completely new to the trade, and it was a steep learning curve. By the end of my first rotation, I produced a few stories I was really proud of after some coaching and mentorship from my editors and I felt much more confident.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned on the job search?

Tobin: Eventually, the hard work that you put in will pay off. It can be really scary waiting to hear back on a job that can change your life, but you have to have faith in yourself and know that you’re good enough. It is scary to wait to hear back, but try and stay positive while you wait.

What’s been your best moment in journalism since graduation?

Tobin: Well, getting a full time job and moving to New York relieved a lot of stress, so that was a huge moment for me. I did a few fun stories about the Kodak film company getting approved for a loan from the government to develop drugs (bizarre, I know), which got the attention of an editor I really like and respect at Bloomberg. His compliments meant a lot!

What do you wish you had learned as a student that you’re learning on the job?

Tobin: I wish I had been more persistent about contacting sources in college. I hated talking on the phone, but now it’s easy and a lot of fun. People also will talk more freely since they’re working from home, which is a good thing to keep in mind.

Have your journalism goals changed since graduation, and if so how?

Tobin: I think my goals have changed. I’m more open to pursuing different types of business journalism stories (as opposed to covering one beat or company) and now I want to cover a sector or market like corporate bonds and debt.

What’s the NEW wackiest story you’ve ever worked on?

Tobin: I did a fun story over the summer for Bloomberg Businessweek about the national coin shortage. I hadn’t seen a good story written about the coin shortage, so I set out to write one and interview the people who were most affected: coin laundromat owners. I found a laundromat owner who drove to six banks a day just to try and stock the coins for his machines. It was a completely bizarre problem, and one that is paradoxical in a way. There’s no coin shortage, the supply of coins remained the same, but there was a problem with coins not moving. It wasn’t a traditional shortage, which I found fascinating.

Read Tobin’s original profile here.

How a science and global health reporter practices self-care

Apoorva Mandavilli, a science and global health reporter at The New York Times, shared how she’s taking care of herself during the pandemic:

“Now when I take days off, I actually try not to do work at all, whereas earlier, I worked every weekend. I am also reading books again (hallelujah!), watching TV that isn’t just comfort viewing of old favorites, and I still regularly work on the day’s crossword, Spelling Bee and Vertex. And, miracle of miracles, I’ve come up with, and am mostly sticking to, an exercise routine.”

Read Mandavilli’s three tips for covering health when you usually don’t and the lessons she learned for 2021 coverage.

Read on for more self-care tips, or share how you are taking care of yourself right now.

Resources

This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant, and Julie Moos. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

Get this from a friend? Subscribe, and view the archives.

SUPPORT THE INSTITUTE

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement. NPCJI is the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club. Support our important work with a tax-deductible contribution today.