April 30, 2026

Editor's note: The Latest will return to your inbox Tuesday, May 5.

■ 2026 RSF Index by region: Press freedom in decline in 100 out of 180 countries (Reporters Without Borders)

■ FCC’s Brendan Carr says no White House pressure in early review of ABC licenses, investigation focused on DEI (TheWrap) / Trump says ABC had ‘better’ fire Kimmel as Disney stands firm (CNN) / Ted Cruz rips FCC over ABC broadcast license review following Kimmel joke: ‘It is not government’s job to censor speech’ (Variety) 

■ D.C. court denies emergency stay of Nexstar/Tegna merger (TV Tech) 

■ Media organizations call on Israel to allow foreign reporters independent access to Gaza (Associated Press) / CPJ documents Israeli harm against Palestinian journalists, media workers (Committee to Protect Journalists) / Veteran Palestinian journalist released from Israeli prison describes harsh conditions (Haaretz)

■ The Onion's plan to take over Alex Jones' Infowars in limbo (Associated Press) / Tim Heidecker and Onion Chief Ben Collins on their Infowars takeover — and bringing down Alex Jones… (Hollywood Reporter) / What to know about The Onion's new effort to take over Alex Jones' Infowars (Associated Press)

■ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s future owner announces newspaper’s leadership team (WPXI) 

■ ‘Months after another round of deep cuts and Jeff Bezos’s overdue jettisoning of Will Lewis, The Washington Post is grappling with the harsh realities of rebuilding the brand — beginning with naming Lewis’s permanent successor.’ (Puck)

■ ‘I'm sad to share that my local editing team was recently laid off from The Marshall Project. My editors and I represented about 100 years of journalism experience reporting and editing for news organizations across the country.’ (Marlon A. Walker)

■ On U.S. military bases, fewer and fewer options for local news (Medill Local News Initiative)

■ A look at fights by journalists at McClatchy, ProPublica, EdSource, and the NYT to shape their newsrooms' policies around the use of AI (Columbia Journalism Review)

■ Charline Bou Mansour joins CNN Creators team (CNN) / The New York Times names new editor on Special Sections (New York Times) / Veteran anchor Tom Bosco to join CBS6 (CBS6) / Forbes hires Connley-Hampton to cover careers (Talking Biz New) / Tech reporter Liedtke departing AP (Talking Biz News) / Veteran news anchor Keith Cate to retire from WFLA after extraordinary 44-year career in broadcast journalism (WFLA News Channel 8)

■ Media startup Semafor to launch Silicon Valley conference with star advisers (The San Francisco Standard) / GBH relaunches history program American Experience after pausing the series last year (The Boston Globe)

■ Publisher traffic is surging from an unlikely source (Adweek)

The creator-newsroom conversation is finally happening on Monday

The Institute and URL Media are bringing together journalists, creators, and newsroom leaders for a one-day summit at the National Press Club. This can't-miss event will focus on what sustainable creator-newsroom collaboration actually looks like in practice.

🗓️ Monday, May 4 | ⏰ 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET | 📍National Press Club

Two tracks. Real talk. Practical takeaways.

The program opens with mainstage speakers Bianca Graulau and Nick Valencia, whose independent reporting has reached millions and redefined what it means to connect with an audience.

An inside look at the publisher track

Session: Upholding editorial standards through creative partnership

Breakout sessions

Other deep-dive conversation topics include vertical video, creating sustainable revenue between publishers and creators, using AI as a creator journalist, ethical considerations for sustainable work, building up journalism skills like fact-checking, and more. (See the full lineup of speakers here.)

🎟 Ticket sales end at noon ET on Sunday, May 3.

Get tickets now: Creators/Journalists: $25 | Newsrooms/Publishers: $75

Tomorrow: World Press Freedom Day reception at the National Press Club

Join us for a happy hour reception on Friday, May 1, in recognition of World Press Freedom Day: A moment to celebrate the essential role of a free press and to stand in clear-eyed solidarity with journalists around the world. 

The evening will highlight both the challenges ahead and the enduring strength of a free and independent press. We’ll also introduce our 2026 Press Freedom Fellowship cohort, journalists who have experienced obstacles but who persist in their pursuit of journalism. 

The event is open to journalists, communicators, and members of the public who support press freedom. Proceeds directly support our press freedom work.

🎟 Ticket sales close on Thursday, April 30, at 11:30 p.m. ET. Get tickets now — there will be no entry without a ticket.

Journalists in recovery shouldn't feel alone. I built a community where they aren't.

Editor’s Note: The National Press Club Journalism Institute is committed to providing journalists resources and connections that support their personal and professional lives. Continuing in 2026, we are collaborating with several groups to widen those networks of support.

By Taylor Six, criminal justice reporter and founder of the Journalists Recovery Network

This month, the Journalists Recovery Network will be two years old. And in that time, we have been able to grow our program internationally, and help other journalists in recovery. 

We've created a Slack channel and host monthly meetings. 

We partner with numerous North American groups to offer support through panels and events. 

We continue to accept new members who are at different stages of their recovery. 

Part of the reason I struggled for so long was because I thought I was alone in my experience. I'm so proud to have created this group simply because it allowed me to meet wonderful new people across the world. 

If you are a journalist in recovery from alcohol or substances and are interested in learning more, email us anytime at journalistsrecoverynetwork@gmail.com.

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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