October 19, 2023

• Americans' confidence in news media drops to lowest point since 2016, Gallup says (The Wrap) 

• Silicon Valley ditches news, shaking an unstable industry (New York Times) / LION Publishers aims to ‘help members raise money for themselves’ — and to decrease its reliance on a couple big funders (Nieman Journalism Lab) 

• After Gaza hospital blast, news headlines shift with changing claims (New York Times ) / BBC says it was ‘wrong to speculate’ that Israel was behind Gaza hospital blast (Deadline) / Confusion over Gaza hospital blast shows challenge for journalists covering Israel-Hamas conflict (Wall Street Journal)  

• Former AP videojournalist Yaniv Zohar killed in Hamas attack at home with his family (Associated Press) / Journalist Middle East death toll reaches 19 (Committee to Protect via TVNewsCheck) / Journalists killed in the Israel-Gaza war: A look at six lives lost (Washington Post) 

• As misinformation surges during the Israel-Hamas War, where is AI? (Poynter) / How social media abdicated responsibility for the news (New Yorker) 

• Dozens of Alden-owned newspapers run editorial urging media to call Hamas a terrorist group (Axios) 

• The Bezos-WaPo plot thickens (Puck) / ‘Fresh reporting on the Washington Post CEO bakeoff, Mark Thompson’s efforts to wrangle a GOP debate for CNN, and Barak Ravid’s scoop streak.’ (Puck) / Washington Post buyouts hit local coverage (Axios) 

• NewsNation, The Hill hire media critic Steve Krakauer (The Hill) / Rebecca Plevin joins the L.A. Times as the reporter for its equity initiative (Los Angeles Times) 

• Short on reporters, a Vermont newspaper turns to AI (Seven Days) 

• Google cuts dozens of jobs in news division (CNBC)

• One year on strike: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette journalists are frustrated but remain resolute (Poynter) 

• FCC Democrats begin process to restore Obama-era net neutrality rules (The Hill) 

• The New Bedford Light and The Newton Beacon are just part of a new wave of local news in Massachusetts (Nieman Journalism Lab) 

• Nomadic Newspaper goes glacier hopping in Alaska (Double Mountain Chronicle) 

Press freedom

• Alsu Kurmasheva: Russia detains journalist with U.S. citizenship in new crackdown (Bloomberg) / National Press Club statement on Radio Free Europe editor detained in Russia (NPC/JI) 

• Press freedom group warns Israel against banning Al Jazeera (Washington Post) 

• French-Afghan journalist freed in Afghanistan after Taliban court drops charges (Agence France-Presse via France24)

TOMORROW: Tips for reporting on campaign finance and lobbying

To help you with your reporting, the National Press Club Journalism Institute and the nonpartisan research group OpenSecrets are hosting a training on the basics of how to cover campaign finance and lobbying. We invite you to join us for this hour-long session that will take place tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. ET.

The training will be taught by OpenSecrets’ research experts Anna Massoglia, editorial and investigations manager, and Pete Quist, deputy research director. Participants will:



• Learn how to use the OpenSecrets’ national and state databases to identify who and what organizations are contributing to politicians and their campaigns
• Understand the ways that money is funneled into politics, including candidate advocacy groups, political action committees, dark money, and direct donations
• Develop skills to uncover which individuals, companies, labor unions, trade associations, and other organizations spend on lobbying
• Gain story ideas for the national and state politics-in-money angle

All registered participants will receive a copy of the recording.

This newsletter is written & edited by the National Press Club Journalism Institute staff: Beth Francesco, Bara Vaida, and Holly Butcher Grant. Send us your questions and suggestions for topics to cover.

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