The Latest: Overhaul at CBS News; Dallas Morning News layoffs; WAMU’s fundraising strategy

Nov. 20, 2025

Editor’s note: This newsletter will be taking a break next week. We’ll return to your inboxes on Monday, Dec. 1.

■ Larry Ellison discussed axing CNN hosts with White House in takeover bid talks (The Guardian) / ‘I wanna blow this up’: How Bari Weiss is trying to overhaul CBS News (Wall Street Journal)

■ ‘While veteran national security reporters can’t get their calls answered, members of the new, MAGA-friendly press corps have a hotline to the Department of War.’ (Columbia Journalism Review) / ‘One America News says it will air an interview between Pentagon correspondent Alexandra Ingersoll and Secretary Pete Hegseth . OAN was the only outlet that regularly covered the Pentagon in person that signed the recent press access policy.’ (Scott Nover)

■ When Americans say they get news from TV , what do they mean? (Pew Research Center)

■ Media targeted by dozens of SLAPPs in 2024, new analysis finds (New York University)

■ ‘Inside another drama-filled week for Condé Nast , where some Vanity Fair staffers were left “shocked” by recent revelations about their new colleague Olivia Nuzzi, which have taken over the media discourse as the magazine kicks off a reinvention.’ (Natalie Korach) / ‘As journalists, even principled ones, become increasingly central characters in the stories themselves, is this kind of spectacle an unavoidable component of a new media world order?’ (Puck)

■ Hearst lays off 26 Dallas Morning News employees , weeks after assuming ownership of the paper, DMN confirms (wfaa.com )

■ ‘Last week, Suncoast Searchlight's four reporters wrote a letter to their board. Their editor-in-chief had secretly been using ChatGPT and inserting hallucinated quotes into their drafts. The next day, one of those reporters was fired.’ (Andrew Deck)

■ Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen hands reins to son Ryan Blethen (The Spokesman-Review) / Quinn becomes deputy news director at Bloomberg Government (Talking Biz News) / Scientific American hires Semafor’s Cameron as breaking news chief (Talking Biz News) / Jack Healy to lead Mountain West bureau (New York Times) / New York Times biz desk hires Campbell as investigations editor (Talking Biz News) / Bill Melugin named congressional correspondent at Fox News (Variety) / Lena Tillett joins NBC10 Philadelphia as anchor and reporter (NBC10 Philadelphia) / CAA hires Becky Van Dercook to advise creators, journalists (Variety)

■ AP Fund for Journalism secures over $30 million to bring AP content to local US newsrooms (Associated Press)

■ How WAMU’s fundraising strategy focuses on community over crisis (Current)

■ In Los Angeles, an ‘explosion’ of new efforts aim to up the city’s local news game (Nieman Journalism Lab)

AP Style reminder for holiday travel

“Capitalize Midwest when referring to the 12-state region as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau (previously designated the North Central region) that is broken into two divisions. Capitalize Midwestern as an adjective describing the region. The five East North Central states are Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. The seven West North Central states are Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.”

-- AP Stylebook via social media .

Navigating layoffs: Find your support system

“Emotional backup can be as important as networking after a job loss. Amy Mazur, a career counselor, suggested visualizing your support system by making a relational map using concentric circles to categorize the people who provide you with the most support, and the least. Lean on the most helpful people, your inner circle, and focus on broadening that circle, while limiting your time with those who aren’t as helpful, she said. You can also seek out unemployment support groups through faith-based organizations, libraries, and nonprofits.”

-- Christina Caron, general assignment reporter at The New York Times, excerpt from “Losing your job can be a mental health crisis" (The New York Times)

A lesson in hope from the Journalists Recovery Network

Editor’s Note: The Institute is committed to providing journalists resources and connections that support their personal and professional lives. In 2025, we are collaborating with several groups to widen those networks of support.

By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, journalist and advisory committee member, Journalists Recovery Network

My New Year’s tradition — instead of lifting a glass of champagne — is watching the sunrise.

While the rest of the world is asleep, I get a quiet moment to myself to reflect. With another New Year coming up, I know that a lot is going to be on my mind.

I'm not going to sugarcoat this: It's been a really hard year.

In times like these, I’m reminded of the darkest chapter in my life: the day I decided to get sober.

You’re probably not expecting me to say things haven't gotten better.

Since then, I’ve had to grieve my first love, say goodbye to my family’s generational home, and watch my parents’ marriage unravel. And yet, through all of it, I have stayed sober.

Because I still have hope that I can be better.

Even though there was never a point in that journey (including now) when things were guaranteed to get better, I still do.

So what does any of this have to do with journalism?

Well, my journey through sobriety and journalism has always been intertwined, not just through my writing with the Journalists Recovery Network. While staying sober, I’ve navigated a brutal job market, faced mounting attacks on the free press, and witnessed the slow erosion of public trust in legacy media.

And yet, I continue to stick it out in this industry. Because I still have hope that we can be better.

Again, it’s easy to forget that the work we do gives people hope, even when we can’t see it. But hearing from my sources and fellow early career journalists the impact that my stories have is the main reason I stay in this industry.

It would be easy to end this on the mantra that it's always darkest before the dawn.

But I wish the course of human history was as reliable as rising and setting sun. If it was, what would hope be for?

For anyone seeking support with substance abuse, please reach out to the Journalists Recovery Network anytime. Click here for additional resources.

Resources

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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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.