The Latest: WaPo’s new mission statement; LAT traffic up 800%; Dotdash Meredith

Jan. 16, 2025

Editor's note: This newsletter will return to your inboxes on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

■ Blinken’s final press conference interrupted by protesters (CNN) / The Ceasefire’s Local News : Across Israel and Palestine, all eyes were glued to the TV (Columbia Journalism Review) / ‘Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif greeted the announcement of a Gaza ceasefire deal by taking off his press protective gear ’ (Al Jazeera)

■ INN to provide grants to local newsrooms reporting on California wildfires (Institute for Nonprofit News) / ABC News plans ‘SoCal Strong’ coverage , fundraising for California wildfire victims (Variety) / ‘The L.A. Times has seen a major bump in traffic and subscriptions in the wake of the fires, per an email to staff shared with me. Traffic was up 800% from the month before, and 4,140 people subscribed despite the fact that the LAT made most fire-related articles free.’ (Max Tani)

■ ‘The Washington Post today is unveiling a new mission statement that has been in the works for months’ (Ben Mullin) / Hundreds of Washington Post staffers send letter to Jeff Bezos sounding alarm over paper’s direction (CNN) / Will Lewis's First Year at Washington Post: Cancellations, red ink, and an exodus (NPR)

■ The New York Times rethinks political endorsements (Semafor)

■ CNN announces additional White House assignments for covering Trump administration (Deadline) / ‘CNN boss Mark Thompson is set to make major changes to CNN's dayside lineup , including moving Wolf Blitzer to the mornings.’ (Oliver Darcy) / NewsNation announces changes to prime-time lineup (The Hill)

■ Dow Jones launches the WSJ Leadership Institute (Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)

■ Dotdash Meredith lays off 143 staff , citing a shifting media landscape (Adweek) / WSJ makes layoffs in London (Talking Biz News)

■ Jim Yardley promoted to assistant managing editor (New York Times) / A promotion for Wendy Lu on the Flex Desk (New York Times) / The Atlantic hires Caity Weaver as staff writer; Jonathan Lemire and Alex Reisner to join as contributing writers (The Atlantic) / ‘Quick career update: Today was my last day at Business Insider. I'll be starting at the Wall Street Journal later this month…’ (Katherine Long) / KGW-TV names new host of ‘Straight Talk’ as Laural Porter becomes a special correspondent (The Oregonian/OregonLive) / Poynter hires two new faculty members with focus on strengthening local news (Poynter) / Character.AI adds Snap vet David Brinker to broker media partnerships (Axios)

■ California left scrambling on Google journalism deal after UC Berkeley backs out (POLITICO)

■ Google signs deal with AP to deliver up-to-date news through its Gemini AI chatbot (Associated Press) / OpenAI to fund four new Axios Local newsrooms (Axios)

■ The Conversation is trying to make its academia-fueled model work for local news (Nieman Journalism Lab)

Video available for “Covering A Divided Nation: Lessons from Black and Brown Media”

On Wednesday, the Institute and URL Media hosted a gathering of community and national media focused on finding practical approaches to drastically improving news coverage for all communities. The speakers addressed key lessons learned in coverage of the 2024 Election, as well as the significance and urgency of centering the voices of Black women; the failure of campaigns to engage Black and Brown media; and what's needed to commit journalism under the incoming Trump administration.

Stay tuned for highlights from each session next week. In the meantime, you can watch the full program here :

Finding ways to connect and reach new audiences

“Reaching marginalized and underserved audiences requires constant experimentation . We’re learning to connect with people through fragmented platforms like Facebook groups and Reddit threads. It’s about breaking down barriers, understanding what information people need, and ensuring our work resonates with those who often feel alienated or overlooked by traditional journalism.”

-- Susan Chira , former editor-in-chief at The Marshall Project, excerpt from "Susan Chira on criminal justice reporting and leaving the Marshall Project " (Columbia Journalism Review)

How to build a culture of innovation in your newsroom

“Innovation thrives in environments where employees feel safe to propose ideas and learn from failures – and we need that in our industry. Conscious decision-making processes provide this security by making it clear that not all experiments will succeed — and that’s okay (and expected). We want to encourage our people to be creative and take risks. Organizations that embrace structured experimentation build innovation into the culture. For example, defining a ‘fail fast’ process — where small-scale pilots are quickly assessed and iterated upon — reduces the risk and fear of failure. This clarity frees teams to test bold ideas without risking personal or long-term repercussions.”

-- Kate Myers , RJI fellow and strategic advisor, excerpt from "The Importance of conscious decision-making practices " (RJI)

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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.