The Latest: CNN’s new leadership; New Yorker journalist ‘goes nuclear’; New life for Black News Channel

July 20, 2022

■ White House begins the search for fresh communications team (NBC News) / ‘If the eyes are the window to the soul, a lens may be the window to the soul of a presidency .’ (Star Tribune)

■ ‘ “Toluse Olorunnipa, one of our most versatile journalists and a seasoned reporter who has covered three presidencies, will be our next White House bureau chief ,” the Washington Post announced on Tuesday. Olorunnipa, whose background is Nigerian but who was born in Tallahassee, Fla., becomes the Post’s first African American in that role.’ (Journal-isms)

■ You trust the media more than you say you do (POLITICO) / Shocker: Almost no one trusts TV news (Washington Post)

■ New Yorker staffer goes nuclear on editor David Remnick (Daily Beast)

■ L.A. Times journalist Paul Pringle responds to editors' attacks on his just-published book; ‘In the months leading up to the arrival of Bad City, the three editors were given the opportunity to respond to my reporting… They ultimately chose instead to retain attorneys to threaten lawsuits.’ (Paul Pringle) / Earlier: ‘An LA Times reporter’s book claims corrupt editors — myself included — tried to protect USC from an embarrassing exposé. My records prove it’s not true .’ (Matthew Doig)

■ A devastating trend: Local newspapers are shrinking or disappearing . Congress must act. (USA Today) / Exclusive: Bloomberg Media plots expansion ‘into localized coverage of different regions around the world’ (Axios)

■ Byron Allen buys Black News Channel for $11 million (Hollywood Reporter)

■ Tired of waiting for their dream workplace, these writers made their own; After years of being put through the wringer of New York City media, five journalists created Hell Gate , the blog-style news site run on their terms (New York Times)

■ ‘I am 29 years old and have traveled to 49 states, 25 countries, and six continents but there’s no place I’d rather be than covering the communities of Clarksville and Columbia because every big story starts with a small community .’ (The Leaf Chronicle)

Press freedom

■ ‘We're probably gonna go to court’: Media outlets lawyer up to get Uvalde shooting records (Vanity Fair) / 'The Austin-American Statesman has translated into Spanish the entire House committee report on Uvalde , calling it a "public service" given most residents in the area are Latino and "many are more comfortable reading in Spanish."' (Elahe Izadi)

■ Taliban forces Foreign Policy reporter to tweet apology after calling her sex slave articles ‘an affront to Afghan culture’ (Mediaite)

■ ICYMI: What it's like working in the deadliest country in the world for journalists (Nieman Reports)

“An editor is a trusted partner, a blind-spot detector, a high-stakes decision maker, a structural engineer . You do a lot more thinking about what you don’t see, what’s in the negative space: What Achilles’ heel might this premise have? The language is beautiful, but is the logic sound?”

-- Alexandra Zayas, a deputy managing editor at ProPublica, via "Craft lessons from writing coach Chip Scanlan"

Manager's Minute: How can I motivate a staff member to communicate more with the team?

Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow, on ways leaders can improve communication in the workplace.

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