The Latest: Vice & Engadget layoffs; Instagram’s rise as a news site; IndyStar & Signal Ohio expand; State of the Local News report

February 22, 2024

Top stories

Vice’s new owners prepare to slash what’s left of its work force (New York Times) / ‘Word on the street is they're deleting the Vice website . This means…, all three publications where I accrued thousands of bylines since the very start of my career will no longer have an online presence’ (Trone L. Dowd)

Tech news site Engadget restructures and lays off staff, editor-in-chief Dana Wollman departs (TalkingBizNews) / Tribune Publishing to lay off nearly 200 workers at Freedom Center printing plant (Chicago Tribune)

Wealthier, urban Americans have access to more local news (Nieman Journalism Lab) / Northwestern publishes update of the State of Local News Project (Northwestern/Medill)

Gannett, IndyStar announce $2 million investment to grow local reporting and sales staffs (IndyStar) / Signal Ohio: A nonprofit expands to fill local news gaps in the Buckeye state (Editor & Publisher)

It’s an election year, and Biden’s team is signaling a more aggressive posture toward the press (Associated Press) / Fox News hyped the bogus FBI informant claims against Biden. Now it’s refusing to walk them back (CNN) / N.Y. Times reporters plan fall exposé on Trump's taxes (Axios)

Instagram’s uneasy rise as a news site (New York Times)

Substack says it now has more than 3 million paid subscriptions (Axios)

Reddit has finally filed for its IPO (Axios) / Reddit in AI content licensing deal with Google (Reuters)

San Antonio Express-News, MySA.com journalists announce union ; fourth Texas newsroom in 2024 (Texas Public Radio) / In first bargaining session in 5 months , the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette meets with one of its 5 striking unions (Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Why The New York Times might win its copyright lawsuit against OpenAI (Ars Technica) / Analysts warn of spread of AI-generated news sites (Voice of America) / ChatGPT has been losing its mind and no one seems to know why (Business Insider)

Breitbart, Washington Free Beacon, Townhall and Ben Shapiro’s The Daily Wire have experienced sharp drops in traffic (The Righting) / How everything became a 'psyop' for conservative media (Washington Post)

How Matt Belloni’s Puck column became a Hollywood must-read (Vulture)

The mainstream media is failing trans people . These journalists are fighting back. (The Nation)

Press Freedom

Mexican president doxes New York Times correspondent during press conference (The Hill) / ‘Absolutely horrifying. In one of the world's deadliest countries for journalists, Andrés Manuel López Obrador reads out the phone number of New York Times bureau chief Natalie Kitroeff on national TV’ (Oscar Lopez)

Tampa media figure Tim Burke indicted on conspiracy charges (Tampa Bay Times) / Behind-the-scenes videos of Tucker Carlson were leaked. Was it a crime (Washington Post)

N.J. court cites brief signed by Club, NPCJI in opening police disciplinary records (NPC/JI) / National Press Club statement on two year Anniversary in Yuyu Dong case (NPC/JI)

50 ways to celebrate Student Press Freedom Day today (Student Press Freedom Day)

Things native English speakers know but don’t know they know

“Adjectives in English absolutely have to be in this order: opinion-size-age-shape-color-origin-material-purpose Noun. So you can have a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife. But if you mess with that word order in the slightest, you will sound like a maniac. It’s an odd thing that every English speaker uses that list. But almost none of us could write it out . And as size comes before color, green great dragons can’t exist.”

-- The Language Nerds

Leading with empathy as a reporter

“I was a young reporter, and there were times where I was moving fast and furious, I’d do whatever it takes to get that source. But somewhere along the way, I was blessed to take a step back and make sure we’re more human as reporters . What we write and what we say is public knowledge, it’s often the first thing that comes up when you Google a person’s name. We can get aggressive sometimes. But no matter the circumstance, we’ve got to breathe and remind ourselves to lead with that empathy.”

-- Javonte Anderson, editor at Capital B, excerpt from an interview with the Center for Cooperative Media

Moving Meditation: Exercises for journalists to reduce stress and boost wellness. A monthly in-person class at the National Press Club. Register now.

Join us: In-person Moving Meditation class to reduce stress, Feb. 28

The National Press Club Journalism Institute’s Bara Vaida is leading another gentle movement and breathing class aimed at reducing tension in the body, relaxing the mind, and encouraging connection with fellow hard-working journalists. Vaida is a 500-hour, Yoga Alliance-certified yoga instructor, with specialized training in meditation, stress-reduction, and therapeutics.

This one-hour gathering will take place in person at the National Press Club on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 5:30 p.m. ET. Registration is open, with fees set at $5 for National Press Club members and $15 for nonmembers.

GET TICKETS NOW

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.