May 1, 2025

■ Paramount leaders discussed settling Trump’s lawsuit for as much as $20 million (Wall Street Journal) / Shari Redstone asked CBS CEO if it would be possible to delay sensitive 60 Minutes stories about Trump until after the Skydance deal is closed (Puck) / ‘The Kamala Harris 60 Minutes interview that's at the center of the Trump lawsuit and an FCC news distortion probe just got an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Edited Interview category’ (Max Tani)

■ White House launches Drudge-style website to promote Trump (Axios)

■ People who fear the Trump administration are asking editors to remove their names from old news stories (Poynter)

■ Fox, Smartmatic each ask judge to rule in their favor in defamation lawsuit (Wall Street Journal) / Fox’s false claims about 2020 race were an audience strategy, Smartmatic says (Washington Post) / Murdoch’s Smartmatic secrets (Status) 

■ Nielsen launches new ad supported TV measurement report (Adweek) 

■ Gannett announces first quarter 2025 results & reiterates business outlook (Gannett) / Reuters News reports first quarter revenue, earnings drop (Talking Biz News) 

■ CPB grants Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom nearly $650,000 (Current) 

■ Spanish-language newspaper ceases printing after 45 years, leaving void in Las Vegas (The Nevada Independent) 

■ New York Magazine is now publishing on Substack (Nieman Journalism Lab)

■ Daily Wire to open DC branch (Semafor)

■ Lester Holt’s final day as ‘NBC Nightly News’ anchor set for May 30; Tom Llamas to debut on June 2 (Deadline) / Fox & Friends icon Steve Doocy on why he’s moving to a new role (Mediaite) / Jim Brady announces plans to leave Knight Foundation (Jim Brady) / Randy Lebedoff, SVP and general counsel for the Minnesota Star Tribune, retires after 30-year tenure (Minnesota Star Tribune via Editor and Publisher) 

■ Spencer Lane new GM of WJET-WFXP Erie (TV News Check) / Jeffrey Pope named KUNM GM (Current) / Journal Record hires Warlick as editor (Talking Biz News) / The Atlantic hires Missy Ryan as staff writer (The Atlantic) / Daniel Wood joins NYT Graphics (New York Times) / NESN is hiring Alanna Rizzo as general sports reporter, analyst (Boston.com) 

■ A TV meteorologist builds an AI avatar that creates its own forecasts (TV News Check) / Former TV meteorologist fights deepfakes after her image was doctored in sextortion scams (CBS News)

■ Vox Media sells gaming site Polygon (Axios) / New NYT Games feature will let fans play Wordle against celebs Laufey, Lola Tung, Chris Perfetti, Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan (Variety) 

■ Four months after wildfires, Kentucky Derby favorite Journalism embodies symbol of resilience (NBC Sports)

Intro to AI for Journalists: Workshop on May 16

There's no questioning it: AI is here to stay in the news business. Newsrooms are integrating AI into their workflows, and journalists and professional communicators have adopted AI as a tool to improve their reporting, writing, editing, and audience outreach.

Join the National Press Club Journalism Institute for a half-day workshop at the National Press Club starting at noon ET on Friday, May 16. Participants will learn how to incorporate AI into your daily work habits.

We'll kick off the afternoon with a conversation with journalists already using AI tools on what's possible, as well as the ethical considerations journalists should make when using this technology. Then, we'll dive into hands-on training sessions to help you develop a functional prompt-engineering strategy, learn the basics of LLM-powered data analysis, and build an AI toolkit as a journalist.

And if that last sentence made you feel dizzy, this workshop is for you. We're breaking things down in practical, bite-sized ways that will help you build confidence in your AI skills.

Tickets on sale: $70 for the public; $60 for NPC members.

Speakers include:

• Vania André, Publisher and Editor in Chief of The Haitian Times
• Paul Cheung, Strategic Advisor for Hacks/Hackers
• Andrew Wallender, Data Editor for Bloomberg Industry Group

Your ticket will include lunch, the workshop, and access to the training videos after the event. The event will also feature opportunities to network and demo AI tools.

National Press Club news

• World Press Freedom Day Virtual Roundtable: Global press freedom outlook (May 2, 1 pm ET)
• ‘Words of War’ film screening and panel discussion (May 7, 6 pm ET) 
• Podcast: Space industry content editor talks event coverage, journalism, and PR trends

Resources

• Medicaid: A guide to understanding and covering potential cuts to the program (The Journalist’s Resource) 
• Data Don’ts: Expert tips to avoid misleading audiences with numbers (Global Investigative Journalism Network) 
• Privacy Party: Social media privacy made easy (Online Abuse Coalition)

This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant, Elliot C. Williams, and Mitch Harle. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

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