Feb. 9, 2026

■ Washington Post Publisher Will Lewis departs days after steep layoffs (Wall Street Journal) / ‘The abrupt exit of Washington Post publisher Will Lewis served as a cathartic moment for staff in the wake of mass layoffs …’ (Status) / Actually, the Washington Post layoffs were a bigger bloodbath than you thought (Washingtonian) / Washington Post suffers marketing mishap with new slogan (Semafor) / Jeff Bezos 'lost patience' with WaPo CEO Will Lewis for attending Super Bowl parties amid layoffs (The Wrap) / How The Washington Post cultivated a bespoke concept of sports coverage (Vanity Fair) 

■ Bar complaint filed over search of Washington Post reporter’s home (New York Times) 

■ Hong Kong ex-publisher Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in Hong Kong security case (Associated Press) / Apple Daily sentences show a new era of media peril in Hong Kong (New York Times) / Statement on the sentencing of journalist and publisher Jimmy Lai (National Press Club)

■ Trump blasts reporter Natalie Allison’s ‘very bad attitude’ after cutting her off mid-question (People) / From 'quiet piggy' to 'she never smiles': Donald Trump's history of attacking women who ask about Epstein (People) / New emails show how Epstein used the media to rehab his reputation (Semafor) 

■ ‘Trump has publicly blessed Nexstar's pending acquisition of Tegna, which will strengthen the right-leaning Nexstar and shrink the number of station owners in the U.S.’ (Brian Stelter) / Nexstar's 'The Hill' heads to New York to broaden ad relationships (Variety)  

■ News group sues ICE for raid footage (Courthouse News Service) 

■ Buffalo Toronto Public Media applies to make classical station commercial (Current)

■ Wall-to-Wall Bloomberg: Publisher launches an integrated video hub (MediaPost) / The Athletic invests in live blogs, video to insulate sports coverage from AI scraping (Digiday) / YouTube TV launches sports tier priced $18 less monthly than main plan (Hollywood Reporter)

■ Hoffmann Family of Companies reportedly expresses interest in saving Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (CBS Pittsburgh) 

■ UMich Flint’s student newspaper relaunches after yearlong hiatus (Michigan Daily)

■ Sean Jacobsen is named president and publisher of The Buffalo News (Sean Jacobsen via Editor and Publisher) / CNN adds Katherine Koretski as NYC-based reporter covering Zohran Mamdani (Barrett Media) / CNN en Español announces Rebeka Smyth as anchor of new morning show launching in March (CNN Worldwide via Editor and Publisher) / Fisher returns to New York Times after Bloomberg stint (Talking Biz News) / ‘The New Yorker is hiring Washington Post book critic Becca Rothfeld.’ (Scott Nover) / Jenn Harris named a restaurant critic of the L.A. Times (Los Angeles Times) / Meet the new Portland City Hall reporter (Portland Press Herald) / Longtime KDKA Radio host Chris Moore will retire after decades of journalism service (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) 

■ Hoda Kotb fills in for Savannah Guthrie amid search for mother Nancy: ‘Uncharted territory’ (The Wrap) / Savannah Guthrie’s family crisis underscores the ‘Today’ show’s deep bonds (CNN) / Savannah Guthrie pleads for public's help to find mother in week 2 (The Wrap) 

■ ESPN reporter breaks down in tears live after Bad Bunny show (Daily Beast) / Two of the biggest AI companies are feuding over a Super Bowl ad. It’s bigger than you think (CNN) / The 2026 Super Bowl ads, ranked (New York Times)

TOMORROW: Covering immigration safely and with care

With immigration enforcement directives among the most politicized and contentious topics in the U.S., reporters on the beat face growing threats on the ground and online. Local and national journalists covering immigration have to navigate the need to protect themselves and their sources alongside increased pressure to get the story right.

Join the Institute at noon ET on Tuesday, Feb. 10, for a panel discussion with reporters and editors who will speak about their experiences in the field and newsroom.

They'll offer practical insights on:

• Preparing for assignments, safeguarding sources, and building a field safety kit
• Staying digitally secure while reporting on a highly scrutinized issue
• How newsrooms assess risk and support staff in the field
• How to balance public interest reporting with real-world risks

Don’t miss this essential conversation for anyone covering or editing immigration stories:

Speakers include:

• Adrian Carrasquillo, national immigration correspondent and “Huddled Masses” newsletter author, The Bulwark
• Arelis Hernández, national reporter covering the U.S. Southern border, immigration, Texas and beyond, The Washington Post
• Jon Collins, senior reporter on the MPR News race, class and communities team, Minnesota Public Radio
• Michelle Zenarosa, editor-in-chief, LA Public Press
• Moderator: Elliot C. Williams, training manager, NPCJI

2026 Public Health Reporting Fellowship application deadline fast approaching

The Public Health Reporting Fellowship will award up to $7,500 each to five mid-career journalists to fund reporting projects that focus on the intersection of public health policy and health care delivery. Open to U.S.-based newsroom and independent journalists, this six-month, fully remote fellowship supports ambitious, in-depth reporting on critical community, regional, state, or national public health challenges.

Fellows in the inaugural 2025 cohort reported on issues including rural maternal health and cancer care, the impact of H5N1 on Latine immigrant agricultural workers, and how U.S. immigration policies affect public health outcomes nationwide:

“The fellowship allowed me to report a story I would not otherwise have been able to pursue and to do the work in the way it deserved: on the ground, talking directly with people who have a real stake in the outcome,” said Ted Alcorn, a 2025 fellow whose reporting explored how Kentucky is working to improve cancer care for rural residents.

“In an understaffed, underfunded journalism ecosystem, it’s incredibly rare to have the time and resources to fully dive into a story,” said Eleanor Klibanoff, a 2025 fellow who reported on rural maternal health for The Texas Tribune. “When you do get that opportunity, like with this fellowship, it’s remarkable what you can produce.”

Lygia Navarro, a 2025 fellow who reported on bird flu’s impact on immigrant workers for The Sick Times, added that NPCJI’s and the Common Health Coalition’s “institutional investment in the fellows meant we had real backing, a sounding board, and a community—especially during an exceptionally challenging time for health journalists.”

The deadline to apply is Feb. 16, 11:59 pm ET. Reporting projects must be completed and published/distributed by September 30, 2026.

This National Press Club Journalism Institute program is made possible with support from the Common Health Coalition.

Resources

• Inside the destruction of the U.S. Agency for International Development (Feb. 11, 4 p.m. ET)
• Causes and responses to extreme winter weather (Feb. 18, 1 p.m. ET)
• In AI age, explain how you verify visuals (Trusting News)

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.

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