The Latest: AP in court; Radio Free Europe funding; Building audience trust

March 27, 2025

■ NPR and PBS leaders face grilling before House DOGE subcommittee (Columbia Journalism Review) / What to do about the looming end of U.S. public broadcasting (Current)

■ ‘Kari Lake has withdrawn the cancelation of Radio Free Europe’s grant , seeking to end a legal standoff.’ (Kyle Cheney) / Voice of America director sues Trump officials over shutdown (New York Times)

‘In a striking bipartisan rebuke, five former FCC commissioners are urging Brendan Carr to shut down a revived “60 Minutes” case they warn threatens press freedom.’ (Oliver Darcy)

■ Tru mp White House debuts 'Podcast Row' as new media push expands (The Wrap)

■ Judge allows newspaper copyright lawsuit against OpenAI to proceed (Associted Press) / OpenAI's viral Studio Ghibli moment highlights AI copyright concerns (TechCrunch)

■ The newspaper flourishing without a paywall (New York Magazine)

■ CNBC is adding new international shows (Talking Biz News)

■ ‘Yesterday (Wednesday) I was detained by police in Istanbul, held for 17 hours and then deported from Turkey to the UK . Told I was “a threat to public order”. In the country I lived in - and love. Journalism is not a crime. Here’s the BBC’s statement.’ (Mark Lowen) / Turkish court frees AFP journalist held while covering protests, agency says (Reuters)

■ Fox News journalist’s widow sues network over his death in Ukraine (Washington Post)

■ Tegna taps Melissa Zimyeski & Mat Yurow for digital product & growth leadership (TV News Check) / Phil Willon promoted to California politics editor at the L.A. Times (Los Angeles Times) / WSJ hires Wells as executive production editor (Talking Biz News) / Sarah Owermohle joins CNN as a reporter covering health policy and politics (CNN) / Emma Goldberg joins the Styles desk at The New York Times (New York Times) / The Hollywood Reporter boosts awards team with new hire, promotion (Hollywood Reporter)

■ ESPN's L.A.-based 'SportsCenter' is leaving and heading east (Los Angeles Times)

How showing humanity can build audience trust

“I think it’s a good thing to open up to your readers. Yes, you might get a lot of hate mail and a lot of bad faith criticism, but I think responding shows all kinds of things — that, first of all, you are a human enterprise. … Having several people respond to a complaint, several complaints, or an “ask me anything” only humanizes and does a good thing. It humanizes the news operation to the reader. And we found that readers will tend to give us the benefit of the doubt when they engage in that interaction. And that humanness, I think, is absolutely important to trust, especially now in the age of A.I. And how the internet itself is just this very impersonal, sometimes very nasty place. And so allowing your reporters and the newsroom to be humans and to offer human responses goes a long way , and I think it’s worth trying 100%.”

-- Edmund Lee , editor on The New York Times Trust team. Read our full interview with Lee on the Times’ “Ask Us Anything” page.

3 tips for updating your resume

Layoffs are a difficult reality in an industry facing economic uncertainty. As more newsrooms continue to make reductions, journalists around the country are feeling the pressure. Here are tips to help with your resume:

“One size does NOT fit all when it comes to resumes,” said Rhema Thompson Bland, deputy director of news talent acquisition & development at McClatchy, on LinkedIn. “Try this: Update your resume to match the job description.” (Follow Bland on LinkedIn, where she regularly posts tips for journalism job seekers.

Avoid buzzwords like “Team Player,” “People Person,” “Good Communicator,” “Hard Worker,” or “Fast Learner,” said Shannon Donnelly on JournalismJobs.com.

Check out JobHero: Media & Journalism for resume examples and templates. You can also find great advice on the Resources for Journalists website.

Read on for more job-search advice.

Resources

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

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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 a more representative democracy. As the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest. The Institute's tax ID number is 52-1750908.