The Latest: Washington Post productivity; Serena & sports journalism; Farewell, typos!

September 1, 2022

■ How much does The Washington Post publish? ‘...here's a preliminary analysis, which draws article counts from the Newswhip API since 2014. It shows a 30% drop in WaPo production since the lockdowns.' (Ben Welsh) / Earlier: Frustrations mount at Washington Post as its business struggles (New York Times)

■ Newsroom staff sizes dwindle at local papers (WMRA) / Looming Gannett layoffs highlight importance of local news , Wisconsin's precarious position (Milwaukee Record) / Despite a wave of newsroom cuts, there is hope for local journalism (Monterey County Weekly)

■ Schools superintendent sends letter to parents addressing school newspaper cancellation over LGBQ issue (NTV News) / ‘I do think there have been talks of doing away with our newspaper if we were not going to be able to control content that we saw (as) inappropriate’ (The Grand Island Independent) / ‘This is the thing many student journalists, especially those in Nebraska, have been fearing for a long time. Every year, another school paper joins those that have been told what they can and can’t publish .’ (The Eagle)

■ Serena Williams forced sports journalists to get out of the 'toy box' – and cover tennis as more than a game (The Conversation)

■ Farewell, typos! Twitter unveils an edit button . (New York Times) / 'Some experts warned that the edit button could be used to spread misinformation , or to edit a tweet that has already been shared widely, changing it into a different message.’ (Washington Post)

Press freedom

■ New Charlotte police protocol may limit media access (Axios)

■ A nefarious and hidden threat to journalists rises (Columbia Journalism Review)

■ U.S. reporters wary of online, legal threats in the wake of the overturn of Roe v. Wade (Committee to Protect Journalists)

■ Ashley Judd calls for stricter privacy laws around police , autopsy reports in wake of mother Naomi’s death (Hollywood Reporter)

■ ‘We will bring justice ’: US press club honors Shireen Abu Akleh (Al Jazeera)

Program promo for Voter Accessibility: Improving your election coverage for people with disabilities. Click here to learn more.

Midterm elections are Nov. 8. Are you prepared to be a watchdog for disabled voters in your communities? What is your newsroom doing to ensure your election coverage is useful and accessible for disabled voters? How are you covering voter rights and accessibility leading up to and on Election Day?

On Friday, Oct. 14 at 11:30 ET, join the National Press Club Journalism Institute for a virtual discussion among experts in voter access, disability representation, and accessible news coverage on best practices to cover disabled voters and to highlight voting access issues they may face.

“I love the pizza-slice strategy. This is the way to avoid trapping yourself and your paper . Rather than declaring you have a great story and need a week or two, rather than asking a vulnerable person to open themselves up for a huge project, you need to take a step back. Slow it down. … The pizza slice is the image for this: you just bite off at the small angle on the end first…and then the pizza slice gets wider and wider, the farther into it you eat. You need to bring along the people in the story, and the editors. Don’t ask for too much up front, before you have the goods!”

-- Diana Sugg, journalist and editor, “How writing a Pulitzer Prize-winning story is like eating a big slice of pizza”

When you want to be a better coach...

1. Remember: The most important tools you have are questions, not statements.

2. Resist the temptation to jump in with instant answers and solutions.

3. Your goal is to help people discover their own solutions — and encourage them when they do.

Jill Geisler is the Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow.

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

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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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