The Latest: Washington Post adding 70 jobs; The book Trump fears most; Your Wordle streak is over

February 10, 2022

Top stories

■ Washington Post to expand health, climate coverage in bid for more readers (WSJ) / The Post announces newsroom expansion, adding more than 70 positions in 2022 (Washington Post) / Read the memo to staff (Paul Farhi)

■ Meet the WTOP employee who bought Pat Sajak's radio station (Washingtonian)

■ A philanthropist pivots: How Stewart Bainum Jr. came to pledge $50 million to launch The Baltimore Banner (Poynter)

■ Suki Dardarian named Star Tribune editor as Rene Sanchez departs for New Orleans job (Star Tribune) / Rene Sanchez will be the next editor of The Times-Picayune as Peter Kovacs retires (NOLA.com)

■ The Athletic co-founders explain why they sold to The New York Times in their first post-deal interview (CNBC)

■ Epstein journalist Vicky Ward hits back at the New Yorker and Graydon Carter (Daily Beast)

■ ‘This is the book Trump fears most . Among Trump aides, [Maggie] Haberman's book has been the most discussed of the bookshelf of books from reporters who covered Trump's campaigns and White House.’ (Axios)

■ ‘A bunch of high-paid narcissists ’: Even staffers are sick of CNN stars eulogizing Jeff Zucker (Vanity Fair) / ‘The convulsion in recent days at CNN over the dismissal of longtime president Jeff Zucker has seemed to me revealing, but not in the way some of the coverage would indicate.’ (Dick Tofel)

■ $200,000 awarded to two journalists for work on underreported communities (AP News)

■ NBC defends Shiffrin coverage , suggests sexism by critics (AP News) / Mikaela Shiffrin done with media at 2022 Olympics amid struggles (New York Post)

■ Your streak is over. Wordle moves to New York Times website and restarts the count. (The Verge) / A daughter worried when her 80-year-old mom didn’t text her Wordle score . A man was holding her hostage, police say. (Washington Post)

Press freedom

■ The New York Times is allowed to publish Project Veritas documents until a full appeal. (New York Times)

■ Judge in Sarah Palin v New York Times case describes closing arguments on Friday : 'Says Palin's team goes for 1 hr 45, NYT gets 2 hrs (including lunch break) then Palin side gets a final 15 minutes to rebut defense because, Rakoff says, of the "high bar" Palin faces in making her case.’ (David Folkenflik) / Sarah Palin, center stage again, in New York Times court battle that could be her true legacy (Washington Post) / Sarah Palin says her lawsuit against The New York Times made her a ‘David’ vs. a ‘Goliath’ (New York Times) / The cynical spectacle of Sarah Palin's lawsuit against the New York Times (POLITICO)

■ 'Any journalist could be a target ': How reporters in Mexico are coping with a killing spree that keeps getting worse (Forbes)

“The structure piece of it is always in my mind, even when I’m reporting. ... I eventually produce a full draft, but I feel it’s kind of ugly writing. The most pleasant part is often taking an ugly draft and making it into writing that feels clear —the kind of writing I would want to read — as opposed to writing that is trying to get from point A to point B to point C.”

-- Rachel Aviv, staff writer at The New Yorker, via Nieman Storyboard

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Manager's Minute: I like connecting people, what's the best way to make e introductions?

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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.

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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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