When editors engage

When an editor communicates with audiences directly, the public can get a sense of the newsroom’s priorities, how day-to-day decisions are made and generally how the news works. They can also help people understand the reporting process.

Portland Oregonian editor Laura Gunderson did that recently with a letter from the editor about health reporter Kristine de Leon’s reporting on residents at an affordable housing complex near an ICE facility that has become the site of protests.

Along with demystifying how reporters do their jobs, there are other advantages of such editors’ columns. Here are some recent examples that have caught our eye.

Spotlighting innovative staffers: In Syracuse, Trish LaMonte, vice president of content for Advance Media New York, wrote a “Behind the News” column in which she explained how reporter Michelle Breidenbach came up with an inspired idea to pair a transportation official with a driver frustrated by construction on the local interstate for a ride-along.

Pulling back the curtain on news operations and how the news is evolving: The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s editor, Chris Quinn, explained in a recent column why his newsroom is bringing back the “rewrite” desk — backed by AI.

Communicating coverage priorities and telling people how they can provide support: At the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, editor Greg Borowski used a recent column to showcase the paper’s coverage of environmental issues in Wisconsin and explain how the community can help support it through its Community-Funded Journalism Project. Before that, he did one on education coverage.

News In Focus
Headlines, resources and events aligned with API’s four areas of focus.

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> How science journalists worldwide are fighting White House health misinformation (Reuters Institute)

Gretel Kahn spoke with five editors of science and health publications around the world, including the U.S.-based Stat News. “We’ve never had a situation where science has become so polarized and so politicized,” said Stat’s co-founder and executive editor, Rick Berke.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> A newsletter by and for New Jersey South Asians serves the state’s sprawling Desi communities (Nieman Lab)

Central Desi’s founder, Ambreen Ali, sees the publication as “the next generation” of community media, writes Hanaa’ Tameez. “The fact that we are local news makes us meaty,” Ali said.

>> As Condé Nast folds Teen Vogue into Vogue’s website, NewsGuild condemns the plan (The Hollywood Reporter) 

The newsroom union is raising concerns about the change’s impact on staff diversity and its political coverage, writes Katie Kilkenny.

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> Common Crawl is doing the AI industry’s dirty work (The Atlantic)

The organization has “taken articles from major news websites that people normally have to pay for,” writes Alex Reisner.

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Revenue & Resilience

>> Gannett changes name to USA Today Co. (The New York Times)

It’s the latest in a trend among publishers to seek a new look, writes Katie Robertson. The company’s stock will trade on the New York Stock Exchange as TDAY.

>> Watering News Deserts: New online resource tracks U.S. state-level legislation aimed at reversing the decline of local journalism (Nieman Reports) 

The Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism is tracking efforts at the state level to help local journalism, writes associated professor Jared Schroder.

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What else you need to know

✂️  McClatchy is closing its Washington bureau, laying off some staffers (Jeremy Barr, X)

😡 How a Philly Mag journalist sued an angry Facebook commenter — and won (Philadelphia Magazine)

⚖️ RCFP’s national litigation program is growing. Meet the longtime RCFP attorney promoted to lead it. (Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press)

🫡 Laura Loomer is now credentialed to cover the Pentagon (The Washington Post)