The Latest: Washington Post’s new plan; Lewinsky’s story; Working with jerks

August 25, 2021

Top stories

■ ‘The feeling is helplessness’: Reporter cares for his mother in COVID-19 unit (KSNT) / ’Wall Street Journal staff told today by the publisher that they can go into the office voluntarily from mid-Sept, and vaccinations will not be mandatory ’ (Katie Robertson)

■ How Mexico helped the New York Times get its journalists out of Afghanistan (New York Times) / ‘CNN boss Jeff Zucker updates staffers on the network's efforts to extract locals who worked with the network in Afghanistan: "We've facilitated the evacuation of between 60 and 70 Afghans." Everyone from local staffers to support personnel who worked alongside CNN for years’ (Brian Stelter) / Female Afghan journalist fears Taliban will kill her , changes address daily to hide (Fox News)

■ Capitol riot suspect charged with assault after allegedly throwing AP photographer over wall (NBC News)

■ Inside the plan to make Jeff Bezos's Washington Post the everything newspaper (Washingtonian) / Here's who's behind the Washington Post Peloton account (Washingtonian)

■ 'Women now lead White House coverage at ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN. ... Yet the press corps has been predominantly white’ (POLITICO)

■ Former top producer of ABC's 'Good Morning America' accused of sexual assault in lawsuit (WSJ) / An R. Kelly accuser says he controlled her CBS News interview . (Washington Post) / How the sports media covers sexual abuse (New Yorker)

■ ESPN removes Rachel Nichols from NBA programming, cancels 'The Jump' (Yahoo! Sports)

■ Inside the massive MSNBC deal paying Maddow to work less (Daily Beast) / The daily edition of 'The Rachel Maddow Show' is coming to an end. So who will replace her ? (CNN) / MSNBC votes to unionize in latest media victory for labor (Bloomberg)

■ As The Atlantic draws closer to 1 million subscribers, the publisher must battle declines in traffic to keep momentum going (Digiday)

■ Rana Cash named 1st Black top editor of Charlotte Observer (Charlotte Observer) / Veteran journalist Mira Lowe named dean of FAMU's School of Journalism & Graphic Communication (Tallahassee Democrat)

■ This newspaper revived the evening edition it closed 29 years ago (Poynter)

■ She wrote the history of ‘Jeopardy!’ Then she changed it. (New York Times)

■ Monica Lewinsky and ‘Impeachment’ Star Beanie Feldstein: “We’re a ‘we’ now ” (Hollywood Reporter) / ‘There’s been fights, there’s been tears ’: The making of ‘Impeachment: American Crime Story’ (Hollywood Reporter) / Monica Lewinsky hired a therapist to watch 'Impeachment: American Crime Story' with her (The Wrap) / Beanie Feldstein on playing and befriending Monica Lewinsky (L.A. Times)

■ Longtime political journalist David Yepsen retiring as host of Iowa Press on Iowa PBS (Des Moines Register) / Media critic David Zurawik retires (Dan Rodricks)

■ 'Hot vaxxed summer' fizzled, but 'hot books fall ' feels like a safe bet (L.A. Times)

■ Email auto-responses for your mental health (New York Times)

Press freedom

■ New York district attorneys ask state attorney general to hold off on publicly releasing Cuomo investigation materials (CNN)

■ Judge spars with Justice Department over media protections (POLITICO)

■ 'Action should follow words': Daphne Caruana Galizia's family wants Maltese journalists to work without fear (CPJ)

■ With new foreign agent labels, Russia steps up attack on independent media (International Press Institute)

"It's not that representation is tokenism. Representation is actually meaning that we are creating institutions that can do their best and greatest work because they have minds that are reflective of the actual country that we live in."

-- Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at The New York Times Magazine, speaks with The 19th on making space in media for Black journalists

Don't work with jerks - or allow them to drag down your team

Are you unsure whether your potential boss is a jerk? Heed this advice from Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity, Loyola University Chicago, Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership:

Manager's Minute: How to read code words about your boss

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

National Press Club News

NBC News’ Lester Holt, whose seasoned career in journalism over four decades and role as anchor of “NBC Nightly News” has earned him the title as most-trusted anchor in America, will receive the National Press Club’s most acclaimed prize, the Fourth Estate Award, at a gala in his honor on Oct. 20, 2021 in Washington, D.C. Holt will be the 49th recipient of the Fourth Estate Award.

The 2021 Gala will occur in two parts: A virtual celebration that will include the presentation of the National Press Club’s press freedom and investigative journalism awards — which will be announced soon — and an in-person celebration of Lester Holt live at the National Press Club. The schedule and ticket information is available here, along with current safety protocols for in-person guests.

Buy tickets now

Resources

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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