Shake-Up:
According to The Wall Street Journal, Politico "is discussing a plan to install a new editor in chief to replace John Harris, who co-founded the political news outlet in 2007." Under the plan, Global Editor Matthew Kaminski would succeed Harris, who would remain affiliated with the news organization in a leadership role.
"Talented Colleagues":
The Cleveland Plain Dealer on Monday laid off 14 employees, a third of its unionized staff. "Today, we share a sense of loss," President and Editor George Rodrigue said. "The essence of any layoff is that good people lose their jobs." Rodrigue attributed the layoffs to the ongoing decline in advertising revenue.
"Not Forgetting":
The Marshall Project has launched News Inside, a print iteration of its criminal justice reporting for prisoners. Since its introduction in early March, the publication has circulated in 30 facilities in 19 states. The project was the brainchild of Lawrence Bartley, a communications associate who began working for the digital newsroom following his parole last year after 27 years of incarceration. "I wanted to share our rich articles with my information-poor former community, particularly those who believe study is a chance for redemption, who sacrifice sleep and risk a misbehavior report to pore over textbooks under shaded lamps after lights-out, who struggle to find resources to expand their minds," he said.
"The Sweetest Spot":
The Facebook Journalism Project hosted the "Accelerate: Local News" summit under Chatham House rules in Denver last week in conjunction with the Online News Association and the Knight Foundation. According to Ithaca College journalism student and Instagram host Malick Mercier, "Real data, finances — all the things we keep so secret — were out on the table so that everyone could offer the best, most tailored, authentic advice." However, Mercier felt that the presence of "people who run local news divisions" as opposed to consumers and journalists "who are focused on just one local place" was a potential drawback. "You cannot holistically and appropriately discuss blackface without black people, student movements without students, and audience engagement without news audiences," he said.
New Projects:
ProPublica announced that it will expand its Local Reporting Network Thursday. According to a press release, the nonprofit newsroom is "accepting applications for six more news organizations to do investigative projects as part of our network" and hiring five staffers to work on these projects. Applications are due April 26. (ProPublica Editor-in-Chief Stephen Engelberg is a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board, while Executive Chairman Paul Steiger is a past chair of the Board.)
"I Left My Newspaper In El Segundo":
Since purchasing the Los Angeles Times in June 2018, Patrick Soong-Shiong has moved the venerable newspaper to a new facility in El Segundo, expanded the newsroom staff by nearly 100 employees and signed Executive Editor Norman Pearlstine to a multi-year contract. "If you think about [Soon-Shiong’s] ambitions and what the brand lets you do, we need to do additional hiring as we roll out some of these products that we think will induce people to pay for content," said Pearlstine. "What we've done over the last eight months has been to fill critical vacancies that had resulted from either layoff, buyouts, or attrition."
In Memoriam:
2000 Editorial Writing winner John Bersia died from complications of metastatic cancer on March 21 in Altamonte Springs, Fla. He was 62. From 2001 until his death, Bersia — a graduate of the University of Central Florida who held three master's degrees — worked at his undergraduate alma mater as a tenured faculty member and administrator specializing in international affairs. "John gave UCF and Central Florida a wealth of opportunities to learn about the world and to tackle our toughest challenges, particularly human trafficking and modern slavery," said Interim President Thad Seymour Jr. "We will forever be thankful that John has made us a stronger, more civic-minded and more compassionate campus community."
"We Were Limited":
Broadly, a digital publication of Vice centered around "the lives and experiences of women, gender non-conforming people, and LGBT individuals," has launched The Gender Spectrum Collection, an open source stock photo library of over 180 images of 15 trans and non-binary models. "We really wanted to show that trans people are real people with fully lived lives," said Vice Editor in Chief Lindsay Schrupp. "And we wanted to represent trans and non-binary people in positions of power, as doctors and CEOs."
Survey Says:
Belying the effects of news deserts and the local news crisis, a new Pew Research Center survey asserts that 71% of U.S. adults "think their local news media are doing well financially," while only 14% have "directly paid a local news source." 47% of respondents said that their local news media cover an area other than where they live, while online local news (37%) has a comparable reach to television (41%). Only 13% of Americans prefer to get their local news from print sources.
Takeover Wars:
As part of its ongoing resistance to a hostile takeover attempt by Alden Global Capital-owned Digital First Media, Gannett asserted in a Tuesday shareholder letter that the hedge fund subsidiary "has repeatedly stated its desire for a 'combination' or 'merger' with Gannett, and never made specific mention of its unsolicited, all-cash proposal to acquire Gannett." The letter also endorsed Gannett's slate of board director nominees. With no successor in the wings, CEO Bob Dickey is expected to step down by May 7.
