November 30, 2021

Top stories

■ As Alden seeks seats on Lee Enterprises' board, Lee unions urge the board to reject Alden's takeover of their newsrooms (Poynter)  ■ What happens to society — and our democracy — when community and regional journalism dries up? (Washington Post) / How the Brunswick News helped make the Ahmaud Arbery trial happen (Time) / Since 2005, about 2,200 local newspapers across America have closed. Here are some of the stories in danger of being lost — as told by local journalists. (Washington Post) ■ Now nonprofit, The Salt Lake Tribune has achieved something rare for a local newspaper: financial sustainability (Nieman Lab)  ■ Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews promoted at CBS News, search for new D.C. bureau chief in the works (Hollywood Reporter)  ■ The new Miss USA is Elle Smith, a local TV reporter from Kentucky (NPR)  ■ The video that journalists can’t stop sharing today: 'When you love the em-dash' (Alexis Gay) Press freedom ■ More than 50 journalists arrested or detained while on the job in the US in 2021 (Press Freedom Tracker)  ■ Project Veritas and the mainstream media are strange allies in the fight to protect press freedom (Nieman Lab) / New York Times faces extended ban on Project Veritas coverage (Reuters) ■ ‘BREAKING: @BuzzFeedNews and I won our appeal before the DC Circuit to further unredact the Mueller report, specifically passages pertaining to Donald Trump, Jr. et al. This is a massive win and it's all thanks to the expert legal arguments by our attorney Matt Topic.’ (Jason Leopold)

"On any long or complicated story, I work from a detailed outline. I often end up deviating from it, but try to bring as much rigor as I can to thinking through structure on the front end. That process, and chiefly the discipline of assembling and prioritizing material, may be more valuable than the outline itself. I try to stay mindful of symmetry and proportion, for the story as a whole and within each section. I think a lot about section endings, and how they might propel readers into what comes next." -- Peter Jamison, a local enterprise reporter for The Washington Post, describes his writing process for Nieman Storyboard

Manager's Minute: How do you deal with staffers who don’t take their vacations? Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership, on how (and why) managers should encourage employees to take time off.

Watch next: A lot of people have a backlog of vacation, how do I juggle it all? Get more career advice: Read Jill's columns | Watch Manager's Minute videos

There is still time to #ThankAJournalist today during Giving Tuesday There is still time to #ThankAJournalist with a donation to the National Press Club Journalism Institute during Giving Tuesday. Your support will help the Institute continue to provide free and low-cost training and press freedom advocacy for journalists who work hard to deliver the news each day.   We’d be honored if you’d choose to celebrate Giving Tuesday with us. Dedicate your Giving Tuesday gift to #ThankAJournalist you admire, or to acknowledge the importance of journalism to a healthy democracy. Together, we’re powering journalism in the public interest.

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National Press Club news Ireland’s Sinn Féin party leader Mary Lou McDonald to speak at Newsmaker event (Dec. 2, 10 a.m. ET)  NPC Newsmaker: Judge Lina Hidalgo, Harris County, TX (Dec. 7, 10 a.m. ET) Fauci to update on Omicron variant, pandemic progress at virtual Headliners Newsmaker (Dec. 20, 3 p.m. ET)

Resources Online attacks against journalists: Know your rights guide How to report safely: Strategies for women journalists and their allies Checking in: Mental health in journalism (Dec. 6, 8 p.m. ET)

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. Get this from a friend? Subscribe, and view the archives.

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