The Latest: ‘We’re all helpless’; News that broke through in 2021; Journalist gifts on a budget

December 14, 2021

■ Seen Read Heard 2021: Here’s the news that broke through in 2021. (Morning Consult) / All voters ‘were most likely to have heard about President Joe Biden’s signing of his signature legislation .’ (Morning Consult)

■ Reporter reveals his texts to Meadows on Jan. 6: 'We're all helpless ' (Insider) / Fox News stays silent on revelations that its hosts urged Trump to stand against Jan. 6 attack (WBUR) / Fox News hosts urged Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to have Trump stop Jan. 6 violence, texts show (Washington Post) / ‘White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday said text messages between Fox News hosts and former President Trump’s chief of staff on Jan. 6 were “disappointing” because they showed the hosts expressing concern in private but “spreading lies and conspiracy” in public .’ (The Hill)

■ Meet the local news meteorologist whose forecast saved lives in Kentucky (Poynter)

■ Lee’s stock is now trading at way more than Alden Global Capital’s takeover offer (Poynter)

■ Wirecutter Union reaches agreement with New York Times management (Bloomberg) / ‘The huge gains we made in the past two weeks would not have been possible without our five-day strike with 100% participation and the thousands of supporters who honored our picket line and donated to our strike fund.’ (Wirecutter Union) / ‘Gotta wonder how much the NYT lost over Black Friday due to the boycott.’ (Glenn Fleishman)

■ Politics and Prose bookstore employees move to unionize (DCist) / Andrew Cuomo ordered to turn over $5.1 million from pandemic book sales (The Wrap)

■ Why a New York Times reporter keeps writing about dive bars (New York Times)

■ Britney Spears lashes out over infamous Diane Sawyer interview: ‘I was a baby’ (L.A. Times)

■ When is it most accurate to say ‘it’s not brain surgery ’ instead of ‘it’s not rocket science’? This study provides an answer (The BMJ)

Press freedom

■ Dissident journalist jailed in Vietnam for 9 years for 'anti-state' acts (Reuters) / 'The United States calls on the Vietnamese government to release' author and journalist Pham Doan Trang (U.S. Department of State) / U.S. press leaders condemn conviction of Vietnamese journalist (NPC/NPCJI)

■ Myanmar journalist reported to have died in army custody (AP/The Seattle Times)

■ Russia fines investigative website for breaking 'foreign agent' law (Reuters)

"For better or worse, campaign coverage emphasizes what candidates are doing and saying. Washington policy and politics coverage emphasizes what the president and other leaders are trying to move through Congress. If Democratic candidates aren’t talking about America’s anti-democratic movement, and if President Joe Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer aren’t doing it every day in Washington, then the coverage will reflect that. That is not a defense of the political-media ecosystem but just a description of it ."

-- Politico Playbook

Manager's Minute: I have no budget for holiday gifts, what do I do?

Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership, shares advice for workplace gift giving during the holidays.

Watch next: 3 tips for managers this holiday season

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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