The Latest: ‘Highly unusual’ press restrictions; Substack’s messy newsroom; Reading DC

August 17, 2022

Top stories

■ ‘Truth and transparency’? White House sources routinely ask for anonymity (Los Angeles Times)

■ ’During a week of vacation in South Carolina, President Biden had a message for the reporters camped out nearby, eager for his take on his recent legislative victories and the especially heated political news cycle back in Washington. “Go get your bathing suits!”’ (New York Times)

■ Vance, DeSantis rally puts ‘highly unusual’ restrictions on press (Washington Post) / ‘Journalists must agree to give access to their footage to the event organizer, pro-Trump GOP youth group Turning Point USA, and explain how they intend to use it.’ (Washington Post)

■ Liz Cheney was a Fox hero 10 years ago. Today she is the network's top villain (CNN)

■ Alex Wagner is ready for anything: After a lengthy and non-traditional career, the journalist meets her moment as the new face of MSNBC. (The Cut)

■ Veteran anchor admits she was 'blindsided' over major news network's firing (PopCulture.com)

■ Substack’s promise to be different than a newsroom is getting messy (The Verge)

■ How an overlooked Black collective carved out pathways for a new generation of photographers (Los Angeles Times)

■ Potomac teen creates The Kids Cut newspaper for local children (Bethesda Magazine)

■ 'I just wrote the last words of my last column . (It’ll run online Sunday morning; in print in @PostStyle on Monday.) Well, it’s been a pretty fun 42 years in newspapers. Overall.' (Margaret Sullivan)

■ 'Breaking news: An explosion at the diaper station': TV anchors post now-viral parenting spoof (CNN) / 7News anchor Robert Burton, wife go viral with live baby report , spoof new life as parents (WJLA)

■ On loving and leaving D.C., in life and in my reading (Book Riot)

Press freedom

■ AP, Texas Tribune and other newsrooms ask court to unseal Henry Cuellar search warrant (Texas Tribune)

■ Why is Mexico so dangerous for journalists ? (Small Wars Journal)

■ Syria denies holding journalist Austin Tice after White House claims otherwise (CNN) / '“Syria has never acknowledged holding him,” [State Department Spokesman Ned] Price said of Tice, adding that “we are not going to be deterred in our efforts . We are going to pursue every avenue for securing Austin’s safe return.”' (AP) / 'Syria emphasizes that any official dialogue or communication with the U.S. government side will only be public and based on the rule of respecting the sovereignty and independence and unity of the Syrian Arab Republic’s land' (Washington Post)

■ Saudi woman given 34-year prison sentence for using Twitter (The Guardian)

■ ‘The Biden administration wants Israel to review its “rules of engagement” during military operations in the occupied West Bank after the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, three Israeli and U.S. sources briefed on the call told Axios.’ (Axios)

“If I were to pick just one tip for newsrooms that don’t know how to squeeze solutions journalism into an already heavy workload, it would be this. Next time you write a … standard news story, try inserting just one solutions ingredient . If you interview a teacher about the low standard of education, don’t just ask them what isn’t working, ask them how it could be done better. Or find historical context of a time when it used to work. Or evidence of another city that’s made it work. It can be as little as one sentence. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The key is to start small.”

-- Emma Löfgren, senior digital news editor, “Five manageable ways to introduce solutions journalism to your newsroom”

Manager's Minute: How bad is bullying?

Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow, on the cost of incivility, bullying, and all those bad behaviors that aren’t illegal but tear people down or drive them away.

Manager's Minute: How bad is bullying?

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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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