The Latest: Journalists blocked from G20 meeting; Stars and Stripes vs. Pentagon; Source Power workshop

The workshop starts with the basics and explains how news interviews work, what journalists are looking for in their storytelling, and what questions sources should ask before deciding whether to participate in an interview.

Attendees will learn how journalists gather and verify information; how to protect one’s privacy and communicate boundaries; what to ask before agreeing to an interview; and how to share experiences in a way that aligns with one’s goals.

After the successful completion of the workshop and an informal assessment, attendees will earn a digital badge for being Source Power certified.

Whether participants are advocating for their community, considering sharing a personal experience, or want to understand their rights before saying “yes” to an interview, this training offers practical tools to make informed decisions.

Fundraising Tip: Be a good reporter

“We’ve built a fundraising culture that tells people they need to perform. To show up as a polished, carefully calibrated version of themselves that doesn’t actually exist the other 364 days of the year. And then we wonder why it feels so hard, so unnatural, so draining to be in this job, so much like something we have to survive rather than something we actually want to do.

Nobody told you that you, the journalism professional reading this, already know how to fundraise . The skills that make you good at your job as a journalist are the same skills that make someone great at fundraising. You were just led to believe that the training didn’t count here too.

... So stop performing. Stop giving away your power before the conversation even starts. Be a human. See the other humans in the room. You already know how.

Go be a reporter.”

-- Jake Hylton , founding executive director of LOOKOUT News, excerpt from "You don't need to become someone else to raise money" (Lenfest Institute)

Sober Isn't Boring: Rethinking recovery in a high-stress newsroom

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 Bill Nichols, advisory committee member, Journalists Recovery Network

A headline in the New York Times caught my eye earlier this month: "What else do we lose when people give up booze?"

The gist of the piece, written by Gina Bellafante, looks at the impact of a societal shift in views about alcohol on places for which it remains a crucial part of the local economy. In this case, she focused on Louisville, Ky. and how the crucial bourbon industry there has taken a nosedive.

Bellafante, who curiously mentions no link between the Trump administration’s tariff policies and the woes of the local liquor economy, goes on to make a larger point about the growing recovery/abstinence/sober curious movement,

As someone who will have been sober for four decades on Feb. 21 of next year, I really don’t have to wonder about the answer to that question. “The temperance revival,” as Bellafante so unfortunately terms it, has hopefully carried away some percentage of the broken families, ruined careers, lifelong health issues and bottomless depression those who struggle with alcohol misuse often face.

To be fair, midway through the story, Bellafante underscores the positive benefits for those who try to cope with addiction. But the overall frame of the story underlines a popular myth that often is a major stumbling block for those looking to explore recovery — the notion that not drinking relegates one to some kind of joyless purgatory, where you sit guzzling coffee and doing needlepoint and preaching the evils of Demon Rum to all who will listen.

The Journalists Recovery Network takes no position on how to structure your recovery; we have members who are in 12-step programs, who want nothing to do with 12-step programs, who are fully abstinent and who are not. We simply share what has worked for us, the resources that are available, the reality that journalism is a crushingly stressful occupation and the likelihood that a good number of us may misuse alcohol and other substances to try to deal with that.

What our organization does fully agree on is that yes Virginia, there is not only a real Santa Claus but also rewarding life and even FUN without drinking and using. As a sober person, I have closed bars, eaten too much, laughed too loud, cried, treasured good friends, told silly jokes, danced to great music. The only difference is that I didn’t also put others in danger and/or end up in an ER or rehab at the end of the evening.

JRN hopes to lead a new awareness of the need for healthy stress reduction techniques among journalists and be a resource for those who are concerned about over-dependence on alcohol or other substances.

Make no mistake: recovery is hard, particularly early on. But to explore it, you aren’t risking becoming Carrie or Carl Nation, leaders of a national temperance movement, mean-spirited scolds who go to bed at 8 p.m.

You’ll be exploring a new and vibrant life. You’ll even have fun.

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

Resources

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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The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes First Amendment values by equipping journalists in Washington, D.C., and nationwide with the skills, knowledge, standards, resources and networks to empower and inform the public. 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.