July 10, 2024

• CNN to reduce staff by about 100 as CEO unveils new details of 'One Newsroom' strategy; digital subscription offering planned for later this year (Deadline) / ‘CNN's Opinion section is silenced. Sources tell me the editor has also been informed she's part of the lay-offs' (Claire Atkinson) / Are you willing to pay for CNN.com? Prepare to be asked before year’s end (Nieman Journalism Lab) 

• George Stephanopoulos caught on camera expressing doubts about Biden (The Washington Post) / Biden keeps media blitz going, plans primetime interview with NBC's Lester Holt (The Hollywood Reporter) 

• CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews to exit, shifts to advisor role through 2024 election (The Hollywood Reporter)

• The culture wars inside the New York Times (The New Yorker) 

• ‘This American Life’ shifts its ad sales to National Public Media (Bloomberg) 

• Jack Schlossberg [John F. Kennedy’s grandson] joins Vogue as political correspondent (Vogue) / Lauren Morello joins The Washington Post’s general assignment team as deputy editor (The Washington Post) / New York Times’ Max Strasser moves from Opinion editor to Ideas editor (New York Times) 

• A beloved tech blog is now publishing AI articles under the names of its old human staff (404 Media) / U.S. disrupts Russian government-backed disinformation campaign that relied on AI technology (Associated Press) / NewsGuard launches monitor to measure AI-powered misinformation (MediaPost) 

• Instagram removes Gaza posts from lefty news org Democracy Now (Semafor)

• The hard lessons of lifetime subscriptions (Wall Street Journal) 

• NPR receives $5.5 million grant to expand NPR Collaborative Journalism Network in Appalachia, Mountain West and New England (NPR) 

Press Freedom

• Russia declares newspaper The Moscow Times 'undesirable' amid crackdown on criticism (Associated Press) 

• Indian police launch criminal investigation into 2 journalists under new penal code (Committee to Protect Journalists)

Master class on organizing narrative & breaking news, Aug. 16

All great stories have a beginning, middle, and end. But organizing a pile of reporting notes, quotes and data can be, well, overwhelming. Just how should journalists tackle story structure, especially with the variety of options? 

Join four award-winning reporters and editors from 1 to 5 p.m. ET Friday, Aug. 16, as they explore story structure and strategies for constructing memorable stories on and off deadline. Hosted by the National Press Club Journalism Institute, this half-day virtual workshop will include tips and tools for building structures that effectively shape breaking news, feature, and investigative stories. 

Register now to learn from: 

• Lane DeGregory, a Pulitzer Prize-winning staff writer at the Tampa Bay Times
• Wesley Lowery, executive editor of Investigation Reporting Workshop at American University and a Pulitzer Prize winner
• Steve Padilla, Los Angeles Times Column One editor
• Eric Tucker, national security reporter for the Associated Press

Participants will:

• Gain go-to story structures that can be applied efficiently and effectively to almost any story.
• Hone skills for writing sharper ledes and memorable endings.
• Get inspiration for ways to organize notes, find the telling quotes, work with data, and build out the story.
• Walk away with confidence that they can quickly shape stories that hold readers’ interest. 

Whether you are an experienced journalist or new to the business you will develop some new approaches to story writing. Bring your story structure challenges, as instructors will answer questions throughout the afternoon. Give yourself a professional gift and learn from some of the best in the business. 

Tickets are on sale now. Program participants will have access to a recording of the sessions.

Resources

• Retaining and engaging audiences post-election (July 25, 1 pm ET)
• Guide to legal rights in the U.S. for journalists (Committee to Protect Journalists) 
• The Beyond Print Toolkit: A guide for newspaper operators to reimagine the role of print and build sustainable long-term success (The Lenfest Institute for Journalism)

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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