The Latest: Covering tariffs; Vanity Fair editor steps down; AI ethics policy

April 3, 2025

Top stories

■ How 18 world newspapers reacted to unprecedented U.S. tariffs (Worldcrunch) / Newsprint continues to be exempt from administration tariffs (News/Media Alliance via Editor and Publisher) / Trump’s tariff war with Canada could deal a major blow to New England’s print newspapers . Here’s why. (Boston Globe)

■ An MSNBC-NBC custody battle (Puck) / MSNBC’s new weekend primetime quartet has already started a conversation (Variety)

■ Radhika Jones, Vanity Fair’s top editor, steps down (New York Times) / Read her note to staff (Ben Mullin)

■ ‘Eugene Robinson is leaving The Washington Post , per an email he sent to the staff this morning’ (Ben Mullin) / ‘WaPo issues statement paying tribute to Gene Robinson , who’s leaving over owner Jeff Bezos’s plans to overhaul opinion section to emphasize free markets and personal liberties’ (David Folkenflik)

■ As Trump silences Voice of America, Russia and China seize the opportunity to reshape Africa’s news ecosystem (Nieman Journalism Lab)

■ CPB leaders react to House hearing , federal funding threat (Current)

■ Analysis: Local radio revenue to break $12 billion mark (Inside Radio)

■ Reuters is offering AI tools for its customers (Talking Biz News) / Your newsroom needs an AI ethics policy . Start here. (Poynter)

■ Daily Mail strikes deal to license stories for TV and film adaptations (The Wrap)

■ Elisa Wouk Almino named editor-in-chief of Image magazine (Los Angeles Times) / Former Vice CEO Nancy Dubuc is back , This time tackling women’s sports (Wall Street Journal) / CNBC hires Doherty as a politics reporter (Talking Biz News)

■ Why Cory Booker’s talkathon was a masterclass in social media savvy : ‘The numbers rival TV networks’ (Vanity Fair)

■ This Lahainaluna High teacher brought Hawaiʻi's first newspaper back to life (Hawai'i Public Radio)

■ Why a violent Portland newspaper strike in the 1960s sparked one man’s decades-long obsession (Oregon Live)

Advice for covering tariffs

“Know that there are stories to be told about how businesses ‘contort themselves’ to get around tariffs. While tariffs may seem, on the surface, to be a bit esoteric, the fact that they are placed on real, tangible items is helpful for reporters. That means stories can be written or produced that follow a product from importation to store shelves .”

-- Clark Merrefield , senior editor, economics & legal systems at The Journalist’s Resource, excerpt from "Covering Trump's proposed tariffs? Here are 4 things you need to know " (The Journalist’s Resource)

4 tips for new local news non-profits

“New local news organizations are often structured as nonprofits and get charitable funding to launch. Their founders then face the challenge of how to continue operations into the future far beyond what that funding will cover. The solution varies according to the mission and the community. …

1. Have a plan for reaching financial sustainability beyond the life of any grants, and try to aggressively increase the proportion of non-grant funding.

2. Go for grants that help you become more self-sufficient , such as for training and technologies.

3. Diversify revenue . You’ll have a primary stream. Add other ones over time.

4. Cultivate your community . ... Can subscriptions cover a large share of your costs? What kinds of advertising, sponsored events, e-commerce, or, yes, philanthropy, is available? Perhaps, in your community a separate business can help fund your journalistic endeavors.”

-- Dorian Benkoil , COO, editorial director, and co-founder of Teeming Media, excerpt from "Not-for-profit isn’t not-for-money " (Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute)

Resources

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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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.