"Incisive":
Conan O'Brien interviewed two-time Pulitzer winner Robert Caro in support of the latter's new memoir at an event in Los Angeles Tuesday. "I'm a fan to a disturbing level," said the late night host, who discovered Caro as an undergraduate at Harvard University in the 1980s. Caro's "Working" combines previously published and new essays on the journalist's career.
Off the Block:
Meredith is shutting down Money magazine effective with the June/July issue, Meredith announced Wednesday. A spokesperson confirmed that the company has "decided not to sell the brand" and will "invest in the digital money.com brand site itself."
"Sage Advice":
CNN's Brian Stelter spoke to Pulitzer Administrator Dana Canedy and 2019 International Reporting winner Nariman El-Mofty on his Reliable Sources podcast. Canedy offered insights into current threats to press safety and the Pulitzer Prize process, while El-Mofty discussed her work and career. According to the newly minted Pulitzer winner, "Work so hard, and don't think of the prizes. You have to love it. You have to be there 100%."
"What's Real":
HuffPost has launched a tiered membership program called HuffPost Plus. According to former Pulitzer Prize juror and Editor-in-Chief Lydia Polgreen, the monthly iteration will include "access to members-only newsletters and other features for people who want to help us grow our coverage of important, undercovered issues," while an annual version marketed to "super fans" will also include a limited-edition T-shirt. Polgreen reiterated that the news organization will not impose a paywall, citing a commitment to "remain[ing] freely available to everyone ― not just those who can afford to pay."
"Extraordinary And Singular":
1967 General Nonfiction winner David Brion Davis died at his home in Guilford, Conn. on April 14 following a long illness. He was 92. An emeritus Sterling Professor at Yale University at the time of his death, Davis was the founding director of the institution's Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition. According to 2019 History winner David W. Blight, who currently serves as director of the Center, "He devoted his life and career to understanding the place of the inhumane but profoundly important and persistent practices of slavery and racism in the world. He was a philosopher at heart, a lyrical writer, and defined why we do history. We stand on his shoulders."
"Now And Often":
Former NATO Supreme Commander and Carlyle Group executive James Stavridis has condemned the recent dearth of Pentagon press briefings as a "critical failure by the Department of Defense, which should be able and willing to explain to taxpayers what they are doing with the nearly $700 billion that they are entrusted with each year." The last briefing was held over 300 days ago during the secretariat of James Mattis, who resigned on December 31.
"Best Practices":
Newsweek has retained the Poynter Institute "in a consultative role to review and support newsroom standards, ethics and processes," the organizations announced Tuesday. Poynter Senior Vice President Kelly McBride will work directly with the magazine as an editorial advisor, "[ensuring] that the newsroom is educated in best practices and to provide Poynter resources accordingly." (Poynter Institute President Neil Brown is a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board.)
New Rules:
In a Sunday interview with Yahoo News's Skullduggery podcast, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) revealed that she relinquished her personal Facebook account several months ago and categorized the proliferation of social media as a "public health crisis." "I think it poses [...] issues to everyone," she said. Ocasio-Cortez has also devised self-imposed rules for her remaining social media use, including a ban on weekend tweeting.
Survey Says:
According to a new Pew Research Center survey, 57% of respondents who characterize themselves as rural residents believe that "their local news media mostly cover some other area," while only 30% "feel that their local news media have a lot of influence on their communities." Conversely, 62% of urban respondents asserted that local media provides adequate coverage, while 44% feel that local media influences their communities. Additionally, "Republicans and Republican-leaning independents" who reside in urban areas "are as likely as Democrats and Democratic leaners to say the local news media cover the area where they live."
"Abusive Takedowns":
According to The Guardian, cable network Starz "has forced Twitter to remove tweets linking to a news story" from copyright and privacy news site Torrent Freak "about pirated content" of certain shows, "including tweets from free speech campaigners complaining that the social network was removing other people’s tweets." In a statement, the Electronic Frontier Foundation said that the article "is a far cry […] from an infringement."
