March 19, 2024

• USA Today publisher Gannett to drop Associated Press content across all publications on March 25 (The Wrap) / ‘Statement from Gannett: This decision enables us to invest further in our newsrooms and leverage our incredible USA TODAY Network of more than 200 newsrooms across the nation’ (Ben Mullin) 

• Trump sues ABC and George Stephanopoulos, saying they defamed him (New York Times) / ‘Blood bath’ remarks give Trump a new media firestorm to rally around (The Hill) / Fox News buried Mike Pence’s refusal to endorse Donald Trump (Media Matters for America) 

• Andy Borowitz relaunching The Borowitz Report on Substack (The Hollywood Reporter) 

• The Baltimore Banner plans expansion to broader Maryland (Axios) / Former Wall Street Journal reporter Julie Bykowicz, laid off last month, has been hired by the Baltimore Banner (Talking Biz News)

• Publisher Industry Dive is thriving by digging into deep-pocketed industries (Fast Company)

• Elon Musk created a special system for showing you all his tweets first (The Verge) / In full interview, Elon Musk tells Don Lemon he's learned nothing (HuffPost)  

• Supreme Court seems wary of curbing U.S. government contacts with social media platforms (Reuters) 

• U.S. Latinos’ news consumption differs depending on their dominant language and birthplace (Nieman Journalism Lab)

• The oral history of Pitchfork: The inside story of the magazine everyone loved to hate (Slate) 

• How Sahan Journal grew into a vital source of news and information for Minnesota’s immigrant communities (Nieman Journalism Lab) 

• Dow Jones and Columbia Journalism School announce London expansion of HBCU Media Collective (Dow Jones)

• Jake Tapper and the role he played as a journalist in helping find justice for C. J. Rice (The Atlantic) 

• Finding your people: These groups bring digital news orgs together for learning, sharing and venting (Nieman Journalism Lab)

Press Freedom

• Al Jazeera journalist freed after 12-hour arrest by Israeli forces in Gaza (Al Jazeera) / Drone footage raises questions about Israeli justification for deadly strike on Gaza journalists (Washington Post) / ‘The killing, beating, and jailing of journalists in the Gaza Strip who are seeking to shed light on a news story of immense local, regional, and global importance must end now’ (NPC/JI)

• Associated Press reporters aboard a U.S. military plane watch small batches of aid, air dropped over a destroyed Gaza (Associated Press) / Journalists discuss haunting photos from Gaza and the choice to print them (WBUR)

• 'Is this what you call democracy?' NBC reporter challenges Putin … on jailed journalist Evan Gershkovich (Mediaite) / From Russia, elaborate tales of fake journalists aimed at undercutting Ukraine’s leaders and aid (New York Times)

Advice for your FOIA appeals

Journalists are most successful with their open-records requests when they think about strategy first. (See our 2022 webinar "My First FOIA: Open records are for everyone").

But many times, requests can be delayed, denied, or even ignored by the responsive agency. On March 15, the National Press Club Journalism Institute spoke with three FOIA experts on how to prepare successful requests and the avenues you have for appeals. 

Here are a few of their tips:

• Begin with making sure that you are precise in what you were asking for. Broad requests for information are likely to be denied. Use specific keywords, form identifiers, and date ranges, and ask for the right information from the right part of the agency. 

• You can also pick up the phone and call the agency’s information officer. Ask the officer how to be more precise in your request or ask to be connected with a subject matter expert to help with precision in your request. If you plan to file many records requests, check out the American Society for Access Professionals. They hold conferences where you can meet FOIA and information officers in person.

• To understand federal and state appeals processes, check out FOIA Wiki, the Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press’s Open Government Guide, and MuckRock News. These sites have sources, language, and examples of appeals letters that can help in your appeal.

• In your appeals communication, suggest the denial was an “adverse determination” and then be precise about asking where the information officer searched for the information you are seeking: Who did the search? What records were searched? Have an information expert or your colleagues — such as someone from the Reporter’s Committee for Freedom of the Press — read your letter before sending.

• If your appeal is denied, consider litigating. If your newsroom doesn’t have the resources to do so, use this legal help hotline or free legal services for local news organizations and freelancers. Legal clinics, universities, and attorneys who need to fulfill their pro bono service requirements may be able to assist. 

For more tips, watch the webinar replay:

On narrowing information requests without losing the scope of what you’re trying to get

“Deal with public records as you would deal with reporting any story: Do the primary research. Now, what are you looking for? Then, think about the context of this information: Can the information be documented? Which agencies are likely involved? What does the agency call these documents (for example, the U.S. department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security’s Entity List, which specifies export licensing requirements)?”

-- Ahmed Gamaleldin, senior journalist with Middle East Broadcasting and National Press Club member

Resources

• McGraw fellowship for business journalism (Deadline March 31)
• Not the odds, but the stakes: Covering the 2024 elections (April 8, 2 pm ET)
• Mastering on-camera interviews: Key tips and essential strategies (International Journalists' Network)

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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