Good morning. Just some housekeeping before we get started today. The Poynter Report is going to take a brief Thanksgiving break. The newsletter won’t publish next week, but it will return on Nov. 28. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.
We start today with the big news out of Washington involving House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and then today’s report offers up some journalism recommendations for your weekend review, along with a few media updates and tidbits.
- The biggest political news Thursday was Nancy Pelosi stepping down as the top House Democrat. President Joe Biden tweeted, “When I think of Nancy Pelosi, I think of dignity. History will note her as the most consequential Speaker of the House of Representatives in history – she is first, last, and always for the people. America owes her a debt of gratitude for her service, patriotism, and dignity.” For a superb recap of Pelosi’s decision and a look back at her remarkable career as leader, check out this story from The Washington Post’s Marianna Sotomayor and Paul Kane.
- Also, Los Angeles Times columnist Mark Z. Barabak with “The essence of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi comes through in her not-farewell address.”
- And in an opinion piece, New York Times editorial board member Michelle Cottle with “Nancy Pelosi, Badass.”
- By the time you read this, who knows what condition Twitter will be in? There was certainly uncertainty Thursday night. The latest from CNN’s Clare Duffy and Oliver Darcy: “Twitter employees head for the exits after Elon Musk’s ‘extremely hardcore’ work ultimatum.”
- CNN’s Chris Cillizza with a spot-on column about the former vice president: “Mike Pence wants to have his cake and eat it too.”
- The City’s Alyssa Katz with “How to Keep Your Son From Killing Someone.”
- NPR’s excellent and thoughtful TV critic Eric Deggans with “I critiqued Dave Chappelle and his fans questioned my Blackness.”
- The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson with “Why Everything in Tech Seems to Be Collapsing at Once.”
- Speaking of The Atlantic, it has started a pop-up newsletter about the World Cup called “The Great Game.”
- The Washington Post’s Kelyn Soong with “She ran a 100-mile world record. A course error means it won’t count.”
- Semafor’s Max Tani broke the news earlier this week, but it was made official on Thursday. Washington Post managing editor Steven Ginsberg has been named executive editor of The Athletic — the sports website purchased last January by The New York Times for $550 million. Ginsberg, widely respected and well-liked in the business, has been with the Post for 28 years. He will take over in January. Here’s the official Times announcement. And here’s Ben Strauss’ story in The Washington Post.
- More media news: The Los Angeles Times’ Stephen Battaglio with “CNN is ending ‘This Is Life With Lisa Ling,’ a casualty of budget cuts.”
- Well, Gannett is making it a stress-free Thanksgiving for its employees. (That’s sarcasm.) They’re having layoffs, but they won’t be announced until Dec. 1 and 2. Poynter media business analyst Rick Edmonds has more.
- “She Said” — the movie about Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo movement, based on the book by New York Times’ reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey — comes out today. Alexis Soloski has a review in the Times: “A Quiet Thriller That Speaks Volumes.”
- A week after being honored with the Founders Award by the International Center for Journalists, NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell was honored Thursday night with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Women’s Media Center in New York. Mitchell said in her remarks, “When I came to NBC News, I was blessed with the friendship and mentorship of my then-NBC colleague Judy Woodruff, and when I started covering the White House, Lesley Stahl of CBS and Cokie Roberts of NPR and ABC. We were a band of sisters, competing for exclusives, but commiserating on the campaign plane or Air Force One about husbands, children, boyfriends, aging parents, and a host of other challenges at home.”
- For HuffPost, Natalie Serianni with “After My Mom’s Death, I Developed A Seemingly Innocent Habit. Then It Spiraled Out Of Control.”
- For The New York Times, Joseph Goldstein (with photographs by Desiree Rios) with “COVID Almost Broke This Hospital. It Also Might Be What Saves It.”
- If sports media interests you, you’ll enjoy the latest Sports Illustrated Media Podcast with host Jimmy Traina and his conversation with ESPN “Monday Night Football” announcer Joe Buck.
- The Washington Post with some fun book lists: “The 10 best books of 2022”; “50 notable works of nonfiction”; and “50 notable works of fiction.”
- Another cool list: Time magazine with “The Best Inventions of 2022.”
More resources for journalists
- Become a dominant player in your market and change the game for your news organization with Poynter’s Table Stakes program (2023). Apply by Nov. 18.
- Understand U.S. Immigration From the Border to the Heartland — Start anytime.
- Time for a new job? Your future employer is looking for you on The Media Job Board — Powered by Poynter, Editor & Publisher and America’s Newspapers. Search now!
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.
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