Jan. 29, 2025

■ White House receives 7,400 requests for 'new media' seat in briefing room (New York Post) / The new White House press secretary debuts with bluster and a bang (Poynter)

■ Bezos vs. Bezos: Amazon sues WA state over Washington Post request for Kuiper records (GeekWire) 

■ Trump critic Jim Acosta reveals his next move after leaving CNN (The Independent)

■ Rachel Maddow is bringing viewers back to MSNBC — and giving them hope (Washington Post) 

■ Joe Scarborough wants to talk about more than just politics (Hollywood Reporter) 

■ Super Bowl ad prices top $8 million as surge fuels Fox sales (Variety) / Why advertisers are paying record prices to get your attention during this year's Super Bowl (AP News) 

■ Substack says it’ll expand Substack Defender, which offers legal support to independent writers (Substack Reads) / Writers of color are leaving the journalism industry for Substack. Is it better there? (Penn Today) 

■ Lawsuit filed against Spectrum News 13 parent company after fatal shooting of journalist Dylan Lyons in 2023 (WFTV) 

■ More in courts: Newsday suing Nassau County, Blakeman over alleged First Amendment violations (Newsday) / A judge tosses social media star Yashar Ali's defamation case against LA Magazine (LA Times) / Press groups battle Massachusetts for access to public records in child case (TV News Check) 

■ BBC World Service to cut 130 jobs in savings plan (BBC) 

■ Phoenix’s KJZZ revs up coverage of border and trade from northern Mexico (Current) 

■ Detroit journalist creates tool to monitor misinformation in Spanish language media (WDET)

■ Washington state Senate considers bill to support local journalism (KIMA) 

■ Founder of nonprofit that bought Maine newspapers to step down as CEO (Press Herald) 

■ Mark Armstrong named editor of Nieman Storyboard (Nieman) / ‘Brad Dayspring, the longtime head of communications for Politico, is leaving the company….’ (Max Tani) / Jewish Chronicle announces new editor, new look and revamped membership (Press Gazette) / ‘Today is my first day as Senior Political Reporter  @axios . Thank you to  @politico  for a great 16 years. …’  (Alex Isenstadt)

■ Arizona Senate honors beloved Tucson journalist Yui Umehara-Garewal (KVOA)

 “Once your community has told you their hopes and fears, use that to plan interviews with and coverage of public officials. First, make sure your coverage explains what can actually be done, and by whom. If people are concerned about the economy, what levers can be pulled at what level of government to make a difference? Who locally is helping local businesses or working on affordable housing? Who at the state level is working on tax policy? If access to health care is a primary concern, what is reasonable to expect from the county health board, the state health department, the legislature, or Congress?"

 -- Joy Mayer, director of Trusting News, excerpt from “Trust Tips: Get curious about your community with new administration” (Trusting News)

Resources

• Trust & The Government: What journalists need to know to guide political coverage (Feb. 7, noon ET)
• Story ideas: Executive orders affecting charitable nonprofits 
• Deadline to apply for a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard for U.S. candidates: Jan. 31, 2025

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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