The Latest: Covering Iran; Defining ‘war’; Paramount’s vision for WBD; Staying motivated after a job loss

March 2, 2026

Top stories

■ The trouble covering Tehran (Status) / Trump delivers Iran messaging through exclusive interview spree (Axios) / ‘The big one is coming’: Jake Tapper delivers blockbuster Iran report after private interview with Trump (Mediaite) / CNN’s coverage of Iran is a reminder of its power — and what could be lost in the wrong hands (Poynter) / ‘CBS News' Iran coverage shows the network's new direction under Bari Weiss, and tests the tension between Weiss' political views on Iran and maintaining traditional journalistic distance’ (Max Tani) / ‘Tony Dokoupil will be anchoring CBS Evening News from the Middle East all week…’ (Justin Baragona) / Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst rushes to safety as live bombs fall on Tel Aviv: 'Massive explosions right now' (The Wrap)

■ David Ellison unveils sweeping vision for Warner Bros : ‘This is about reinventing the business’ (Hollywood Reporter) / Paramount lightly pushes back on layoff speculation post Warner merger, sees majority of savings from ‘non labor sources (Deadline) / Paramount just told employees what their year-end bonuses are — and changed how they are calculated (Business Insider) / CNN staffers fear Warner Bros.-Paramount deal will hurt their journalism and network’s financial health (Variety) / Trump allies claim victory as the Ellisons expand their media empire (Washington Post) / ‘Last year the Ellisons were going to use $24 billion in Gulf state money to help Paramount buy WBD. Is that still happening? Paramount won't say.’ (Peter Kafka)

■ The Atlantic publishes recording of its journalist getting kicked out of Jasmine Crockett event (HuffPost)

■ Court dismisses CPB lawsuit against FEMA over NGWS funding (Current)

■ Jackson newspaper settles $25M defamation lawsuit . What can be learned? (WyoFile)

■ Kalshi licenses election data from the AP (Axios)

■ Thomson Reuters announces planned CFO transition (Thomson Reuters) / The Hill hires Nazzaro as senior tech reporter (Talking Biz News) / Wave of moves at Texas stations leads to major TV personality switch-ups (MySA) / Former KABB, KENS 5 reporter Lu Parker laid off amid Nexstar cuts (San Antonio Express-News) / Katherine Dougherty named VP-GM of KMPH-KFRE Fresno (TV News Check) / Guardian announces Leah Green as head of Guardian Studios (Guardian)

■ ‘Same values, same mission, same ethics’: How the Houston Chronicle chooses creators to work with (Nieman Journalism Lab)

■ An Ohio newspaper has a new star writer . It isn’t human. (Washington Post)

■ Introducing the Morris Review newspaper: More local coverage , same community commitment (New Jersey Hills Media Group)

■ DePaul launches new journalism institute aligned with Lightfoot ICE initiative (The DePaulia) / Journalism students report on the Winter Olympics in Milan , 'rush' a fountain when UNC beat Duke (Daily Tar Heel)

■ 40 years and 10,000 broadcasts in , they’re still live on air (New York Times)

CRAFT

AP Style tip on defining war

"The Associated Press will use the word 'war' to refer to the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, and Iran's retaliation. This decision reflects the scope and intensity of the fighting. The Merriam-Webster definition of war is quite broad: 'A state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations,' or 'a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism.'

On Feb. 28, 2026, the United States and Israel targeted key military targets and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other government leaders. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones targeting Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. armed forces. It marks the second time in eight months that Israel and the United States used military force against the Islamic Republic.

It is acceptable to use the term 'war' to refer to the conflict in all contexts, including in headlines, photo captions, and video scripts . Lowercase the word war. AP capitalizes that word only as part of a formal name. The terms 'conflict' and 'attacks' may also be used to describe the situation. Include specific details of the military action.”

-- Excerpt from “How AP decided to describe US-Israeli strikes on Iran, and Iran’s retaliation, as war ” (Associated Press)

CAREER

Career Day Session Spotlight: Staying motivated and strategizing after a job loss

Career Day at the National Press Club returns on Friday, March 20, 2026! Join us from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET for a high-impact day designed for journalists and communicators navigating one of the most challenging job markets our industry has seen in years.

A job loss can deal a huge blow to your finances and professional progress. And it can leave you with questions about your chosen field, as well as your identity.

So how do you bounce back? What skills do you need to learn or lean into to find meaningful employment? And what considerations should you make when you’re not sure when you might find work again?

As part of Career Day professional development training, Andrew Seaman, host of LinkedIn’s “Get Hired” podcast & newsletter and the editor at large for jobs & career development at LinkedIn News, will share tangible advice from job searches gone right. He’ll explore a set of strategies for staying motivated during the job search, setting goals, staying organized, and nurturing a positive mindset.

Whether you attend this session or the full day of programming, you’ll leave with new skills, actionable next steps, and something just as important: renewed momentum and community during a time of uncertainty.

Click here to see more Career Day programming.

COMMUNITY

Resources

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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