The Latest: Covering Ukraine in 6 languages; Journalist murder NFT; #NaturalHairOnAir

February 22, 2022

■ Democrats tune out national news during Biden era (Axios) / The Washington Post takes new approach to national coverage with a 'Democracy Desk' (NPR)

■ Fox News's Neil Cavuto tested positive for the coronavirus again. This time it landed him in the ICU , he said. (Washington Post) / The Wall Street Journal’s owner opts for a ‘flexible’ return to the office. (New York Times)

■ KARE reporter speaks up about receiving vulgar slur from a Minnesota man (Star Tribune)

■ Resilience is an unfortunate requirement for emerging journalists of color (The Objective) / For Black women journalists, wearing #NaturalHairOnAir is a point of pride and resistance (Poynter) / Public radio stations encounter burnout, frustration in 'long game' of advancing DEI goals (Current) / Knight Foundation announces investment in publishers of color to foster their digital transformation, sustainability (Knight Foundation)

■ Local TV station owner Tegna will sell to Standard General in a $5.4B cash deal ; Tegna owns 64 local TV stations in 51 markets and is the largest independent owner of NBC affiliates. (Poynter)

■ Coverage of political upheaval, corporate subterfuge, victimized children, exploited migrants, a Haitian plot and Madagascar famine among 15 Polk Award winners (Long Island University)

■ How a book is made (New York Times)

■ What Washington was talking about on the last 2/22/22 (Washingtonian)

Press freedom

■ Bay Area journalist arrested while covering homeless camp sues Sausalito police (ABC7 San Francisco)

■ To expunge his daughter’s murder from the Internet, a father created an NFT of the grisly video of the journalist being shot on air (Washington Post)

■ 'We're creating what the world is ': On the record with Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa '86 (The Princetonian) / Maria Ressa joins The Atlantic as a contributing writer, focusing on democracy, press freedom, and the social web (The Atlantic)

Newsrooms have looked hard at the diversity of their teams, leadership, and coverage in the last year, and many say they’re now devoting consistent attention to hiring more journalists of color, investing in them, and supporting them in helping shift the stories that are told.

What has really changed in newsrooms and what challenges remain? Register now to join us for an hour-long program at 2 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 25 to learn what progress has brought and what it has cost. We’ll hear from newsroom leaders whose roles are at the center of this work.

“Query as a learner rather than assume as an expert. Editors are experts on a lot of things, but not on a writer’s identities or what they’re trying to achieve. We can ask questions rather than go in and make changes that feel right to us.”

-- Crystal Shelley, fiction editor and authenticity reader, via #ACESchat on microaggressions in editing

Power Shift Project: Lessons from training newsrooms on building inclusive workplace cultures

Readers of this column are invested in building and sustaining strong newsroom cultures, which is more important today than ever. That’s why I lead the Freedom Forum’s Power Shift Project, a program that newsrooms and J-school educators can take part in free of charge. Participants get the tools and training to help build better environments for journalists to do their best work — free of harassment, discrimination, and incivility.

We just did a listening session with program alums and advisory board members. Here’s what we heard about the latest challenges and successes. One important finding, “Newsrooms and classrooms that develop cultures designed to promote civility and opportunity for all and to end harassment are discovering a powerful benefit: Their journalism is better, too.”

Please apply now to join us for the next Workplace Integrity Training or register for our next webinar, "Do you qualify as an ally?" to apply practical insights as you fight inequity and learn to be a better advocate for change.

-- 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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The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest.