May 19, 2021

Top stories ■ Chicago mayor sparks backlash after limiting media interviews to people of color (The Hill) / ‘I am a Latino reporter @chicagotribune whose interview request was granted for today. However, I asked the mayor’s office to lift its condition on others and when they said no, we respectfully canceled. Politicians don’t get to choose who covers them.’ (Gregory Pratt) / ‘Fact is, elected officials, candidates, celebrities, athletes etc. choose who they want to interview them all the time. They just don't do so on the basis of race or gender. Or at least they don't admit they do.’ (Paul Farhi) / In letter to journalists, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said there are no women of color assigned to cover Chicago City Hall. But @WBEZ notes: "Two of the three WBEZ reporters covering City Hall are Hispanic and South Asian women respectively." (Gregory Pratt) ■ After conservative criticism, UNC backs down from offering acclaimed New York Times journalist a tenured position (NC Policy Watch) / ‘We demand explanations from the university’s leadership at all levels,’ UNC faculty say in letter (NC Policy Watch) / Journalism faculty statement on Nikole Hannah-Jones board vote (Hussman Faculty) / ‘UNC's decision to deny tenure to @nhannahjones is absurd & a reminder of how hard some work to deny the hard truth that is Nikole's life work & the 1619 Project. She is a Pulitzer Prize winner & a MacArthur genius. What more needs to be said?’ (Yamiche Alcindor) / ‘It's hard to see UNC's decision to deny tenure to Nikole Hannah Jones as anything other than an attack on press freedom — she is being penalized for producing journalism that powerful people do not like and have worked for years to silence.’ (Wesley Lowery) / For the exact same work — the Pulitzer-prize winning 1619 Project — Morehouse College bestows @nhannahjones an honorary degree and UNC, her alma mater, takes away her tenure offer in same week. We should be asking what is going on here. (Errin Haynes) ■ ‘The Guild basically wants Times employees to underwrite the revolution’: New York media’s top union erupts in conflict over cash (Vanity Fair)  ■ What Sally Buzbee’s AP history suggests about how she might manage The Post (Washington Post) ■ A White House correspondent gets back in the pool (van) (The New York Times) ■ CNN’s Zucker, reunited with a powerful friend, sees his fortunes change (New York Times)  ■ The Gaza building with AP and Al Jazeera offices destroyed by Israel over the weekend contained the "electronic department of the military wing of Hamas," a senior Israel Defense Forces officer told journalists on Wednesday. Here's our report (Brian Stelter) / Earlier: Israel showed US ‘smoking gun’ on Hamas in AP office tower, officials say (Jerusalem Post)  ■ A Virginia lawmaker wants to make FOIA requests cheaper or free. Some government and police groups aren't happy about it. (The Virginia Mercury) ■ Someone *wrong* on the internet? Correcting them publicly may make them act like a bigger jerk (Nieman Lab) / Should you trust media bias charts? (Poynter) ■ Americans and ‘cancel culture’: Where some see calls for accountability, others see censorship, punishment (Pew Research Center)  ■ Can the news be fixed? (The Atlantic)  ■ Katy Tur memoir 'Rough Draft' scheduled for November (AP) / Longtime Nevada political reporter to pen Harry Reid biography (The Hill) / Publisher stands by ‘Flamin’ Hot’ book after Frito-Lay calls Cheetos origin story ‘urban legend’ (L.A. Times)

After a year of working from home, journalists and communicators around the country are hitting reset on their routines as they consider life after vaccination. Add “Pro Tips: Writing refresh” to your toolkit as you reset. In this 3-hour workshop, we’ll get you motivated with: Tips on energizing tired writing Structuring stories with inclusivity at their core Writing killer headlines that attract, rather than distract Registration is open for this program, which will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. ET Friday, June 4, on Zoom. Tickets are $50 for general participants and $40 for National Press Club members.

The 7 keys to effective meetings Advice from Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership

Whether you are gathering in a conference room or on Zoom, at a standing story session or a lean-back debrief, a good leader makes sure everyone knows why they're there and what the outcome of the meeting will be. Introverts have time to prepare, there's an agenda to focus discussion, and the group respects that an inclusive culture means everyone has a voice. Finally, there is clarity about who is doing what and by when, and the team closes the loop after the meeting ends.

Get more career advice: Read Jill's columns | Watch Manager's Minute videos

Journalists believe that more facts get us closer to the truth, and that the way to make society stronger is by spotlighting what’s wrong. Many Americans disagree. New research shows us how to adjust our mix of stories, reframe our coverage, and write headlines to reach people who don’t fully embrace journalism values. Join us Tuesday, May 25 from 1 to 2 p.m. ET for a National Press Club Headliners virtual event to learn new ways to build trust with the communities your journalism is failing to reach.  Speakers include: Jennifer Benz, vice president, NORC at the University of Chicago Tom Huang, assistant managing editor for journalism initiatives, The Dallas Morning News Tom Rosenstiel, executive director, American Press Institute Emily Swanson, director of public opinion research, The Associated Press Lisa Nicole Matthews, assignment manager of U.S. video for the Associated Press and the 114th president of the National Press Club, will moderate the panel. Registration is open for this one-hour program, jointly produced by the National Press Club Journalism Institute and the National Press Club. The program will stream live on the websites of the Institute and Press Club, and on the Press Club’s YouTube Channel. It is accessible to the press and public at no cost, but registration is required. Viewers can email their questions in advance or during the live program to [email protected], with “Trust” in the subject line.

Resources Ethical decision-making on deadline A news photographer's guide to taking portraits  Copy, paste, legislate: Model legislation tracker

This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant and Julie Moos. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover. Get this from a friend? Subscribe, and view the archives.

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