Sept. 21, 2026

■ Trump sued by MS NOW, CNN, POLITICO over White House media ban (CNBC) / Statement on President Trump’s declaration to ban CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO from the White House (National Press Club) / What’s behind Trump’s White House media ban — and what happens next (Poynter)

■ Major TV networks suspend White House pool coverage of Trump in protest of his CNN ban (Variety) / ‘Bryan Boughton, who runs the Fox News Washington bureau and is the current TV pool chair, says in an email: This is to advise that, effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President ...There will be no replacement pool put in place.’ (Kaitlan Collins) / ‘As news organizations prepare to challenge Trump’s media ban in court, CNN’s scheduled pool duty is forcing the press corps to immediately confront how far it will go in defense of its barred colleagues.’ (Status) / ‘WaPo says in solidarity it won't publish photographs from today's events — the collective action of the press pool will create leverage to get WH to concede on ban’ (Sara Fischer) 

■ Correspondents report from the street after being denied White House access (USA TODAY) / Trump drowned out by background noise on WH official feed in first appearance since TV press pool’s boycott (Mediaite) / President's UN trip will not have a TV camera (Axios) 

■ Freedom oppressed: The journalists caught up in Trump’s ICE crackdown (The Guardian)

■ Paramount to settle lawsuits, paving way for Warner Bros. merger (Bloomberg) / Paramount discussed $1.5 billion investment to clear merger hurdle (Wall Street Journal) / What’s in the Paramount settlement with states: Commitment to not sell studio lots, additional $300M U.S. film production investment, CNN oversight and more (Variety) / ‘The Writers Guild of America East and Writers Guild of America West said that as part of its settlement with Paramount they have agreed to prohibit writer layoffs at CBS News Broadcast for 5 years, and to pay $17.5 million to our health fund along with our attorneys’ fees in the litigation.’ (Jeremy Bar)

■ Judge orders Fox to hand over hundreds of documents in shareholders' case (NPR) 

■ Former Fox News producer who accused Ed Henry of rape found dead (Mediaite) / Who was Jennifer Eckhart? Ex-Fox producer and podcast host found dead (Newsweek) 

■ Sinclair expands ‘The National News Desk’ with more news hours (TV News Check) 

■ Journalism industry unites in support of first-of-its-kind California journalist tax credit bill (News/Media Alliance) 

■ The fall of once-mighty McClatchy newspapers underscores California's news crisis (Los Angeles Times) / California newsroom replaces dozens of laid-off reporters with AI writers (New York Post) 

■ After losing their Voice of America jobs, journalists pitch their second acts (Washington Post)

Public Health Journalism: Data and sourcing in public health reporting

As federal data becomes harder to access — whether through resource constraints, shifting priorities, or outright disappearance — the challenge for journalists isn’t just analysis, it’s access.

Join the Institute for practical advice for reporters to navigate a rapidly changing data landscape, where the reliability, availability, and transparency of public health information can no longer be taken for granted.

🗓️ Tuesday, Oct. 20 | ⏱️ 11 a.m. ET | 📍Virtual via Zoom | 🎟️ Free

Featuring public health experts, this session will surface trusted pathways to data at the local, regional, and state levels while offering practical guidance on how to validate and use it responsibly.

We’ll explore how to identify credible data sources beyond federal agencies, verify what you find, and responsibly incorporate emerging tools — including AI-assisted analysis — without compromising rigor. The focus is practical: how to keep your reporting grounded in evidence, even when the evidence is harder to find.

Participants will learn:

• How to identify credible public health data sources beyond federal agencies, with guidance from field experts
• Tips to vet datasets, spot gaps or bias, and fact-check findings with confidence
• How public health organizations are collaborating to keep data sources updated and accessible in spite of challenges

This program is part of the NPCJI’s monthly webinar series produced as part of the Public Health Reporting Fellowship. In partnership with the Common Health Coalition, the fellowship offers training and financial support for mid-career journalists to complete reporting projects focused on the intersection of public health policy and health care delivery.

Resources

• How collaboratives can work with student journalists (Sept. 22, 1 p.m. ET)
• Immigrants and Immigration: Covering national policy as a local issue (Sept. 24, 6 p.m. ET)
• Dig In: How to succeed on the food beat (Sept. 25, noon ET)

This newsletter is written and edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

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