The Latest: Baltimore bridge news + misinformation; Russia extends Evan’s detention; NBC News fallout continues; Moving meditation class at NPC tomorrow

March 26, 2024

Top stories

‘NBC NEWS plans to drop ex RNC-chair Ronna McDaniel as a paid contributor following on-air revolt from NBC/MSNBC talent’ (Dylan Byers) / Ronna McDaniel exploring 'legal options' if NBC drops her (Axios) / The fallout continues from NBC News’ controversial hire of Ronna McDaniel (Poynter)

Baltimore mayor urges news networks to stop showing video of Key Bridge Collapse (The Wrap) / What those covering the Key Bridge collapse can learn from reports about the 1980 Skyway disaster (Poynter) / Misinformation runs rampant after Baltimore bridge collapse (Axios)

WBUR offers employee buyouts to help cut 10 percent of budget (Boston Globe) / Executive briefing publisher Inside.com has laid off roughly three dozen staffers as a part of a broader move to eliminate its advertising team (Axios)

G/O Media puts The Onion up for sale, sells The A.V. Club to Paste and The Takeout to Static Media, most staff to keep their jobs (The Wrap) / Political news site Splinter relaunches under Paste magazine ownership (AdWeek)

Gannett CEO bashes NewsGuild : 'Plays dirty and lies to our employees' (Axios)

The Messenger CEO hasn't ponied up (Axios)

Chronicle of Philanthropy names Andrew Simon, former director of leadership programming at Grist, as top editor (Chronicle of Philanthropy) / The Guardian appoints new correspondents in the Caribbean, South America, Africa and the UK, boosting its coverage of underreported communities (The Guardian)

Trump's social media company starts trading on Nasdaq with a market value of almost $6.8 billion (Associated Press) / Trump Media is now a company . But is it a business? (Semafor) / Qatari royal invested about $50 million in pro-Trump network Newsmax (Washington Post)

The colleges that pay for positive coverage (Chronicle of Higher Education)

In New Orleans, a pioneering nonprofit newsroom , the Lens, ponders a future beyond its founder (Poynter)

She reads the newspaper on TikTok — and her videos are going viral (NPR)

‘Redefining journalism’: How Nepali YouTube series Herne Katha goes off the beaten track to bring untold stories to light (South China Morning Post)

War correspondent Jane Ferguson pulls back the curtain on her career covering global conflicts (Nieman Journalism Lab)

Press Freedom

Russian court again extends WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich’s detention (Wall Street Journal) / ‘U.S. Department of State spokesman says, despite Moscow’s claims against Evan Gershkovich, ‘they have provided no justification for holding him at all ’ (Alex Raufoglu) / National Press Club statement (NPC/JI)

At least 95 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza. This American Life profiled 5 of them (This American Life)

Elon Musk tried to ‘punish’ critics , judge rules, tossing suit against CCDH (Washington Post)

Is your newsroom hosting interns? Share the Lewis Scholarship with your applicants. Free housing + stipend. Deadline for summer interns is April 7, 2024.

Trends in journalism job openings and newsletter advice

Many news organizations have been shedding jobs this year, but there are still some segments of the industry that are hiring, according to the weekly email and Substack newsletter, “Inside the Newsroom.”

The publication, created by Madrid-based journalist Daniel Levitt, lists journalism job openings, internships, fellowships, events, awards, and salaries. The newsletter has a free option with a few job opportunities and then a monthly fee for access to a wider selection of job openings.

Despite it being a seemingly bleak landscape for journalism, you are still posting weekly items about hundreds of journalism job openings. What trends are you seeing about where most of the jobs are?

Levitt: I guess it's counter narrative, but I actually haven't seen any major drop in volume of journalism jobs, which is obviously a great thing. I think probably the number of outlets that are hiring has dropped off … and hiring at some of the legacy media organizations, like Vox, New York Times, Washington Post have dropped off recently ... But broadcast TV ... and those with multimedia operations are still hiring. NextStar, Scripps, and Gray Television — they're all hiring.

What are the trends in terms of the types of job openings you are seeing?

Levitt: We are seeing a lot on the non-editorial side. Product strategy, audience analytics, subscriptions, and membership … The big trend with news organizations.. [is that they are] going more and more toward subscriptions and paywalls… and the salaries for the … non-editorial roles are pretty nice. They pay very well, I would say, compared to the editorial side.

So you aren’t seeing as many jobs on the editorial side?

Levitt: There are jobs on the editorial side ... but I see less of them advertised. In terms of the kind of editorial jobs that I do see ... the more popular, I would say, are social media, search engine optimization, audience [development], and analytics.

Read on for more of Levitt's advice to journalism job seekers.

Looking for a new journalism job in D.C.? The 2024 D.C. Journalism Job Fair is on Saturday, April 6, at Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies. Learn more .

Mindful Movement: How journalists can reduce body stress & boost wellness. Free class at the National Press Club, March 27.

How to set up your camera for an in-person interview

“Place your subject as far away as possible from walls or bookcases to avoid distractions. Look in your camera’s viewfinder (or a portable field monitor) and make sure there are no distractions behind your subject … As the interviewer, position yourself opposite your subject. Tell your subject to maintain eye contact with you ... Sit close to the camera to maintain a nearly frontal view of your subject's face for your audience … Match your chair height to theirs. Ensure the subject's chair is comfortable, non-swiveling, and has a low back unseen by the camera.”

-- Jaime Hellman, Emmy-winning executive producer, Mastering on-camera interviews: Key tips and essential strategies (International Journalists' Network)

Resources

This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Bara Vaida, and Holly Butcher Grant. 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.