A moment to be helpful 

Media layoffs like those this week at The Washington Post, and, on a smaller scale, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, turn lives upside down, damage trust in institutions we’ve long been loyal to and can make us feel helpless. What can we do?

“In a field built on connection and public service, layoffs can feel like a rupture of identity as much as employment,” said Robyn Tomlin, API executive director. “They can unsettle a person’s sense of purpose, belonging and trust. Reaching out, making introductions, amplifying someone’s work — those small acts can help restore a sense of continuity and care at a moment when both can feel in short supply.”

Be in touch: As Robyn suggested, reach out to those affected. You may not have spoken to them in a while, and you may think they won’t want to hear from you, especially if you still have a job. Try anyway. Be a listener, offer support, help make connections in the news industry or outside of it, if that’s their chosen direction.

Be aware: Former Post journalist Kate Woodsome this week created “a triage guide for Washington Post staff (and everyone watching)” in her newsletter, Invisible Threads. “Stabilize your nervous system so you can think clearly and act from a grounded state, rather than perpetuate cycles of reactivity and harm,” she writes. She also mentions moral injury as an after-effect. (To learn more about that, see our article about moral injury in the news industry; it includes some discussion of how layoffs can trigger it).

Be generous, if you can: Members of the Washington Post Guild have set up a GoFundMe to support laid-off journalists. Another was set up for international employees. If you have technical expertise you can offer, help them with their resume, website or portfolio. Some of them are starting up their own ventures, to which you can subscribe. Journalist Jack Shafer tweeted that he is keeping track on X.

Be loud: Promote the work of those who were laid off, both in your networks and on social media. For example, Dan Eggen, a political enterprise editor who was laid off, has been using X to bring visibility to the hundreds of journalists who were affected. This kind of thing is important at a time when many of these journalists will not be in the mood to self-promote.

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

Civic Discourse & Democracy

>> Recording immigration agents in public is a constitutional right. Here’s what the law says. (Poynter)

At a time when video from bystanders with phones has been essential in helping us understand what has really happened in federal agents’ confrontations with the public, it’s critical for people to know their rights when it comes to recordings. Maria Ramirez Uribe spoke with five legal experts about bystanders’ rights when recording immigration agents.

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Culture & Inclusion

>> From ‘Quiet piggy’ to ‘She never smiles’: Donald Trump’s history of attacking women who ask about Epstein (People) 

Paloma Chavez runs through the ways in which the president has disparaged women who ask him questions about Jeffrey Epstein. The latest was CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, who asked him what he would say to Epstein’s survivors. “You are the worst reporter. No wonder CNN… CNN has no ratings because of people like you,” he responded. He criticized her for not smiling.

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Community Engagement & Trust

>> Help us out: How can we improve this newsletter?

We’d like your thoughts on the Need to Know collection of newsletters. How essential is the information you receive here? How can we differentiate from other media newsletters? Does the frequency work for you? What else? Take our reader survey by 8 p.m. ET Friday, Feb. 20 and you can opt in to enter a drawing for a $100 American Express gift card.

  • Join us: Apply to attend our API Local News Summit on Youth Trust and Civic Resilience
    We’re gathering in West Palm Beach, Fla., on March 25-26 to talk about how news organizations can build trusted relationships with young people. Read more and apply here. The deadline is Feb. 11.

>> Why the issues around newsrooms and trust aren’t quite what you may think (Dick Tofel, Second Rough Draft)

The subject of news and trust “is more complicated and less well understood than it should be,” writes Dick Tofel. One of his insights is that “the more a news organization feels to readers, listeners and viewers like an impersonal institution, the harder it is to sustain genuine engagement,” which he says may explain why content creators who come across as more human are “having a moment.”

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Revenue & Resilience

>> The Banner announces expansion to Prince George’s County (Baltimore Banner) 

The CEO of the Baltimore Banner, Bob Cohn, announced that the publication is expanding into another Washington, D.C. suburban county: Prince George’s in Maryland. In a note to staff, he said that the outlet’s move to Montgomery County was “a test case for expansion” beyond the Baltimore region. Having had success there, he writes, “it makes a lot of sense for us to speed up our entry into Prince George’s.”

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What else you need to know

🔒 FBI couldn’t get into WaPo reporter’s iPhone because it had lockdown mode enabled (404 Media)

🖥️ Bloomberg Media tops 700,000 subscribers as revenue rises 6% in 2025 (Adweek)

📱WSJ tech journalist Joanna Stern is starting her own consumer tech media company (Joanna Stern on Bluesky)

🎙️ As the nation’s eyes turn to Minneapolis, they’re also turning to Minnesota Public Radio (Nieman Lab)

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Weekend reads

+ Watch/Listen: Outlier media reimagines what local news can be (CJR)

+ Journalism at an AI inflection point (Nieman Reports)

+ Read/Listen: Charles Sennott talks about his journey from global correspondent to local news entrepreneur (Media Nation and What Works: The Future of Local News podcast)

+ ‘Inoculation’ helps people spot political deepfakes, study finds (The Conversation)