July 1, 2026

■ President Trump's 2025 financial disclosures show $80M in income from settlements tied to his lawsuits against ABC, CBS, Meta, YouTube, and other companies (NBC News) / ‘A disclosure form reveals a $10.7 million fee for 'Melania,' legal settlements and a residual from 'The View.' It also suggests that he tendered shares in Warner Bros. Discovery to Paramount last year as it battled Netflix.’ (Hollywood Reporter) 

■ Judge orders Pentagon to lift policy that journalists be accompanied by an escort (Associated Press) / Pentagon spokesperson: Ruling on reporter access restores ‘risky environment’ (The Hill) 

■ ‘I am so, so sorry’: NPR reporter explains SCOTUS retirement error (CNN) / NPR's Nina Totenberg misheard a statement about retirements and told editor Krishnadev Calamur that Alito was retiring; Calamur then posted a prewritten story (NPR)

■ ‘Paula Reid declined to renew her contract at CNN after the star correspondent engaged in candid conversations with network brass about the outlet’s future under David Ellison.’ (Status) / Paula Reid expected to move to MS NOW after leaving CNN (Variety) / Paramount Skydance offers concessions to facilitate EU approval of $81 billion Warner Bros deal (Wall Street Journal) 

■ GBH receives $500K boost from the state of Massachusetts (Current)

■ Gray Media buying six American Spirit Media stations (TV News Check) 

■ New Illinois law creates firewall between public media, state university licensees (Current) 

■ Cascade PBS spins off Local Public into separate entity (Current) 

■ Scientific American union holds rally after layoffs and Springer Nature’s sale of historic science publication; demand recognition from new owners LabX (Writers Guild of America East)

■ Introducing the new City Cast DC (City Cast DC) / Jonathan Jones in advanced talks to leave CBS for The Athletic (Front Office Sports) / Texas TV anchor, reporter changes in June 2026 (MySA) / WSJ reporter Maurer shifts to private equity beat (Talking Biz News) / Meta names Alex Schultz first-ever chief data officer (Axios) 

■ The Wall Street Journal joins Delta, bringing more ambitious journalism and trusted insights onboard (Delta News Hub) 

■ The Economist launches new audio and video tier targeting younger subscribers (Digiday)

Applications are open for the 2026 Pamela Tobey Award for Excellence in Visual Storytelling, a $1,000 prize and national recognition from the National Press Club Journalism Institute. This annual design award recognizes visual journalism that pushes the boundaries of storytelling beyond text and rewards creative uses of data visualization, interactivity, photography, videography, audio, illustration, and emerging tools. 

Covering mental health as a public health issue

Mental health and substance use are important yet challenging topics on the health beat.

Where can journalists find reliable data? Which sources actually know the policy landscape? How do you translate dense clinical studies into stories readers understand?

Join the Institute for a free webinar with Katie O'Connor, senior staff writer at Psychiatric News, who covers mental health advocacy and public policy.

🗓️ Tuesday, July 21 | ⏰ Noon ET | 📍Zoom

O'Connor will break down:



• SAMHSA 101: How the agency funds mental health and substance use programs, and what's changed as it's been in flux under the current administration
• Where to find the data: Datasets and resources for mental health reporting
• How to read clinical studies: Practical tips for covering high-level research without getting lost in the jargon
• Who to call: Go-to strategies for finding credible expert sources on tight deadlines

Whether mental health is your full-time beat or an occasional assignment, this session will leave you with concrete tools and contacts for your next story.

This program is part of the NPCJI’s monthly webinar series produced through its Public Health Reporting Fellowship. In partnership with the Common Health Coalition, the fellowship offers training and financial support for mid-career journalists to complete reporting projects focused on the intersection of public health policy and health care delivery.

Journalists Recovery Network Update: Two conferences, one big milestone

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

We were thrilled to see a significant number of mental health sessions at the Canadian conference, as well as multiple non-drinking options for networking at IRE. 

I was deeply moved by the folks who attended our session and spaces during both conferences, and reminded why our work is critical in the current state of journalism. 

Recovering journalists still need our support in conference spaces, navigating source relationships in sobriety, and overall knowledge that other sober journalists are out there. 

Finally — once I returned from the conference — I arrived home to a letter that confirmed the Journalists Recovery Network is a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Because of this, we are now able to apply (and hopefully accept) grant funds and donations. 

If you want to support our group with a donation, or want to help continue our mission, please reach out at journalistsrecoverynetwork@gmail.com. Thank you for your continued support!

Resources

• Strengthening Stories Workshop: Ledes, nut grafs, and self editing (July 10, noon ET)
• Understanding the national debt and the risks of a fiscal crisis (July 14, noon ET)
• NEFAC 30-Minute Skills: Intro to R programming 101 (July 14, noon ET)

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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