The Latest: Journalists + Air Force One; Gannett CEO’s salary; A fact-checking checklist; Alsu's detention extended again

April 1, 2024

Top stories

Kansas newspaper that was raided by Marion police sues officials for attack on free press (Kansas Reflector) / Third employee of weekly newspaper in Kansas sues over police raid that sparked a firestorm (Associated Press)

Israel's parliament passes law intended to shut down Al Jazeera's operation in Israel (Jerusalem Post) / National Press Club statement on Israel’s vote to block Al Jazeera (NPC/JI)

The real D.C. crime wave. White House journalists reminded not to take items from Air Force One (POLITICO)

For Cesar Conde, NBC’s news chief, corporate polish meets partisan reality (New York Times) / Network political contributors have a long history. But are they more trouble than they're worth? (Associated Press) / RNC weighs limiting NBC’s access at this summer’s convention (POLITICO)

Gannett CEO Mike Reed is being called out for taking a high salary even as the publishing company aggressively cuts expenses (MediaPost)

Sports Illustrated’s owner sues energy drink mogul after chaos at magazine (New York Times)

How Vice's executives burned down its newsroom (The Verge)

US-funded Radio Free Asia shuts Hong Kong bureau , citing security law concerns (Reuters)

China’s advancing efforts to influence the U.S. election raise alarms (New York Times)

AI companies struggle to find quality training data as publishers block access (Wall Street Journal) / You will no longer need to log in to use ChatGPT (Axios) / The AI industry is steaming toward a legal iceberg (Wall Street Journal)

Newspaper edits its column about LSU-UCLA game after Tigers coach Kim Mulkey blasted it as sexist (Associated Press)

Miguel Gonzalez named new day editor on politics at the New York Times (New York Times) / Sinclair names Matthew Galka national correspondent in its Washington D.C. bureau (Sinclair) / San Francisco Standard says goodbye to editor-in-chief Julie Makinen (Mission Local)

A conservative publisher actually had ties to Soros. Litigation ensued (Washington Post)

The Buffalo News works to demystify the reporting process (Buffalo News) / For bolstering local news , weather remains the most powerful tool (TVNewscheck)

Press Freedom

Russian court extends pre-trial detention of RFE/RL journalist (Reuters) / National Press Club statement on extended detention for Alsu Kurmasheva of RFE/RL (NPC/JI)

A Russian journalist who covered Navalny's trials is jailed in Moscow on charges of extremism (Associated Press)

U.S. Envoy 'hopeful' deal to release Evan Gershkovich can be reached in next 90 days (CNN) / Congressional leaders mark year since Evan Gershkovich's detainment (Washington Post) / National Press Club statement on the one year anniversary of Evan Gershkovich’s imprisonment in Russia (NPC/JI)

Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award. Honoring a mid-career journalist. Deadline to apply is April 30, 2024. Click to learn more.

The importance of a fact-checking checklist for your reporting

“From PolitiFact, I’ve taken the importance of being able to trace back the small and big claims in your story with either an expert or a reliable link or article. Be careful to not go beyond what that source said to stretch it into something that is untrue. I see people make that mistake a lot: They learn one fact about something and then they get on the air, get carried away, and exaggerate. Don’t settle for the first source you find and make sure you’re going for the original source . Read the study itself, not just the article about the study…You don’t always get the full story from someone else’s version, and it’s helpful to review the primary evidence for yourself.”

-- Taylor Blatchford, journalist at The Seattle Times, excerpt from “Tips from PolitiFact on bulletproofing your stories ” (Poynter)

Is your D.C. newsroom hosting interns this summer?

The National Press Club and the Institute are accepting applications for the Lewis Scholarship, an opportunity for college juniors or seniors with a journalism internship in Washington, D.C.

Applications for students with internships in summer 2024 are due on Sunday, April 7. The scholarship supports student journalists of color and provides a stipend of $1,000 per month and free housing provided through Washington Intern Student Housing — an estimated value of $10,000. Learn more here.

Thinking about graduate school? Check out this NPC fellowship.

The National Press Club and the Institute are accepting applications for the Dennis and Shirley Feldman Fellowship. This opportunity recognizes a student or professional journalist pursuing graduate studies in journalism with a one-time stipend of $5,000 to help defray tuition costs.

Applications are due on Sunday, April 14. Applicants are not required to have published journalism work samples but should be prepared to demonstrate commitment to the field. Learn more here.

Resources

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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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. The Institute's tax ID number is 52-1750908.