The Latest: Election Day coverage; McClatchy’s D.C. bureau to shutter; USA Today Co. rebrand

Nov. 4, 2025

■ New Pentagon press crew is all in on Trump (New York Times) / Laura Loomer is now credentialed to cover the Pentagon (Washington Post)

■ ‘McClatchy is shutting down their D.C. bureau and laying off some staffers , including a few reporters who cover Congress and the White House.’ (Jeremy Barr)

■ Teen Vogue ridiculed for dissolving politics team just one day before ‘major election’: ‘A knife in the back’ (The Wrap) / As Condé Nast folds Teen Vogue into Vogue’s website, NewsGuild condemns the plan (Hollywood Reporter)

■ Trump's ‘60 Minutes’ interview on CBS draws 13 million viewers (Axios) / What Trump said in the part of his ‘60 Minutes’ interview that didn’t air (Poynter)

■ Inside David Ellison’s dramatic first 100 days at Paramount … (Variety) / ‘Paramount scored a win by keeping Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show" through 2026 — a smart business decision that also spares the company from what would have been a major PR disaster.’ (Status)

■ MS … NOW? As MSNBC rebrands, a $20 million effort to avoid confusion . (New York Times) / ‘MSNBC will start airing ads tonight to remind viewers that the network will be renamed *MS NOW* in 11 days. …’ (Michael M. Grynbaum)

■ Sinclair reached out to Charlie Kirk’s widow amid Jimmy Kimmel suspension: ‘How can we make it right?’ (Hollywood Reporter)

■ Vox Media board has discussed spinning out podcast network (Axios)

■ Gannett changes name to USA Today Co. (New York Times)

■ RCFP’s national litigation program is growing (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press) / Jennifer Laski joins us as executive producer, live and brand partnerships (Ankler Media) / Bloomberg hires Judson to cover defense (Talking Biz News) / Bloomberg hires Tong as a graphics reporter (Talking Biz News) / The New York Times announces new hires in Cooking (New York Times)

■ In Philadelphia, a young nonprofit buys a century-old magazine (Nieman Journalism Lab)

■ Chatbot correspondence invades the Letters to the Editor page (New York Times)

2025 Fourth Estate Award Gala honoring ROBERT COSTA of CBS News December 9 at 6 pm ET at the National Press Club

Join the National Press Club in honoring Robert Costa of CBS News and "CBS Sunday Morning" at the 2025 Fourth Estate Award Gala on Dec. 9. This year’s event will begin with a reception at 6 p.m. ET followed by dinner and the awards program starting at 7 p.m. at the National Press Club. The evening also will honor the recipients of the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Awards and the Sheehan Award for Investigative Journalism .

Tickets are on sale now .

Election Day: How The Associated Press declares winners

“AP race calls aren’t predictions or projections; they are declarations. There are no apparent winners or likely winners. If we cannot definitively say who won, we don’t speculate. The AP calls a race when we conclude that the trailing candidate will not catch the leader . The AP has a corps of race callers dedicated to each state, backed by teams of analysts in our Washington bureau. Race callers and analysts begin preparing months ahead of Election Day, relying on a tremendous amount of data from AP’s election research team. Analysts have deep knowledge about the political makeup of their states; how each county and district has voted in past elections; how many ballots are typically cast before Election Day, either by mail or in person; and whether counties are able to count all those votes on election night. They participate in in-depth training on AP’s election systems and, on election night, they are in constant contact with AP’s vote count team.”

-- Excerpt from “Understanding the Election: How AP declares winners ” (The Associated Press)

2026 National Press Club Scholarships Opportunities for high school college and graduate students Apply by March 1

Share with a student: Applications open for 2026 National Press Club scholarships

The National Press Club and the Institute are now accepting applications for all 2026 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.
NEW: The Rich Passan Sports Writing Scholarship is a $5,000 award supporting undergraduate college juniors or seniors who demonstrate excellence and promise in sports journalism.

The deadline for all 2026 applications is Sunday, March 1, 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. Click here to learn more.

Resources

This newsletter is written and edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant, and Elliot C. Williams. 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.