June 13, 2022

■ Jan 6. hearing: Former Fox News editor Chris Stirewalt defends​ election night call for Arizona (Transcript via Yahoo) / ‘Chris Stirewalt: "As a journalist, I feel very uncomfortable even playing this small role in these events." Here, he explains why he is testifying nevertheless’ (Brian Stelter) / ‘I had a pretty good perch for the 2020 election and was part of the best decision desk in the news business on election night. I’m still so proud of the work we did—we beat the competition and stuck the landing. All I can do is tell the truth about my work and hope for the best.’ (Chris Stirewalt) / Chris Stirewalt lost his job at Fox News. But he knows he was right. (Washington Post) 

■ CNN reporter makes plea to gun owners after colleague’s shooting death (The Hill) 

■ A minor league announcer reported an assault, and 'In the end, it hurt me' (The Athletic) / ‘11-year-old Ellee Dowdy, from Amherst, Virginia, eats, sleeps and talks baseball. But she didn't know girls could pursue a broadcasting career doing play-by-play until she listened to a Baltimore Orioles game called by announcer Melanie Newman’ (CBS Sunday Morning) 

■ Katy Tur talks about her ‘unique and interesting’ childhood, growing up in the media (CBS News) / Swapping books brings Katy Tur closer to her mother (New York Times) / MSNBC anchor Katy Tur discusses estranged father becoming transgender (New York Post) 

■ Film about conservative news figure Matt Drudge is underway (CNN) 

■ I made mistakes over outing Rebel Wilson, and will learn from them (Sydney Morning Herald) 

■ How long email chains can make us frustrated—and less competent (WSJ) / The five most dreaded words at the office: 'Let's start a Google Doc' (WSJ) 

Press freedom

■ 'The family of a missing journalist says they have been told by Brazilian authorities that two bodies have been found tied to a tree in the Amazon rainforest. The report came more than a week after the journalist and a Brazilian government official went missing.' (Washington Post) / 'Search teams found a backpack, laptop and other personal items that belonged to Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and freelance British journalist Dom Phillips, who went missing in a remote area of Brazil’s Amazon a week ago' (AP) 

■ How Shireen Abu-Akleh, Al Jazeera correspondent was killed: A Washington Post analysis of available visuals, audio and witness statements shows an Israeli soldier likely fired the fatal shot (Washington Post)

■ As El Salvador's president tries to silence free press, journalist brothers expose his ties to street gangs (Los Angeles Times)

“You may not want to tell your story in a chronological way in the paper, but you want to understand events in a chronological way because, when you do, you can actually learn certain secrets and certain insights just from seeing how things unfolded in real life.”

-- Jodi Kantor, investigative reporter at the New York Times, “The New York Times reporters who broke the Harvey Weinstein story share advice for student journalists”

More than 75 percent of Americans say religion is an important part of their lives. How do these Americans see themselves and their faith reflected in news coverage? What does reporting on faith get right and wrong? How do editors and reporters think about who they’re reaching with these stories and who they’ve lost? And how might this coverage build trust in journalism among communities who have been historically misrepresented?

Registration is open for this program, which will take place on Friday, June 24 at 11:30 a.m. ET. Participants will learn:

• How journalists of faith navigate challenges from inside their newsrooms and from inside their faith communities
• Whose faith is centered in coverage and whose is marginalized, mischaracterized, or misunderstood
• Which best practices can help extend our community’s understanding of itself

Panelists include:

• Dawn Araujo-Hawkins, news editor at Christian Century; vice president at Religion News Association
• Alison Bethel, vice president of corps excellence at Report for America
• Sarah Breger, editor at Moment Magazine
• McKay Coppins, staff writer at The Atlantic
• Richard Flory, executive director at USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture
• Aysha Khan, journalist and Harvard Divinity School student
• Holly Meyer, religion news editor at The Associated Press
• Bill Mitchell, publisher, CEO, and president at the National Catholic Reporter
• Paul O’Donnell, editor-in-chief at Religion News Service

The conversation will be moderated by Julie Moos, the Institute’s Executive Director, and is supported by an operational grant from the Deseret Management Corporation.