The Latest: PBS, NPR face Congress; The Atlantic shares Signal chat; ‘Democracy Dies in Darkness’

March 26, 2025

■ Top Trump officials' Signal blunder becomes top news story of 2025 (Axios) / The Atlantic releases new Signal chat messages of Pete Hegseth outlining specific attack plans (The Wrap) / The country’s most powerful institutions are bowing to Trump. The Atlantic just backed him into a corner . (POLITICO)

■ What the attempted dismantling of Voice of America means for press freedom in the US and the world (Poynter) / Trump withdraws Bozell’s nomination to lead Voice of America parent USAGM (The Desk) / Judge temporarily halts Trump from canceling Radio Free Europe , handing embattled broadcasters a lifeline (CNN)

■ Trump's FCC says it will start investigating Disney , too (Business Insider)

■ ‘The Washington Post recently—and quietly—removed its "Democracy Dies in Darkness" slogan from the opening sequence of its app. …’ (Oliver Darcy)

■ Inside Paramount's bumpy sale : the president, a scion and a possible sheikh (Los Angeles Times)

■ What happened when a newspaper let AI take over (Washington Post) / AI-assisted reporting in Boston-area newsrooms raises questions about role of new technology in building a community (Boston.com)

■ Fast Company and Inc. tighten up paywalls to grow consumer revenue amid traffic volatility (Digiday)

■ Why I left a six-figure job at NBC to pursue creator journalism (TV News Check)

■ The New York Times announces promotions across newsroom audio (New York Times) / The WNET Group names Dana Roberson general manager , THIRTEEN and production operations (WNET Group) / MarketWatch.com hires Maidan as tech and investing reporter (Talking Biz News) / Business Insider hires Dadd as GM of video (Talking Biz News)

■ ‘Some hard and important lessons’: One of the most promising local news nonprofits looks back — and ahead (Nieman Journalism Lab)

3 tips for covering health policy in today’s political climate

Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent at KFF Health News, joined the Institute yesterday for a webinar on how to handle the chaotic 24-hour news cycle while still finding innovative ways to tell critical public health stories. Here are three tips to improve your health policy coverage:

Understand that public health is not the same as health care. Health care is about care for an individual. Public health is about care for an entire community. It includes not just doctors and nurses, but also epidemiologists, statisticians, social workers, engineers, researchers, teachers, and community workers. Covering public health as a reporter means covering things that affect the health of society as a whole.

Public health stories are everywhere: From food safety to playground zoning, there is a public health element to almost any topic. Use your imagination to find different angles at the local, state, and national level.

Seek out organizations that can help you cover public health. Every state, city, and county has a health department, and part of that mission is to communicate with the public. Journalists can find sources through organizations like the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

3 tips to manage stress in your job search

Layoffs are a difficult reality in an industry facing economic uncertainty. As more newsrooms continue to make reductions, journalists around the country are feeling the pressure. Here are tips to help with your job search:

Discover tips for fighting anxiety. “You are not alone. Do the best that you can to not silo yourself away from the journalists and from the people who can care for you out of the burnout and the stress that you may be feeling,” said Samantha Ragland, vice President, journalism programs at American Press Institute, at an Institute program on preventing burnout and stress in the newsroom.

Find your community. Check out the Society for Professional Journalists’s page “We are In This Together ,” the LinkedIn page Journalists Helping Journalists ,” and the Journalists Community Aid Network. The National Press Club offers numerous events and activities to connect its members.

“Journalists are often forced to divide their attention between tasks. But multitasking can decrease productivity and increase anxiety,” said Carolina Campos Ruiz Baldin, graduate student at Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, in Poynter. “[Try] mindfulness habits like starting the day with a morning intention, checking emails only at specific times, and turning off notifications.”

Read on for more job search advice.

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.