April 22, 2025

Editor’s Note: This newsletter is taking a short break. We will return to your inboxes on Wednesday, April 30.

■ Top producer of ‘60 Minutes’ quits, saying he lost independence (New York Times) / ‘A Dangerous Moment’: Shocking resignation of ’60 Minutes’ boss amid Trump pressure sparks industry alarm (Mediaite) / Read Bill Owens’s full memo to ‘60 Minutes’ staff (Michael M. Grynbaum)

■ US judge blocks Trump's shutdown of government-funded radio broadcasts (Reuters) 

■ Jury finds New York Times not liable in Sarah Palin defamation case (Reuters) / ‘Jury took about two hours to reach its decision after a weeklong trial. … Big victory for advocates of press freedoms because jury confirms that inadvertent mistakes do not subject publishers to liability.’ (David Enrich) / ICYMI: Sarah Palin is eyeing more than just money in her New York Times defamation suit (Vanity Fair) 

■ Jeff Bezos’ Washington Post inks OpenAI licensing deal for ChatGPT search (Variety)

■ The repeal of the fairness doctrine accelerated the polarization of US media (Poynter) / Republican legislators (but not Democrats) who share low-credibility info get rewarded with more clicks (Nieman Journalism Lab) 

■ Meet the 8 MAGA outlets disrupting the White House briefing room (POLITICO) 

■ How climate change foils climate reporting (Columbia Journalism Review) / Photojournalist captures the impacts of climate change (CBS News)

■ SpinCo CEO appoints Matt Hong, Jeff Behnke, and Roy Cho in key roles for Comcast spinoff (The Wrap) / The Minnesota Star Tribune names the New York Times’ Kathleen Hennessey as top editor (Minnesota Star Tribune) / Nonprofit owner of Maine newspapers hires new CEO (Portland Press Herald) / Emily Echave named head of global platform partnerships (Washington Post) / Additions to AP’s standards team (Associated Press) / Wired hires Champion as director of multiplatform video (Talking Biz News) / WSJ hires Mitovich as news associate (Talking Biz News) 

■ Video game outlet GamesBeat spins out from VentureBeat, forms separate independent publication (Variety)

Strengthening Stories Workshop: Ledes, nut grafs, and self editing

Facing a blank screen with a full notebook and the clock ticking toward deadline can be, well, daunting.

No matter your story topic or how much reporting material you have to work with, finding the hook to engage your reader within the first few lines or paragraphs is essential. Ledes and nut grafs that get to the core of your story take energy and focus — often lacking when time is short.

Join the National Press Club Journalism Institute on Friday, May 2, at noon ET for a writing-focused workshop that will help you craft ledes that grab the reader’s attention and identify your nut graf before getting too far into your writing process.

Whether you’re a seasoned writer looking for some inspiration or an early career journalist looking to jump start your storytelling, get back to the basics in this session led by Institute staff and journalists.

Tickets on sale now: $25 for the public; $20 for NPC members.

Participants will learn:

• Practical tips to punch up languid ledes
• Ways to quickly identify and focus nut grafs
• Approaches to story structure to rethink — or reshape — the narrative
• A new framework for self-editing that will improve or tighten your copy, guaranteed
• Additional tips for effective storytelling

Speakers

• Beth Francesco, Executive Director at NPCJI
• Elliot C. Williams, Training Manager at NPCJI

Resources

• How community health workers can be the key to your reporting (April 29, noon ET)
• Workshop: Intro to AI for journalists (May 16, noon ET)
• Immigration reporting legal guide (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press)

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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