April 8, 2021

Top stories ■ San Francisco TV reporter pepper-sprayed in attempted Golden Gate Park robbery (SFGate) / ‘For the second time in two months, a KPIX 5 journalist was the victim of a crime while on the job.’ (KPIX) ■ Neo-Nazi leader pleads guilty in journalist threat campaign (NBC News)  ■ Pregnant health reporter: 'Here's why I decided to get the coronavirus vaccine' (ProPublica) ■ Does the mainstream media need to bring back the public editor to restore credibility and trust? 8 former ombuds weigh in (Poynter)?  ■ Chicago’s revered dining scene recently lost a key ingredient: Experienced, trustworthy critics (Washington Post)  ■ New initiative, ‘Unpublishing the news,’ aims to help journalists address recurring dilemma (RJI)  ■ Inside secret Syria talks aimed at freeing journalist Austin Tice and other American hostages (AP)  ■ She was the ‘secret’ Wonder Woman writer in the 1940s. Here’s how she finally got her due at 94. (Washington Post) / A former Washingtonian helped ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ conjure Reagan-Era DC (Washingtonian)

Find motivation and some new tools for energizing your writing in this afternoon workshop. After a year of working from home, journalists and communicators around the country are hitting reset on their routines as they consider life after vaccination. Add “Pro Tips: Writing refresh” to your toolkit as you reset. In this 3-hour workshop, we’ll get you motivated with: Tips on energizing tired writing Structuring stories with inclusivity at their core Writing killer headlines that attract, rather than distract Registration is open for this program, which will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. ET Friday, June 4, on Zoom. Registration is $50. Tickets for National Press Club members are $40.

Your team needs ‘planners’ and ‘plungers’ Great bosses lead teams of people with different strengths. Some people love their lists; some prefer to keep things loose. The best managers respect everyone’s time and talent, and know that planners and plungers bring structure and serendipity -- all in service to strategy.  The 10 truths about planning 5 times plans really matter and 5 warnings for those who love to plan How a time management audit can help leaders bring order to their schedules Advice from Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity, Loyola University Chicago, Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership Click here to read Jill’s previous posts.

Resources Cancel harassment culture: Fighting online violence (April 21, 11 a.m. ET) Collaborative Journalism Summit (May 19-21)  IRE 2021 (June 14-18)

National Press Club news Virtual Book Event: Marvin Kalb, ‘Assignment Russia’ (April 13, 2 p.m. ET) Washington Post Media reporter Farhi, Director Jesse Dylan to discuss ‘Soros’ documentary (April 16 2 p.m. ET) Mark Bittman, former food columnist for The New York Times, will discuss his food history book ‘Animal, Vegetable, Junk’ (May 13, 2 p.m. ET) Interested in becoming a Club member? Learn more.

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. Get this from a friend? Subscribe, and view the archives.

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