Dec. 2, 2025

Editor’s note: It’s Giving Tuesday! We know your inbox is full of requests for support today, so we’ll keep ours short. This newsletter exists for people like you: those who care about the future of journalism. If The Latest helps you navigate the media landscape, please consider supporting our work today so we can keep serving journalists and communicators everywhere with free and low-cost resources.

■ Outlets that reach millions denied access to rare Pentagon news briefings this week (Associated Press) / MAGA activist Laura Loomer takes former WaPo reporter's desk in Pentagon after press corps surrendered passes in protest (People) / Wall Street Journal calls for Hegseth to testify under oath on boat strikes (The Hill) / Analysis: Boat strike scandal shows the limits of Hegseth’s news media crackdown (CNN)

■ Media giants submit second round bids for WBD (Axios) / Comcast’s bid seeks to merge NBCUniversal unit with Warner Bros. (CMCSA, WBD) (Bloomberg) / Broadcast station owners want to consolidate. They're struggling to get deals to the finish line (CNBC) 

■ NBC News launches ad-free subscription streaming service offering ‘Dateline,’ ‘Today,’ podcasts, more (Variety) 

■ Fox News faces critical test in second case over false 2020 election claims (NPR) 

■ Disney’s succession race enters final stage as Iger’s reign draws to end (Wall Street Journal)

■ CNN strikes prediction data partnership with Kalshi (Axios) 

■ Newsweek is building an AI Mode-like experience to customize homepages for readers (Digiday) 

■ Poynter, IRE and Internet Archive launch ‘Today’s News for Tomorrow,’ a project to help newsrooms preserve their digital footprint (Poynter)

■ WITF parent company gifts newspaper to nonprofit led by David Greene (Current)

■ ‘Olivia Nuzzi is set to break her silence as her employer, Condé Nast, attempts to lay low while new allegations mount and questions pile up.’ (Status) / Nuzzi book panned by NYT, WaPo after media blitz (The Hill)

■ ABC News taps Hanna Battah as correspondent and overnight anchor ‘World News Now’ and ‘Good Morning America First Look’ (Deadline) / Fox News names Aishah Hasnie anchor and White House correspondent (Hollywood Reporter) / Lola Fadulu is joining the Flex Desk as an editor (New York Times) / Sarah Conway named editor-in-chief of the Chicago Reader (Chicago Reader) / Front Office Sports hires Krzaczek as news editor (Talking Biz News) / Fortune CEO Nyrkovskaya is leaving (Talking Biz News) / Observer confirms departure of editor Lucy Rock (Press Gazette) 

■ How students are trying to save local news (Columbia Journalism Review)

Building trust by being present

“There is no substitute for reporters who immerse themselves in the stories they cover by living in the places where events happen. It’s easier to get people to open up if they see you face to face. Reporters pick up nuances they would otherwise miss. We have more than 2,000 journalists on staff for a reason: We believe in having reporters, photographers, and videographers who have a wide range of expertise and who live and report close to the stories they’re covering. That helps us produce richer, deeper, more accurate journalism.”

-- Joseph Kahn, executive editor of The New York Times, excerpt from "NYT executive editor, answers reader questions" (New York Times)

🎟️⚡Tickets Selling Fast: 2025 Fourth Estate Award Gala honoring Robert Costa of CBS News

Tickets are still available for the 2025 Fourth Estate Award Gala honoring Robert Costa of CBS News and “CBS Sunday Morning.” Join us at the National Press Club on Dec. 9 to celebrate excellence in journalism. Ticket sales will end at noon ET on Thursday, Dec. 4.

The Fourth Estate Award is the top honor bestowed on a journalist by the National Press Club Board of Governors. Costa's work at "Sunday Morning" includes coverage of national politics, in-depth interviews with newsmakers, and features on culture, literature and the arts. As chief Washington analyst for CBS News, Costa offers reporting and analysis across CBS News programs.

The Club also will honor the recipients of the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Awards and the Neil and Susan Sheehan Award for Investigative Journalism:

• The Associated Press will be recognized with the domestic John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award for its leadership in defending press freedom and standing for the right of all Americans to speak freely without government retaliation or control.
• Nine USAGM-affiliated reporters who remain in prison across several authoritarian countries will be recognized with the international John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award.
• Ed Mahon, an investigative reporter at Spotlight PA, will be recognized with the Neil and Susan Sheehan Award for Investigative Journalism for coverage of the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania.

In addition to this year’s honorees, the evening will include special guest appearances by Norah O'Donnell, Bob Woodward, and Yamiche Alcindor.



The gala is a fundraiser for the Club’s nonprofit affiliate, the National Press Club Journalism Institute. If you can’t make the Gala, please consider a donation today on Giving Tuesday.

Resources

• RJI Professional Innovation Fellowship Q&A (Dec. 3, noon ET) / 2026 RJI Professional Innovation Fellowships (Deadline: Feb. 6)
• Visualizing Science: Turning complex climate research into compelling visual narratives (Dec. 3, 3 p.m. ET)
• Making the transition from journalist to author (Dec. 18, 7 p.m. ET)

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

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