For the Record

Suspended:

In a Tuesday tweet, President Trump announced that he told White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders "not to bother" with press briefings. "This retreat from transparency and accountability sets a terrible precedent. Being able to question the press secretary or other senior government officials publicly helps the news media tell Americans what their most powerful representatives are doing in their name," said White House Correspondents' Association President Olivier Knox.

"Funny Yet Serious":

Outgoing New York Editor-in-Chief Adam Moss fears journalistic dependence "on the approval of the Twittersphere." "People are afraid to make enemies," he said. "They don’t want to encounter hostility. Some people are very courageous, but I’ve had situations where I’ve asked writers to do a story that make some trouble and they shrug and say they’re not comfortable with it. That’s a danger."

"Difficult News":

In an excerpt from her forthcoming "Merchants of Truth," former New York Times Executive Editor Jill Abramson explores the "convulsive change and financial struggle" experienced by most facets of the media in the 2010s. "As I learned, the picture can change in an instant," she said.

"The Pendulum Has Swung West":

Radar founder Maer Roshan has been named editor of Los Angeles magazine. "For the first time, I think L.A. could say it’s the new cultural capital of America, and it needs a magazine to wear that mantle and have that swagger and own that,” he said.

"Most Dangerous of Places":

Freelance photojournalist Mohamed Ben Khalifa was murdered during a missile strike in Libya Saturday "while accompanying a militia on patrol in southern Tripoli." A contributor to the Associated Press since 2014, Ben Khalifa covered a range of activities in the country. "The Associated Press is distraught by the death of freelance photographer Mohamed Ben Khalifa. Our thoughts are with his family, especially his wife and young daughter, and we offer our deepest condolences," said AP’s Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Sally Buzbee and Ian Phillips, the agency’s vice president for international news.

Accountability:

Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron reflected on the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi during a panel at Davos: "Today we feel there hasn’t been full accountability of [the Saudi] government. We don’t feel U.S. government has put enough pressure on the Saudis."

"A Key Role":

BuzzFeed UK Editor-in-Chief Janine Gibson will leave the news organization in January after more than three years on the job. BuzzFeed News Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith said of Gibson: "She arrived with her place in journalistic history already secure: She had edited the Snowden story for the Guardian. But she brought all the obsessiveness of a person with something to prove."

"We Remain Unshaken":

Ghanaian investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale was fatally shot late Wednesday "while driving in the suburb of Accra where he lived." Hussein-Suale was best known for exposing "Kwesi Nyantakyi, a member of world soccer’s FIFA Council and the second most powerful man in African soccer at the time." "We call on the security agencies to unmask the elements behind this assassination and bring them to book," Tiger Eye PI, his publisher, said in a statement.

"Stifling Press Freedom":

Turkey has deported Het Financieele Dagblad contributor Ans Boersma "over security reasons." In the aftermath of a 2016 coup attempt, Turkey has continued to jail "thousands of people including journalists, academics and human rights activists."