October 16, 2023

• Israeli attack in southern Lebanon kills journalist, wounds several others (Al Jazeera) / ‘As of Oct. 15, in the first nine days of fighting, at least 12 journalists were killed, two were missing and eight injured. ….’ (Committee to Protect Journalists) / Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni gives statement on killing of Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah (Reuters) / Saeed al-Taweel, editor in chief of Al-Khamsa News, was killed in Israeli air attacks early in the week (New York Times) / BBC journalists assaulted and held at gunpoint by Israeli police, network says (CNN) / White House says 'heartfelt prayers' are with families of Reuters journalist killed in Lebanon (Reuters) / National Press Club statement (NPC/JI)

• Israeli communications minister seeks shutdown of Al Jazeera bureau (Reuters) / Opinion: I am a Palestinian journalist from Gaza. I fear a media blackout of the war (Los Angeles Times) / Israel-Hamas war misinformation on social media is harder to track, researchers say (NBC News) 

• How standards editors are sorting through graphic images from Israel and Gaza (Poynter) / Wall Street Journal reporters split over Iran story (Semafor) / Fairness of Israel-Hamas coverage in dispute (Journal-isms) / Inside MSNBC’s Middle East conflict (Semafor) / 'I needed to be more careful with my words and I am sorry.’ (Sara Sidner)

• NBC News to host the 3rd GOP presidential primary debate (Mediaite) / Iowa’s political reporters battle access issues and unpredictable schedules to cover the Republican presidential hopefuls (Poynter) / A 15-year-old aspiring journalist was thrown out of a GOP event by police (Insider) 

• ‘Tonight, Laura Coates and I launch our shows at 10 and 11 pm on CNN. Thank you to the L.A. Times and Greg Braxton for taking a closer look at what we’re trying to do in prime time. See you tonight!’ (Abby Phillip) / Laura Coates and Abby Phillip aren't 'mouthpieces.' CNN hopes they can revive the brand (Los Angeles Times)

• Journalists’ union seeks reporters’, sources’ emails in lawsuit (Semafor) 

• Activist builds News Corp stake, plans to seek changes (Wall Street Journal) 

• Threads might not be sure, but BlueSky wants to be journalists’ friend (BlueSky) / Elon Musk’s X courts political advertisers ahead of contentious election year (Wall Street Journal)

• Digital media faced its toughest year on record. What comes next is up to journalists to decide. (Columbia Journalism Review)  

• Local newspapers are vanishing. How should we remember them? (ProPublica)

• ‘The Daily Show’ still doesn’t have a host. Why not? (Washington Post) 

• White House correspondent April Ryan marries at historic mansion: 'My second chance love story' (People) 

• Bilingual newspaper in Mission District celebrates over 50 years in service to SF’s Latino community (KTVU)

Press freedom

• Diane Foley, founder and president of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, launches Journalist Safety Task Force (NPC)

• Nevada Supreme Court protects phone, computers of slain reporter (Las Vegas Review-Journal) 

• Iran accused of threatening ‘terrified’ BBC staff in London (The Guardian)

• French authorities investigate potential poisoning of Russian anti-war journalist (POLITICO)

Why journalists should regularly audit what personal info is online

“Journalists living in the United States are highly likely to have a lot of personal data about them available online in public databases. This may include their address, personal phone number, and the names of relatives. This data is made easily searchable by people finder sites, which abusers can use to locate, contact, and doxx journalists. To reduce the risk of journalists’ personal information being made public and used to harass and intimidate them, they should consider signing up for services that remove their data from such sites. Common services include DeleteMe or Privacy Duck. Online attackers will often go after close family members, so it is a good idea to sign them up too. Be aware that it may take several months for your data to be removed. Review your online profile every three-to-six months to ensure data is being taken down.”

-- Coalition Against Online Violence, “Secure your online data”

Money in Politics: Reporting on campaign finance and lobbying

Political spending is expected to reach record-breaking heights in the coming year.

Journalists will play a crucial role in informing the public about who and what organizations are funding candidates, ballot measures, and policy debates in Washington, D.C., and state capitals across the country. But campaign finance and lobbying laws are complex and often opaque, posing challenges to journalists assigned with tracking money in politics and the lobbying beat.

To help you with your reporting, the National Press Club Journalism Institute and the nonpartisan research group OpenSecrets are hosting a training on the basics of how to cover campaign finance and lobbying. We invite you to join us for this hour-long session that will take place at 11:30 a.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 20.

The training will be taught by OpenSecrets’ research experts Anna Massoglia, editorial and investigations manager, and Pete Quist, deputy research director. Participants will:



• Learn how to use the OpenSecrets’ national and state databases to identify who and what organizations are contributing to politicians and their campaigns
• Understand the ways that money is funneled into politics, including candidate advocacy groups, political action committees, dark money, and direct donations
• Develop skills to uncover which individuals, companies, labor unions, trade associations, and other organizations spend on lobbying
• Gain story ideas for the national and state politics-in-money angle

All registered participants will receive a copy of the recording.

This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Bara Vaida, and Holly Butcher Grant. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

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