The Latest: CBS News ‘in distress’; PBS furloughs; Chicago Sun-Times + AI; Weather coverage

May 20, 2025

Top stories

■ CBS News in distress after executive’s exit: ‘There’s a lot of fear’ (CNN) / ‘A source close to negotiations tells me Paramount/CBS could settle with President Trump for as much as $30-50 million’ (Jake Tapper) / Senators question Shari Redstone over efforts to reach CBS settlement with Trump (Wall Street Journal) / The showdown over '60' (Status)

■ PBS furloughs 25% of PBS Kids staff following Ready To Learn cuts (Current)

■ CNN’s Tapper defends his reporting for Biden book amid backlash (The Hill)

■ New media company ‘ATM’ launches to give executives control of their coverage (Axios)

■ Chicago Sun-Times prints AI-generated summer reading list with books that don't exist (404 Media) / How an AI-generated summer reading list got published in major newspapers (NPR)

■ The Athletic is solidly profitable after New York Times acquisition (Axios)

■ Los Angeles mayor seeks to lure filming back by cutting red tape (New York Times)

■ Google’s chief emissary to the news business is stepping down — and looking back (Nieman Journalism Lab) / KU’s longtime journalism dean stepping down to return to teaching at the school this fall (Lawrence Journal-World)

■ MSNBC poaches CNN exec Marcus Mabry as network builds up digital presence (Semafor) / Ex-NBC host Chuck Todd plans online show with startup Noosphere (Bloomberg) / Bloomberg hires Chang as global business editor (Talking Biz News) / Politico hires FT's Chu to cover health care policy (Talking Biz News) / Victoria Chen joins NYT Cooking (New York Times) / Longtime Houston reporter steps into new role at ABC 13 (Chron)

■ Columbia keeps ‘investigating’ student journalists covering pro-Palestine protests (Columbia Journalism Review)

■ The Onion’s Ben Collins knows how to save media (Vanity Fair)

How federal employee layoffs will impact weather coverage

“National and local outlets use weather data in different but related ways. Reporters at national outlets like Vox often use high-level data to put climate change and extreme weather events into context; during the summer, the weather service’s constant updates and guidance for events like hurricanes, wildfires, and extreme heat help reporters and editors decide how to allocate resources and set coverage priorities . … At the local level, reporters often use more granular data to help their audiences understand how the days and weeks ahead are looking; this is the sort of thing your local weather reporter turns to when making their forecast, and is especially impacted by the weather balloon losses.”

-- Neel Dhanesha , staff writer at Nieman Journalism Lab, excerpt from “How do you report on the weather when data is disappearing?” (Nieman Journalism Lab)

How to separate work performance and self-worth

“It’s impossible to separate yourself entirely from your performance; of course you’ll be proud when things turn out well and disappointed when they don’t. But if your self-worth rises and falls with your successes and failures, or your work serves as a referendum on you as a person, try this: Focus on the work for the work’s sake . Incorporate your achievements and struggles into a larger self-concept, but remember your worth is not contingent upon your performance. Take the stance of a sculptor eyeing a block of marble and ask yourself, ‘What would make this thing better?’ Bonus: Ironically, it’s when we focus on the work for the work’s sake that the work is more likely to be good.”

-- Ellen Hendriksen , PhD, clinical psychologist and author, excerpt from “When your layoff anxiety won’t go away ” (Harvard Business Review)

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.