The Latest: Covering losing candidates; Newsroom to courtroom; Journalist's headstone

October 13, 2022

■ ‘Two women stood on the debate stage at the University of Utah and called Rep. Burgess Owens, the former NFL player who has railed against “whiners, weenies and wimps,” a coward for not showing up. Owens skipped out on the debate just hours before the scheduled start, citing his objection to Salt Lake Tribune Executive Editor Lauren Gustus serving as moderator of the event.’ (Salt Lake Tribune)

■ 'Everything that I’ve learned about covering politics, I’ve learned from covering losing candidates .’ (Vogue)

■ Where's the line separating journalists from politics ? (Iowa Capital Dispatch) / Earlier: TV journalist has 'zero regrets' on termination for abortion-ban initiative work (Star-Herald)

■ As a young journalist, she reports on gun violence. Then her classroom went into lockdown . (The Trace)

■ Meet Kali Venable ’25L, journalist turned law student: 'I covered a lot of issues as a reporter that made me question my impact. I still believe wholeheartedly in the central role a free press plays in a functioning democracy , but I increasingly struggled with my desire to do more. The more I covered issues that I care deeply about, the more I started seeing how I could help solve them by practicing law.' ( Washington and Lee University)

■ Margaret Sullivan on being hopeful about journalism's future (Time)

■ 'This is my whole life ': Lesley Stahl on '60 Minutes,' longevity and her problem being called 'tough' (USA TODAY)

■ Family of longtime reporter has 9NEWS logo etched on headstone (9NEWS)

Tomorrow is Voter Accessibility: Improving your election coverage for people with disabilities. Click here to learn more.

Are you prepared to be a watchdog for disabled voters in your communities? What is your newsroom doing to ensure your election coverage is useful and accessible for disabled voters? How are you covering voter rights and accessibility leading up to and on Election Day?

On Friday, Oct. 14 at 11:30 a.m. ET , join the National Press Club Journalism Institute for a virtual discussion among experts in voter access, disability representation, and accessible news coverage on best practices to cover disabled voters and to highlight voting access issues they may face.

“Data journalism is not just the geek in the corner or something that’s cool to have — it’s a central core of what we need as an industry . What we have to do is provide fact-based information to people that they can’t get anywhere else.”

-- Ron Nixon, VP, News and Head of Investigations, Enterprise, Partnerships and Grants at the Associated Press, "AP’s Ron Nixon reflects on transformation from corner data geek to newsroom ace"

Manager's Minute: How to keep an ambitious team focused

Our team wants to do everything and is overextended, starting to lose focus and getting tired. How can we decide what to stop doing? Jill Geisler, Bill Plante Chair in Leadership & Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago and Freedom Forum Fellow in Women’s Leadership, on when to let things go to keep your team focused.

Watch next: Why is it so hard to delegate?

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

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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The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest.