The Latest: U.S. sanctions 5 Russian news outlets; Stelter returns to CNN; Covering firearm violence

Sept. 4, 2024

Top stories

‘The US Department of Justice alleges that Tenet Media … received $10 million from the Russian government to publish content as part of a Russian influence operation .’ (Yashar Ali) / The U.S. sanctions five Russian news outlets including RT, sanctions RT's EIC, indicts two RT staffers, and seizes 32 domains, as it fights Russian influence (New York Times)

‘I'm returning to CNN in a brand new role as chief media analyst. I'll be appearing on TV, developing digital content, and once again helming the Reliable Sources newsletter.’ (Brian Stelter) / Read the announcement (Reliable Sources) / CNN’s former media reporter says he has learned a lot since he was fired in 2022 , and he's ready to share (Poynter)

CNN CEO Mark Thompson is in serious conversations with Josh Tyrangiel to hire him; Tyrangiel is currently a WaPo columnist and was Vice news chief (Oliver Darcy)

'CBS Mornings Plus' set for September 30 debut (Variety) / Tony Dokoupil and Adriana Diaz to co-host third hour of 'CBS Mornings' (Deadline)

Disney leaders clap back at DirecTV's claims as ESPN, ABC, Disney channel blackout stretches into day 4 (Variety) / ESPN is dramatically rewriting its streaming playbook (Hollywood Reporter)

Bustle publisher BDG raises growth round from Medici Capital Partners (Axios)

Thomas Evans joins NPR as managing editor, editorial review (NPR) / Honolulu Civil Beat announces Amy Pyle as new executive editor-in-chief (Honolulu Civil Beat via Editor & Publisher) / Maine Trust for Local News hires new executive editor (Press Herald)

Nikki Haley joins PR and consulting giant Edelman as vice chair (Hollywood Reporter) / Rachel White named executive director of The Associated Press Foundation for Journalism (Associated Press) / The Guardian US appoints Sara Badler as chief advertising officer, North America (Guardian Media Group) / Former 'Entertainment Tonight' anchor Jann Carl joins Missouri School of Journalism faculty (Show Me Mizzou)

Mehdi Hasan saw a market for a new kind of media company . So far, so good. (Washington Post)

The Salt Lake Tribune, profitable and growing , seeks to rid itself of that ‘necessary evil’ — the paywall (Nieman Journalism Lab)

How the Tampa Bay Times took its hurricane preparation plans to the next level (Poynter)

How publishers are experimenting with Reddit — even without a formal publisher program (Digiday)

The Internet Archive loses its appeal of a major copyright case (WIRED)

Dow Jones Smart Money partners with Next Gen Personal Finance to sponsor 1,000 subscriptions to The Wall Street Journal and MarketWatch for high school teachers across America (Dow Jones )

Tip for reporting on firearm violence

“If you have that police officer or that public information officer's number on speed dial and you know to call them after a shooting, you should also have the phone number of a violence prevention worker . There are always moms and other parents in a lot of these communities that have had to take it upon themselves to support other victims of gun violence. And those people have a level of expertise that is spectacular and very rarely tapped into ... Those voices need to be included.”

-- Abené Clayton , a reporter on The Guardian's Guns and Lies in America project, from a recent NPCJI panel on reframing firearm violence coverage. Watch the program .

Covering Firearm Violence: How journalists can reframe their reporting

Leadership tip: Getting the most out of your team meetings

“Overall, it’s important to make time to build relationships with team members. This helps to create a psychologically safe environment as the foundation for honest feedback and collaboration . Leaders also have choices when it comes to delivering feedback and facilitating meetings. Synchronous meetings like video calls are best for when decisions need to be made. One-on-ones work well when you’re looking to gain a better understanding with another person. You can even use email memos or a shared Slack channel to share updates and pose questions to the group more efficiently.”

-- Jan Ross Sakian, program/community manager at American Press Institute, excerpt from “3 tips for using retrospectives to improve future news projects ” (Better News)

Resources

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

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The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. 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.