The Latest: McClatchy’s AI tool; Pittsburgh media turnaround; 4 pitching tips

April 21, 2026

Editor's note: You may be seeing this newsletter a little later than usual due to a Constant Contact outage on Tuesday, April 21. We appreciate your patience.

■ AP journalists in the Middle East break down their coverage of the Iran War (Associated Press)

■ Inside McClatchy’s AI tool and newsroom backlash (The Wrap) / ‘I got internal photos/videos of McClatchy's Claude-powered "content scaling agent" tool roiling its newsrooms. It's an AI product executives made because "we need more stories and we need more inventory," and journalists "defiant" about using it "will fall behind." ’ (Corbin Bolies) / AI data centers in the land of diminished local news (Columbia Journalism Review)

■ Nexstar-Tegna deal questions largely dodged by FCC Media Bureau officials at NAB show panel (Deadline)

■ Inside David Zaslav's $500 million Warner Bros exit after Paramount sale (Variety)

■ After facing the death of its dominant newspaper, Pittsburgh's media has a surprising turnaround (Associated Press)

■ Can progressive investors save Michigan’s small-town newspapers ? (MLive)

■ Axios to launch Axios Arapahoe County and Axios Douglas County in May (Axios)

■ Food newsletter launches with eight staff and tech-style incentives (Press Gazette)

■ Shirtless Alex Jones reacts to The Onion deal to acquire Infowars: ‘The whole thing’s about defaming me’ (Hollywood Reporter) / ICYMI: The Onion reaches new deal to take over Alex Jones’ Infowars (CNN)

■ Inside Alex Cooper’s Unwell : Tears, screaming, and employees looking for the exit (Bloomberg)

■ Frank Maranzino named leader of CapRadio (Current) / Business Insider hires Forrester as assistant editor (Talking Biz News) / Financial Post hires Tran as a reporter (Talking Biz News) / Mike Tomlin to join NBC’s Sunday night NFL pregame show (The Athletic)

■ The Weather Company redefines the modern newsroom with Max On Demand, powering the future of scalable, cloud-first weather storytelling (The Weather Company)

■ Poynter relaunches most popular editing certificate for communicators and journalists (Poynter)

■ Types of news Americans seek out or come across by chance (Pew Research Center)

News Reimagined: The Creator Journalism Summit (May 4)

Join us in partnership with URL Media for "News Reimagined: The Creator Journalism Summit " — a one-day experience bringing together journalists, news influencers, and newsroom leaders who are redefining how news reaches audiences, builds trust, and becomes sustainable.

🗓️ Monday, May 4 | ⏰ 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET | 📍National Press Club

We’ll kick things off with mainstage speakers Bianca Graulau and Nick Valencia , whose independent journalism has reached millions and reshaped what it means to connect with an audience. They’ll set the tone for a day grounded in bold ideas, real talk, and practical takeaways.

Bianca Graulau is an independent journalist from Puerto Rico

Nick Valencia is the founder of Nick Valencia News

We’ll follow this conversation with tailored instruction from speakers including: Michael Jones (Once Upon a Hill); S. Mitra Kalita (URL Media); Ryan Y. Kellett (The Independent Journalism Atlas); Katherine Reynolds Lewis (Institute for Independent Journalists); Adrienne Johnson Martin (MLK50); Krysta Villeda (Pulso).

Together, we’ll answer questions like: “How do I make money as a creator journalist?”, “What does a strong partnership look like?” and “What does a sustainable and ethical creator-journalism ecosystem look like?” And you’ll leave with practical action items to apply to your brand or outlet.

🎟 Creators/Journalists: $25 | Newsrooms/Publishers: $75

GET TICKETS NOW

4 tips for pitching from the Open Notebook

“Making your pitch stand out is a crucial skill for any freelancer or staff reporter. This may seem like an elusive talent, but with practice and careful attention to detail, you can learn how to craft pitches editors will want to assign. …

Pitch a story, not a topic . Finding a topic might be easy, but finding an engaging story angle, plot, and characters that will resonate with readers takes work — and that’s exactly what editors look for. ...

Pitch to the right person . Find the right department and assigning editor for your pitch. Many outlets put editors’ email addresses in their masthead. Others may advertise them on social media or have editors listed in The Open Notebook’s Global Science Writers Database or the membership directory of the National Association of Science Writers. ...

Craft a snappy subject line . Once a pitch lands in an editor’s email, the subject line determines whether they’ll open it. That’s why it should encapsulate the essence of a pitch in a few words—and grab the editor’s attention. Begin the subject line with 'Pitch:…' If the pitch is time-sensitive, put that in the subject line, too.

Don’t give up . Pitching can be especially frustrating when a story just won’t sell. Even if the pitch is great, a publication might be changing its editorial focus, editors might be swamped, or the newsroom could be preparing to cover a major conference. You can still follow up, pitch to different outlets, or revisit your old pitch with a fresh angle later on.”

-- Excerpt from "12 tips to tune up your next pitch" (The Open Notebook)

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.

Get this from a friend? Subscribe and view the archives.

DONATE TO THE INSTITUTE

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes First Amendment values by equipping journalists in Washington, D.C., and nationwide with the skills, knowledge, standards, resources and networks to empower and inform the public. 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.