News and information to help journalists serve the public and stay safe.

August 4, 2020

TOP STORIES · Judge approves sale of McClatchy to Chatham (McClatchyDC) · NBCUniversal begins layoffs of around 10% of 35,000 employees (CNBC) · Revelations about former employee prompt calls for new leadership at WAMU / WAMU staff are in revolt over jaw-dropping sexual harassment allegations. The NPR affiliate's owner is promising change (Washingtonian) · 84% of Americans say news media is 'critical’ or ‘very important’ to democracy (Knight) / Americans are losing faith in an objective media. A new Gallup/Knight study explores why (Knight) / How to repair the lack of trust between the public and the media (1A) / 86% think there is at least a fair amount of political bias in news coverage (Gallup)  · As election looms, a network of mysterious ‘pink slime’ local news outlets nearly triples in size (CJR) / Silicon Valley is losing the battle against election misinformation (Politico) · House committee investigating DHS office that tracked journalists, protesters (Washington Post) · Philadelphia Inquirer is no longer publishing mugshots with crime stories by default (Rachel Molenda) · Comic by award-winning Black cartoonist pulled from newspapers after readers deem it 'offensive’ (Jezebel) · Ta-Nehisi Coates is guest editing the September issue of Vanity Fair (CNN) · NAHJ asks newsrooms to drop the use of ‘minority’ (NAHJ) · Newsrooms eye permanent change to working practices after COVID-19 lockdown (Press Gazette) · Work meetings have gotten shorter since COVID-19 (Quartz)  · What helped Ed Yong write the sentence of the year about the pandemic? (Poynter) · What if the bride says no masks? Wedding photographers face coronavirus rule-breakers (Baltimore Sun) · When her mom was dying of COVID-19, ‘Conan’ writer turned tragedy into comedy. (Washington Post)

Government records belong to the public, but journalists often face delays and redactions that make it difficult to get the information they need to inform the public about significant issues. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever for journalists to be strategic when they are seeking government records. Panelists Miranda Spivack, journalism fellow at the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida, and Mark Walker, FOIA coordinator in The New York Times’ Washington Bureau, will cover strategies and approaches to requesting and obtaining public records using the Freedom of Information Act and state open records laws.  Registration is open for the program, which will take place tomorrow.

Between jobs? Here’s how to catch the eye of a recruiter By Beth Hunt, director of editorial recruiting and development for American City Business Journals. It’s not an ideal time to be looking for a job right now, especially a journalism job. How’s that for stating the obvious? Between a global pandemic, an economic crisis and an industry that has been teetering on the brink for years, it’s hard to feel anything but hopeless when news of a layoff, furlough or job cut arrives. And while I can’t say when or whether things will be fine, I can say that many news publishers — traditional and otherwise — are able to take advantage of an employers’ hiring market to snap up exceptional talent available as a result of economic conditions and uncertainties. From a talent recruiting perspective, there are things you can do to increase your chances of being noticed by hiring managers in newsrooms and news organizations, or landing a news job in another kind of company. (That’s one of things you can do, by the way: Acknowledge there are journalism jobs inside non-news companies.) Here are some other things to think about: Pick up new skills while you’re searching.  Be sure the journalism language you speak fits the journalism of today. Be prepared to share specifics on how you successfully use the tools available to build your craft.  Network like your career depends on it.  Be realistic about how long it will take to land a job and make a plan for in between. For details on how to do these five things well, click here to read the full article on sabew.org.  This excerpt is reprinted with permission. SABEW facilitates connections between members looking to hire and journalists seeking jobs. Please visit the Job Listings or Who’s Looking sections of our website for more information. Need more career and job search advice? Check out our tips on leveraging your school’s alumni network, how to build your professional network remotely, how to ace a virtual job interview, job advice for mid-career journalists, and how journalists can make the most out of LinkedIn.

As news organizations and the nation have responded to the coronavirus pandemic and the protests following the murder by police of George Floyd, journalists have increasingly confronted the need for newsroom equity and a truer relationship with the communities they serve. The National Press Club Journalism Institute and PEN America will co-host a program on “Equity and community in local news: Lessons learned in 2020” to identify and share takeaways from pandemic and protest coverage and to look ahead toward election coverage.  Registration is open for the program on August 12, which will be moderated by Jim Friedlich, executive director and CEO of the Lenfest Institute of Journalism, and will feature Denise Rolark Barnes, publisher of The Washington Informer; Cassie Haynes, co-executive director at Resolve Philadelphia; Darryl Holliday, co-founder and News Lab director at City Bureau in Chicago; and Tasneem Raja, editor-in-chief of The Oaklandside.

Introducing the Class of 2020: Allyson Nichols The National Press Club Journalism Institute is spotlighting the next generation of journalists, students who graduated from college or Master’s programs this spring into a challenging job market. We hope they’ll meet future bosses and colleagues here, who will reach out and support them in building journalism’s future together.  Name: Allyson Nichols School: Kent State University Location: Kent, OH Internship: Akron Life Magazine Journalism hero: Jacqueline Carlyle What do you want to accomplish in your journalism career? Nichols: I just want to be the best writer I can be. I’ve become so passionate about writing in the past five years, and I just want to continue growing as both a writer and a person. I want to have that story someday that makes me stop and think, “This is what made all of that hard work worth it.” If you could meet any journalist and ask for her/his advice, who would it be and why? Nichols: Honestly, the journalist I want to meet is a character from a TV show called “The Bold Type.” Her name is Jacqueline Carlyle and she’s such a powerhouse of a woman. In the show, she’s the editor-in-chief of “Scarlet Magazine,” so I would ask her what it takes to get to where she is at and what advice would she have for a young woman just starting out in the journalism career field because I think having someone to look up to like her is so important and I want to be that for somebody someday. Read on: “I work really hard on every story I write no matter what it is because I believe every story deserves every bit of effort you can give it.” To support journalism students, contribute here to scholarships.

Put your aspirations on the record

Make no secret of your goals and values; they tell your team where you’re all going and how you’ll get there. In the absence of that information, your team may ascribe intentions to you that reflect their fears more than your aspirations. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, as Louis Brandeis said.  Advice from Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity, Loyola University Chicago, Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership

Do you qualify as an ally? Join Jill for the next Freedom Forum Institute Power Shift Project program on August 20 at 1 p.m. EDT. Registration is now open.

Self-Care: Feel like you want to break something? Crack open a book When you need to find some tranquility in your day, lose yourself in the pages of a book. Books transport you to other places, other times. They make you think differently and redirect your focus from whatever had been preoccupying you. Even a short, 10-minute read is like a long sip of water. Consider these reasons to keep a book within reach: Reading for pleasure — whether fiction or nonfiction —can reduce stress by as much as 68%. It will entertain you and take your mind away from more immediate worries and pressures. Books stimulate the brain, providing the kind of mental activity that slows cognitive decline. They can also improve your vocabulary and writing ability.  A good piece of fiction, a memoir or biography invests us in the lives of others, promoting a sense of empathy and understanding. Reading a book before bed improves sleep, and is the perfect antidote to our stress-inducing tendency to reach for our smartphones before turning off the lights. When another round of politics talk at the dinner table becomes predictably circular, a book will give you another talking point and a useful exit ramp. Books make wonderful gifts. Read on for more self-care tips, or share your own.

RESOURCES 231 ways publishers can make media pay How 3 local publishers created donation programs What will journalists do when Election Night becomes Election Week?

This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Holly Butcher Grant, Jim Kuhnhenn, and Julie Moos. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover. Get this from a friend? Subscribe, and view the archives.

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