Just two weeks ago, we celebrated the release of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was wrongly detained in Russia on false charges of espionage for 491 days.

In recent days, Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, who won a Pulitzer Prize for columns written from the Russian prison cell, has appeared on places such as CNN to talk about his horrific time in prison. He, too, was released along with Gershkovich in a prisoner swap.

But this week, we are reminded of another journalist who remains missing after being abducted in Syria. Wednesday was the 12th anniversary of the disappearance of Austin Tice, who was covering the Syrian civil war as a freelance journalist for McClatchy, The Washington Post, Agence France-Presse and CBS, among other organizations.

In a statement Wednesday, President Joe Biden said, “This week marks 12 long, terrible years since American Austin Tice was abducted in Syria. We have repeatedly pressed the government of Syria to work with us so that we can, at last, bring Austin home. Today, I once again call for his immediate release.”

Back in 2022, when Tice’s parents were at the White House, Biden said the U.S. knew with “certainty” that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government was holding Tice in captivity.

Tice, a Marine veteran, was abducted on Aug. 14, 2012, at a checkpoint outside of Damascus. Several months later, he was seen in a video blindfolded and held by a group of armed men. Syria denies it is holding Tice, but the U.S. government insists it is.

McClatchy chief Washington correspondent Michael Wilner wrote, “Officials from both the Biden administration and the former Trump administration tell McClatchy that intelligence on Tice’s whereabouts and condition — particularly whether he is being held alive or dead — has long been murky, and remains so to this day. But consecutive administrations have operated on the belief that Tice is alive.”

Biden added in his statement, “The freedom of the press is essential, and journalists like Austin play a critical role informing the public and holding those in power accountable. We stand in solidarity with Austin, his family, and all Americans wrongfully detained and held hostage abroad. I will continue to do everything possible to advocate for and pursue his release and support his loved ones until he is safely returned home.”

Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted, “It has been 12 years since American journalist Austin Tice was abducted in Syria. Austin and every American wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad should be home right now — and @POTUS and I will continue to fight for their release and stand with their loved ones.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, “This has gone on for far too long. We call on the Syrian government to work with the United States to end Austin’s captivity and to provide an accounting for the fate of other Americans who went missing in Syria. Over the past three and half years our government has secured the release of dozens of Americans held hostage or unjustly detained around the world, and we continue to pursue any available path that may lead to Austin’s return. Austin went to Syria to show the world the truth of what was going on there. We’re not going to relent until we find a way to bring Austin’s unjust detention to an end.”

Right after Gershkovich was released, The Washington Post leadership put out a statement saying it was grateful for the release of the journalists being held, including Kara-Murza, whose Pulitzer Prize-winning columns appeared in the Post, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporter Alsu Kurmasheva.

The Post added in its statement, “We must continue to champion the safe return of American journalist Austin Tice and all wrongfully detained journalists and hostages. Independent journalism is a critical function of democracy. The U.S. government must make it a priority to bring them all home safely and champion the importance of press freedom worldwide.”

For more, including the thoughts of Tice’s mother, Debra Tice, check out this story from Voice of America’s Liam Scott. Debra Tice tells Scott, “I’ve never doubted that Austin’s going to walk free. So, it’s just a matter of time. And for me, the time has been long — really long. And I’m sure it has been for Austin, too.”

Scott writes that the last time Debra hugged her son, he was 30 years old. He’s now 43.

Doing the wrong thing

Earlier this week, I wrote about how The New York Times opinion section announced it will no longer write political endorsements for New York elections. That includes state senate, congressional or legislative races, as well as the New York City mayoral race.

Kathleen Kingsbury, the Times’ opinion editor, did not give a reason for the decision, but said in a statement that “Opinion will continue to offer perspective on the races, candidates and issues at stake.”

New York Magazine columnist Errol Lewis wrote that the Times is making a huge mistake. Lewis pointed out that state and local elections involve an “army” of candidates.

Lewis wrote, “Assuming even a modest amount of competition, voters can easily find themselves choosing from among hundreds of candidates in any given year to fill offices that control hundreds of billions in annual expenditures and determine New Yorkers’ streets, schools, housing, commerce, public safety, and other vital services. The average New Yorker, short on time, simply can’t be expected to follow the ins and outs of the many feuds, fights, and policy choices that pop up in various districts or the municipal, state, and federal battles that each official will encounter.”

In other words, New Yorkers rely on endorsements.

Lewis wrote, “The guidance is necessary, not optional.”

About the Times’ decision to drop endorsements, Lewis wrote, “What a colossal blunder.”

Concerned about paper’s future, Baltimore Sun union stages rally

For this item, I turned it over to my Poynter colleague, Angela Fu.

Wearing shirts that said “fair wages fill pages” and “we make the Sun shine,” unionized Baltimore Sun journalists rallied outside the paper’s offices Wednesday over concerns about the paper’s future.

The Sun, which was acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group chairman David D. Smith in January, has been bargaining a new contract with the union since June 18. Some of the proposals the company has put forth so far have been “egregious,” according to the union. They include eliminating “just cause” — a common stipulation in union contracts that prevents a company from firing an employee without sufficient reason — and getting rid of seniority protections during layoffs.

This is the first time since 2007 that the union is renegotiating its entire contract, top to bottom. (The union had previously opted for extensions that kept much of its existing contract intact with minor changes.) The union is taking this opportunity to push for higher salaries and additional protections like parental leave, which is not included in the current contract, unit chair Christine Condon said.

“We were gearing up over these two years to do this because it has gotten to the point where — especially with the wages — we really needed to take this plunge,” Condon said. “Simultaneously, knowing a new company was coming in, we really wanted to from the beginning point out to that new company that this is a union paper and that the contract that we have is not enough.”

Smith’s acquisition of the Sun has worried both readers and journalists at the paper. Smith has supported former President Donald Trump, and his television stations are known for their conservative programming. In June, the Sun started to republish stories from Fox45, Sinclair’s local television station in Baltimore.

The union has said that some of those stories do not meet the Sun’s journalistic standards for balanced and accurate coverage. In a letter to management Wednesday, the guild demanded that the Sun stop publishing such stories, as well as content from “questionable wire services” like Sinclair’s national desk and conservative news site The Center Square. The guild also demanded that the Sun eliminate story quotas for journalists — a practice the Sun started to roll out in recent weeks, according to Condon.

Sun editor-in-chief and publisher Trif Alatzas wrote in an emailed statement that the company has been regularly meeting with the guild as they “both continue to bargain in good faith.”

“We believe the Guild agrees with us that terms contained in the contract held by prior ownership are woefully out-of-date, particularly given the seismic changes in today’s news industry,” Alatzas wrote. “We owe it to our employees to have those discussions at the negotiating table where both sides can work collaboratively to reach an agreement. We are not interested in negotiating in public.”

Sun newsroom leaders have previously told Poynter that they see the Sun’s partnership with Fox45 as a way to expand the Sun’s coverage and that editors work to make sure all content published in the Sun meet the publication’s standards.

Though the Sun has started republishing stories from Sinclair, Condon stressed that reporters at the paper are still doing the same work that they had been doing before the change in ownership.

“There’s still a large group of hard-working journalists who were at the paper before and are here now, and we’re trying our best to keep doing our job,” Condon said. “We’re doing our job covering David, covering Baltimore politics the same way (as before). When you see Guild journalists’ names out there, it’s because we stand by our coverage.”

Possible debate dates

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, speaking at a campaign event in Michigan on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

CBS News released a statement on Wednesday, saying it had invited vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz to New York City to participate in a debate. CBS provided four dates as options: Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8. In the statement, CBS said it was waiting to hear back from the candidates.

Almost immediately — in fact, within 10 minutes — Walz agreed on X to the Oct. 1 date. As of early Wednesday evening, there’s been no word from the Vance camp.

Media tidbits

• The New York Times’ Wirecutter is starting a weekly podcast called, appropriately enough, “The Wirecutter Show.” It says it will “offer expert advice on everyday problems and products to help listeners live better lives, as only Wirecutter can.” The weekly pod will debut with two shows on Aug. 21.
• Speaking of podcasts, Puck correspondent John Ourand announced on X that Puck will start a sports media podcast in two weeks. More details to come on that.
• The Guardian’s Sirin Kale with “The life and tragic death of John Balson: how a true crime producer documented his own rising horror.”
• My Poynter colleague Doris Truong with “‘Full-circle’ moment: Asian American journalists get engaged while co-emceeing gala.”

Hot type

• The Ringer’s Miles Surrey with “Believe It, Ripley: The Case for ‘Alien’ as Hollywood’s Greatest Franchise.”
• Jack Crosbie for The New York Times: “Off the Grid, Extremely Online.”

More resources for journalists

• Public media journalists: Learn about our Digital Transformation Program.
• Try our free Grant Writing for Journalists self-directed course
• Lead With Influence is for leaders who manage big responsibilities but have no direct reports.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.

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