The Latest: DC’s new ‘Grid’; NPR’s pay problems; 'We fought the good fight'; 3 ways to beat imposter syndrome

January 12, 2022

■ In 1915, a U.S. congressman tallied how many women in D.C. read the newspaper , then rejected their right to vote (Washington Post)

■ Cleveland Plain Dealer urges Sen. Portman to reconsider retirement (The Hill)

■ Pressed on his election lies, former President Trump cuts NPR interview short (NPR)

■ The Biden interview that split PBS (POLITICO)

■ Tonya Mosley is leaving NPR ’s ‘Here and Now’ (David Folkenflik) / NPR hosts' departures fuel questions over race . The full story is complex. 'Hosts have complained to the network's leadership of pay disparities along racial and gender lines. Some say the network does not keep its promises and makes contract negotiations unnecessarily contentious. And several hosts concluded they were made to be the public face of NPR but did not have the network's full support.' (NPR) / 'Interviews with 11 people with direct knowledge of recent developments, including NPR hosts and executives, suggest NPR indeed struggles to retain high-profile journalists of color ' (Edmund Lee) / ’Things like pay and host pay operated under cover of darkness . You would get your deal based on your relationship with management,’ @samsanders said of @npr. This is even true at member stations w/ public salaries. Some managers fight for raises. Others won't.’ (Elle Moxley) / 'I’m glad these powerhouse WOCs have brought light to an issue that plagues a workplace I so dearly love… but @NPR is also losing droves of POCs who aren’t as in the spotlight . Show producers, digital editors, etc. What is the network doing about them?’ (Ashley Westerman)

■ Washington Post reprimands editor over tweet (Wall Street Journal)

■ Texas Tribune leader Evan Smith says he will step down . (The New York Times) / 'A boss I love, @evanasmith , is retiring as CEO of @TexasTribune by year’s end. He told me of his intent when we discussed my coming here. I came anyway—b/c the mission is so urgent, the journalists here so dedicated, Texas so important.' (Sewell Chan)

■ Why omicron is changing how media outlets report on COVID data (AP) / Novak Djokovic admits meeting journalist when he had COVID (NDTV)

Press freedom

■ The New York Times on trial : Sarah Palin's libel suit heads to jury (Hollywood Reporter)

■ Opinion: Missouri governor’s attack on the media is ridiculous , yes, but serious nonetheless (The Washington Post)

■ How old laws are being used to shut down independent journalism in Hong Kong (Nieman Journalism Lab) / 'We fought the good fight': journalists in Hong Kong reel from assault on media (The Guardian)

“I was once covering a very difficult story about eagle poaching. It was about an organized poaching ring that I uncovered was being run by some Native folks to sell, illicitly, eagle parts. I was told by an elder I was consulting with that I was a conduit to share that story, but that it wasn't my pain to carry , and that I had to let that pain go. That was a good lesson for me. We can and do suffer vicarious trauma when we repeatedly speak with people about the pain and challenges and trauma that they've gone through in their lives. And we can't carry that. You can empathize or sympathize, but to carry it ourselves in our body and our minds can bring us into ill health.”

-- Duncan McCue, CBC radio host, via "How can indigenous reporters care for themselves while covering trauma — and how can their newsrooms help?"

3 quick remedies for 'imposter syndrome'

Do you occasionally (or often) hear a little voice that whispers, “Today’s the day they figure out I don’t really deserve this job?” People refer to it as “imposter syndrome .”

Even though the chances are slim that competent people are going to “blow it,” I hear from plenty of them who wish they could quiet that pesky voice of self-doubt. Here are three tips:

Watch next: What should I tell myself when I’m feeling imposter syndrome?

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

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

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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