Jan. 21, 2025

■ Symbol of unity? Inauguration news coverage illustrates differences that pull country apart (Associated Press) / Pomp, Policy, and Pardons: How the media saw Trump’s return to power (Columbia Journalism Review) / ‘Jake Tapper's approach to Inauguration Day embodies a larger trend gripping the news media, which has tamped down its once aggressive posture toward Donald Trump.’ (Oliver Darcy) / Reflections from a journalist who has covered seven presidential inaugurations (Poynter) 

■ The White House Press Corps gears up for another Trump term (Columbia Journalism Review) / PolitiFact kicks off the MAGA-Meter to track Donald Trump’s promises (Poynter) / ‘Zeteo is launching a new live YouTube show … called 'America Unhinged,' which will cover the Trump administration's first 100 days …’ (Justin Baragona) / Three media stories to watch for the next 4 years (Semafor) 

■ Hannity scores first Trump 2.0 Oval Office interview (Axios) / MSNBC mourns and Fox makes merry as Trump season 2 premieres (New York Times) / Fox News prepares to cover a government filled with Fox News alumni (New York Times)

■ Mother of missing journalist Austin Tice says Trump team offered help in search (Associated Press) / Austin Tice's mother returns to Syria in search for son (NPR) 

■ Who is new White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt? (USA TODAY) / The Post announces new White House team (Washington Post) / ABC News’ Rachel Scott adds White House role as network sets D.C. assignments (Hollywood Reporter) / April Ryan joins Black Press USA as Washington bureau chief and senior White House correspondent (National Newspaper Publishers Association)

■ Phil Rucker quits WaPo for CNN in latest staff departure (The Hill) / CNN hires Allison Cho as a business editor (Talking Biz News) / Rachel Van Dongen named senior editor for national news and strategy (Washington Post) / Keely Diven joins The Washington Post as social media director (Washington Post) / Reuters taps Gabriella Borter to cover Congress (Talking Biz News) / Jonathan Weisman joins National Desk at The New York Times (New York Times) / Rosalind Helderman joins The New York Times (New York Times) / Scripps News names Liz Landers national security correspondent (TV News Check) / Inside Climate hires Arcelia Martin to cover renewable energy (Talking Biz News) 

■ CNN settles defamation suit after being ordered to pay $5 million (New York Times) / More activism, less credibility: What CNN's defamation loss says about journalism today (The Hill) 

■ Prince Harry's court battle with Murdoch papers delayed by settlement chaos (Reuters) 

■ Italian journalist Cecilia Sala reveals horror of captivity in Iranian jail (POLITICO) 

■ Local TV meteorologists deliver tearful farewell as stations replace staff with The Weather Channel feed (CNN)

■ NYT eyes U.S. subscription bundle partners (Axios)  

■ The Ankler launches standalone trade publication on the creator economy (Axios) 

■ Inside the tug-of-war between AI and news publishers (Semafor)

Humanize your audience to build engagement (and trust)

“A not-insignificant part of audience work is making readers more relatable and legible to the newsroom. The key point here is to humanize the audience inside of your newsroom. Who is this story for? Who should I talk to? What context do they need? What format will this work best in? When will they be most receptive? And, finally, how can I find those readers online? ... The more we can identify and build a narrative around the reader, the easier it’s going to be for the journalists to put themselves in the reader’s shoes.”

-- Fernanda Braune Brackenrich, U.S. editor, audience engagement at Financial Times, excerpt from "Audience editors offer advice for 'dispiriting' times in social and search" (Nieman Journalism Lab)

Reminder: Applications open for 2025 National Press Club scholarships 

Share with a student journalist! The National Press Club is still accepting applications for all 2025 scholarships. Opportunities are available for high school, college, and graduate student journalists:

• The Scholarship for Journalism Diversity Honoring Julie Schoo is a $5,000 scholarship awarded to a high school senior. The award can be renewed for up to three years at $5,000 per year. 
• The Richard G. Zimmerman Scholarship is a one-time scholarship of $5,000 to support a high school senior who wishes to pursue a career in journalism. 
• The Wes Vernon Broadcast Scholarship supports diversity within broadcast journalism. The scholarship is $5,000 awarded to a student who demonstrates a commitment to a career in broadcast journalism. The award can be renewed for up to three years.  
• The Lewis Scholarship provides housing and a monthly stipend to support student journalists of color with newsroom internships in Washington, D.C., during the summer semester.
• The Dennis and Shirley Feldman Fellowship recognizes a journalism graduate student with a one-time scholarship of $5,000. 

The deadline for all 2025 applications is Sunday, March 16, at 11:59 pm ET. Click here to apply. National Press Club scholarships are administered by its nonprofit affiliate, the National Press Club Journalism Institute.

Resources

• Finding and sharing hospital prices with your audience (Jan. 29, noon ET)
• Are You Being Tailed? Tips for reporters concerned about physical surveillance (Global Investigative Journalism Network) 
• How to make your news articles more accessible for visually impaired readers (journalism.co.uk)

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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