The Latest: Biden: ‘You’re playing a game with me’; Death reveals ‘thankless’ role of fixers; Peabody Awards honor digital storytelling

March 24, 2022

■ Fed up with deadly propaganda , some Russian journalists quit (New York Times) / Why I’m staying in Kyiv: ‘It is the city where I have built my career in journalism . I have left a memory on almost every street of Kyiv’ (The Atlantic) / Journalists at Russia’s Channel One 'scared' says Marina Ovsyannikova (VOA) / Putin’s control over Ukraine war news is being challenged by online news and risk-taking journalists (Nieman Journalism Lab) / Top Russian journalist defiant in face of fake news investigation (VOA) / Open letter to media professionals who cover Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (Ukraine Commission on Journalism Ethics)

■ A ‘fixer’ was killed in Ukraine. She was doing one of journalism’s most thankless jobs . (Washington Post) / Ukraine war: death of a 'fixer' underlines the dangers of this unsung but vital job for journalism (The Conversation) / Replay: Fixers and journalism : First-person insights into working together internationally (NPCJI)

■ ‘We asked our photographer, Sarahbeth Maney, to reflect on this moment she captured of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s daughter Leila , 17, smiling at her mom on the first day of the hearings: "I knew how much it revealed in her admiration for her mother as a Black woman.” ’ (New York Times) / ‘How awesome that this beautiful photo was taken by a young Black woman only three years out of college who’s a NYT photography fellow (from Oakland too!)’ (Meena Harris) / Here’s how the media covered Ketanji Brown Jackson Supreme Court confirmation hearings (Poynter)

■ BuzzFeed and the demands of being public (Columbia Journalism Review) / The rise and (maybe) fall of BuzzFeed News — and larger dreams for digital journalism (Washington Post)

■ ‘To recognize the present and future of storytelling in digital spaces, Peabody has taken the unusual step of looking backwards, recognizing landmark pioneering projects that have shaped and defined powerful stories in interactive and immersive media forms’ (Peabody Awards)

■ ‘In internal memo to employees, ABC News announces that Heather Riley, who has been a longtime spox for the network, is "taking on a new role as Executive Editorial Producer , Political Programming and Affairs." ’ (Oliver Darcy)

Press Freedom

■ ‘A thankfully narrow 1A decision from SCOTUS today in the Wilson case, … which avoids raising needless questions about whether open-meeting laws are constitutionally vulnerable .’ (Frank LoMonte)

■ The country's longest-running prison publication faces censorship (Columbia Journalism Review)

■ Myanmar sentences journalists Hanthar Nyein and Than Htike Aung to 2 years in prison (Committee to Protect Journalists)

■ Nicaraguan publisher Juan Lorenzo Holmann convicted on money laundering charges (Committee to Protect Journalists)

“I always try to photograph and then make the decisions of what to edit, how to edit, and what to publish with my editor later. I know psychologically, in that moment, I’m not in the position to be making any editorial decisions because I’m very emotional. But I also think it’s important to take the pictures because you only have a few seconds to do that , often when it’s very dangerous. It’s better to have them and make those decisions later than to just not shoot.”

-- Lynsey Addario, New York Times photojournalist, via "Photographing the Reality of War"

Every story competes for attention and must earn its readers by making a clear promise to deliver relevant information. Headlines may hook us, but ledes draw us in, and nut grafs keep us.

As journalism changes, this is constant: Readers must know what’s at stake in a story and why it matters to them (or should).

This hour-long, hands-on workshop for reporters and editors will demonstrate how to make those stakes clear by:

Deconstructing the difference between ledes and nut grafs
Identifying common mistakes in crafting nut grafs
Offering solutions that help an inclusive community connect your journalism to their lives

Registration is open for this program, which will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET Friday, April 15, on Zoom. Registration is $25. Tickets for National Press Club members are $20.

Manager's Minute: Should managers ever shout?

Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership, discusses when — if ever — managers should shout.

Watch next: How bad is bullying?

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

Resources

Aspiring journalists can still apply for any of four National Press Club scholarships for students committed to a career in journalism. The deadline to apply for the awards, which total $50,000 in financial support, is Sunday, March 27. Opportunities are open to high school, college, and graduate students.

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.