September 28, 2022

■ 'As Hurricane Ian makes landfall in Florida, I am dismayed by the number of cable TV newschannels which have reporters in the middle of hurricane force winds, delivering information already known from other sources, demonstrating what regular folks in the area should NOT be doing.' (Eric Deggans) / 'Things are getting dangerous': Fox weather correspondent files harrowing report as Hurricane Ian approaches (Mediaite) /  Hurricane Ian hammers 'Weather Channel' reporter during live shot (TMZ) / 'Meteorologist on The Weather Channel tells  @JimCantore  to stop his live report and seek cover because it's so dangerous to be outside in Punta Gorda.' (Brian Stelter)  

■ Here’s how the networks are covering Hurricane Ian (Ad Week) / 'Editor of the Tampa Bay Times  @markkatches  is hunkered down with me and our families in an Orlando hotel and he’s next to me in the hotel lobby interviewing other evacuees for our live updates feed.  Everyone works in a hurricane.' (Carolyn Fox) / Reporter explains why she placed condom over her microphone during Hurricane Ian coverage (OutKick)

■ Hurricane expert brushes off Don Lemon climate change question: ‘I want to talk about the here and now’ (The Hill) / As a meteorologist, Hurricane Ian is the nightmare storm I worry about most (Ars Technica) / A ‘nightmare’ for forecasters: here’s why hurricanes are getting stronger, faster (New York Times) / 'After over half a decade of debunking this hoax every time there was a flood or hurricane, I can't believe I'm looking at an honest-to-god street shark.' (Jane Lytvynenko) / Earlier: Why Jim Cantore and hurricane reporters in the eye of the storm matter (Poynter) 

■ Detroit radio news anchor remembered as 'damn good' reporter, man charged in his death (USA Today)  

■ Las Vegas journalist slaying case expected to take a long time in court (Nevada Public Radio)  

■ Vandalism case against Portland journalist goes to trial next month (Bangor Daily News) 

■ Sex, revenge porn and webcams: The firing of a TV weatherman (New York Times) 

■ KTLA turmoil over anchors' departure highlights concerns about Latino representation (L.A. Times) 

■ CNN kills off last remnant of CNN+, lays off around 20 staffers (Daily Beast) / Chris Cuomo talks with Kara Swisher: 'You do have a lot of friends at CNN. You have not talked to them, correct?’ (New York magazine)  

■ Inside The New York Times' heated union fight, where a potential strike looms and the biggest sticking point is pay (Insider) / ‘We are going to drag our editors into this’: The New York Times’ labor fight is demoralizing the newsroom (Vanity Fair)

■ 'Just in: @NPR CEO John Lansing names Edith Chapin as interim head of news. Chapin is currently NPR vice president/exec editor at large. Nancy Barnes, current news chief announced last week she would leave in November.’ (Paul Farhi) / Earlier: NPR chief news executive Nancy Barnes to depart as network reshapes top ranks (NPR) 

■ Hillary and Chelsea Clinton on how their family fueled right-wing media: 'We were the reason that Fox News was created’ (Variety) / ICYMI: Donald Trump calls New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman his 'psychiatrist’ (New York Post) 

■ Texas NPR station announces intent to acquire 'the historical and primary newspaper of Denton County' (KERA) / Earlier: With $61 million raised for the deal, Chicago Public Media acquires the Sun-Times (WBEZ) 

■ Fast Company shuts down website, suspends Apple News feed after hacker posts ‘vile’ messages (The Wrap) / 'We immediately retained a leading global incident response and cybersecurity firm and together are investigating the situation' (Fast Company)

■ Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Leonard Pitts to retire (Miami Herald) 

■ Bill Plante, CBS News correspondent for a half-century, dies at 84 (Washington Post) / 'R.I.P. Bill Plante. Legendary and extraordinary CBS News White House Correspondent. My friend. Colleague. Writing partner on the CBS Sunday Night News. Wonderful sense of humor. Beautiful singing voice. The ultimate gentleman. You will be missed, Bill.' (Jerry Cipriano) / Watch Bill Plante discuss ‘What’s next for White House coverage? Trump, Biden, and the future of US political reporting’ (NPCJI)

■ 'Mike Causey, RIP. He’ll be remembered as the popularizer of the phrase “Inside the Beltway” but his real contribution was his Washington Post column Federal Diary, about the unglamorous rank and file civil servants the paper otherwise mostly ignored.’ (Timothy Noah) 

Press freedom

■ Journalist arrested while reporting on homeless camp sweep sues city and police for violating civil rights (KOIN) 

■ Judge allows defamation lawsuit against Fox News, Lou Dobbs to move forward (The Hill) 

■ 4 years after Khashoggi’s murder, assaults on press freedom are getting worse (Washington Post)

Journalism and democracy have been upended by the growth of mis- and dis-information. Countering it effectively requires understanding why people are susceptible, targeted, and how they can become more resilient. Psychological research can teach journalists how to prebunk disinformation and convey credibility in ways that readers, viewers, and listeners can process, which is more essential than ever as November’s elections near.

Join the National Press Club Journalism Institute, the American Psychological Association, and PEN America for a free program at 11:30 a.m. ET tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 29, to learn how journalists can use psychological research to prebunk disinformation and convey credibility in ways that readers, viewers, and listeners can process.

"I’ve talked to a lot of young journalists who feel really inhibited by the structures of traditional reporting. What I usually tell them is: If you want to write essays and you want to write opinion work, you should absolutely go and do that. You shouldn’t try to force yourself into a mold, where you feel uncomfortable, where you feel you’re not able to do your best work. The difference is that, for me, I really believe in the straight ahead, deeply-reported story and its ability to inform people so they can come up with their own opinion."

-- Caitlin Dickerson, staff writer at The Atlantic, on advice for immigration reporting

How to prepare your internship and early-career applications

Internship coordinators for national news organizations review hundreds of applications, if not more, during each application cycle — so standing out is key. From the cover letter to resume to your work samples, applications require a keen eye and an editor’s approach. 

For tips, watch this Sept. 23 panel discussion on “How to land a journalism internship in Washington, D.C.,” with Sequoia Carrillo, reporter and intern manager, NPR’s Education Team; Shirley Carswell, executive director, Dow Jones News Fund; Christine Cox, intern program manager, NPR; and Angie Seldon, human resources senior specialist, C-SPAN. The conversation was moderated by Beth Francesco, deputy executive director for the Institute. 

Download and share this tip sheet with the student and early career journalists in your network.