The Latest: The women running DC's newsrooms; Wanna be a manager?; Rebuilding trust in news

June 25, 2021

■ Justice Department announces first charges for assault on news media at US Capitol riot (CNN)

■ Attorney General backs legislation to end subpoenas for reporters' records (Politico)

■ Biden infrastructure deal 'wasn't a photo op ,' White House adviser tells MSNBC (The Hill) / Fox News polling shows majority approval for Biden — not that you’ll hear about it much on Fox News (Washington Post)

■ Boulder newspaper runs letter ripping its owner and urging staff to form 'new online paper’ (Corey Hutchins)

■ Gannett newspaper returns to local ownership (Augusta Chronicle)

■ ‘The opportunity is to really redefine the modern American newspaper ,’ new L.A. Times executive editor Kevin Merida told CNN in a joint interview with owner Patrick Soon-Shiong (CNN)

■ How a New York Times editorial assistant published her first book during COVID (JTA)

■ As a journalist, I thought I wasn’t precious about my work —then someone tore apart my novel (Jessica Goodman)

■ The pandemic made Navajo Nation’s radio stations even more vital (The Verge)

■ Journalist tells viewers on live TV that he hasn't been paid (CNN)

■ Pete Hamill Way : Park Slope street named for late Post columnist and editor (New York Post)

■ 125 years of the New York Times Book Review: The Crossword (New York Times)

Watch: How to rebuild trust in news, with takeaways from the Media Insight Project

Sixty percent of Americans say they have little to no trust in the media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly, according to Gallup.

Republicans are far less trusting of news than Democrats, and marginalized communities have long mistrusted the media because they didn’t see their experiences represented on the front page or on the evening news.

So what can we do to rebuild trust, especially among communities who never felt that journalism covered them accurately?

New research from the Media Insight Project demonstrates a different way to look at this challenge, and offers new solutions for journalists.

Representatives from the project — a collaboration among the American Press Institute, the Associated Press, and NORC — joined a National Press Club and Journalism Institute event to discuss their research and lessons learned:

Jennifer Benz, vice president, NORC at the University of Chicago
Tom Huang, assistant managing editor for journalism initiatives, The Dallas Morning News
Tom Rosenstiel, executive director, American Press Institute
Emily Swanson, director of public opinion research, The Associated Press
Moderator: Lisa Matthews, assignment manager of U.S. video for the Associated Press and the 114th president of the National Press Club

So you’re considering becoming a manager?

Advice from Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership

Do a clear-eyed analysis of whether your bosses want you to maintain a status quo you know to be flawed or use your power to improve it. Check to see what resources will exist for upgrades that require investment. Will you be set up to succeed – or fail?

Read: 6 things to know before you decide whether to become a manager

Get more career advice: Read Jill's columns | Watch Manager's Minute videos

Spend time with other nonfiction writers in the National Press Club Journalism Institute's writing group every Monday and Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. ET on Zoom. Newsroom journalists, memoirists, historians, whatever your preferred nonfiction form of writing — all are welcome. Learn more and sign up here.

Events and resources

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

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