October 24, 2023

• Americans are following the news less closely than they used to (Pew Research Center) / ‘Fascinating: "In 2016, 51% of U.S. adults said they followed the news all or most of the time. But that share fell to 38% in 2022…” ’ (Ariel Edwards-Levy)

• ‘You don’t want to hedge it?’: Inside the New York Times debate over its Gaza hospital Bombing coverage (Vanity Fair) / ‘It hasn’t gotten as much attention as the NYT editors’ note on the Gaza hospital story, but this 20-minute interview w/ Executive Editor Joe Kahn is far more revealing …’ (Bill Grueskin) / Asked about their coverage of the hospital bombing in Gaza, WSJ declines to comment, the AP and Al Jazeera ignore inquiries, Reuters and CNN admit no fault (CNN)

• WGA East explains that it hasn't released a public statement about the Israel-Hamas war to protect its journalist members, which make up 40% of the guild (The Wrap) / Prominent journal editor fired for endorsing satirical article about Israel-Hamas conflict (Science) 

• Broadcasters ask government to make Apple pay news outlets under Online News Act (National Post)

• Four years into his job as a turnaround artist at Condé Nast, Roger Lynch is under pressure to grow the business after an era of relentless cutting. (Puck) / ‘I hated working at Condé Nast but I love writing about it!’ (Lauren Sherman)

• Sources: The Messenger staffers push to unionize amid concerns, including its AI partnership with Seekr and its president suggesting the site is ‘out of money’ (Daily Beast) 

• NYT brings in outside lawyers to probe ex-bureau chief’s behavior (Daily Beast)

• Matthew Brown named race and politics reporter (Associated Press) / Priya Sridhar joins NBC News as Atlanta-based correspondent (Ad Week) / ‘I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Blue Ridge Public Radio in Asheville, NC, as a growth and development reporter!’ (Felicia Sonmez) 

• Tucker Carlson signs first ad deal since Fox News departure (CNBC) / Jesse Watters smirked his way to the top. Fox needs him to stay there. (Washington Post)

• Young South Africans are shaping the news through community radio — via social media (Nieman Journalism Lab) 

• What El Tímpano learned training 100+ Latino immigrants on disinformation defense (Nieman Journalism Lab)

• Mississippi Today joins national collaboration focusing on rural workforce development (Mississippi Today) 

• What's Up Trojans? Young journalists producing newspaper at Tuscarawas Valley Elementary (Times-Reporter) 

Press freedom 

• Sister of wrongfully detained journalist describes his current conditions (MSNBC)

• Australian journalist Cheng Lei describes her detention in China as psychological torture (ABC News) 

Don’t isolate climate journalism from the rest of the newsroom

“We tend to write about climate as if it’s something that is happening outside reality. Make climate impact part of all beats. Fashion. Celebrities. Sports. Everything is related to climate. But if we separate climate journalism into some kind of political silo for people that are already kind of interested in the topic, then we will lose audiences and we will lose engaged citizens."

-- Lars Tallert, founder and president of the Sustainable Journalism Partnership, ‘Make climate impact part of all beats’: Tips from the Sustainable

Design 101: How to create visuals when it’s not usually your job

In our scroll and skim culture, visuals can make the difference in whether a reader engages with a story. But not every newsroom has a graphic design professional to help create a compelling image on deadline. If you’re a journalist or communication professional now handling (or who wants to handle) quick-turn graphics, get a head start with our beginner course for designing visuals when it’s not usually part of your job.

Beth Francesco, the National Press Club Journalism Institute’s executive director, will share best practices, tools you have at your disposal, and exercises for creating visuals regardless of your hands-on design experience.

This interactive session will take place at noon ET on Friday, Nov. 3. Tickets are $20 for the public and $15 NPC members.

Participants will learn:

• Rules of thumb to guide your decisions on fonts, colors, and images
• Tools you have at your fingertips to make quick work of visuals (social cards, call-outs, basic infographics, and more) on the fly 
• Exercises to help you develop your design thinking 

Beth will be available for 30 minutes after the program to answer any individual questions or to troubleshoot your design issues.

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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