- CNN is starting a Sunday night magazine show and Anderson Cooper will be its host. “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper” will air Sundays at 8 p.m. Eastern and debut on April 16. The show will be an hour and go in depth on one topic. CNN said the show will “showcase character-driven stories, special interviews, profiles, and investigative deep dives featuring reporting from CNN’s anchors and correspondents.” It will air immediately following “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” Here’s a trailer.
- NPR is in the process of laying off 10% of its workforce and among the cuts are four podcasts: “Invisibilia,” “Louder Than a Riot,” “Rough Translation” and “Everyone & Their Mom,” a comedy spinoff of the radio program “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me.” In an interview with NPR, NPR chief executive John Lansing said, “We literally are fighting to secure the future of NPR at this very moment by restructuring our cost structure. It’s that important. It’s existential.” About the overall layoffs, NPR’s David Folkenflik and Mary Yang wrote, “Those laid off are likely to include some familiar NPR voices. The network has not made any specific announcements, however, choosing instead to let those affected decide how to tell people of their departures.” They added, “The layoffs also affect people who work behind the scenes to produce the shows and podcasts, design visual elements for the web, conduct audio research, and do the myriad other functions required of a major news network.”
- The Washington Post’s Elahe Izadi and Lori Rozsa with “DeSantis wants ‘media accountability.’ A new bill makes suing journalists easier.”
- Absolutely mesmerizing work here from The New York Times’ Anjali Singhvi, Bedel Saget, K.K. Rebecca Lai, Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, Sergey Ponomarev and Jeremy White: “See One Historic Turkish Street Before and After the Earthquakes.”
- Katie Couric’s “Next Question” podcast is an interview with the Emmy-nominated actress in “‘Yellowjackets’ Star Melanie Lynskey Is Done Saying Sorry For Disobeying Hollywood’s Beauty Standards.”
- The New York Times announced this week that, after three years, it is ending its COVID-19 data-gathering operation. The Times’ Wilson Andrews and Lisa Waananen Jones wrote, “The Times will continue to publish its COVID tracking pages for the United States, only now they will be based on the latest information available from the federal government, not the Times’s data set. The tracking pages will still show data about hospital patients with COVID; reported cases and tests; and how many people have died from the virus. Data on vaccination rates and comparisons between vaccinated and unvaccinated populations will also remain.” They added, “A new interactive county map will show local levels of COVID-19 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which combine case and hospitalization data to determine the current impact of the virus on communities.”
- In Thursday’s newsletter, I mentioned that a producer/on-air talent at sports radio station WEEI in Boston made what appeared to be a racist remark about ESPN’s Mina Kimes. As the show talked about favorite “nips” — miniature bottles of alcohol — Chris Curtis said his favorite was Kimes, who is of Korean descent. “Nip” is an offensive term for Japanese people. Curtis has been suspended for a week without pay. He apologized for his comment on Thursday’s show, saying he meant to say actress Mila Kunis. (Not that that makes sense.) Curtis said on air, “I attempted to bring up Mila Kunis, which was not really that funny, (it was) sophomoric and sexist, but for reasons I don’t understand, I said Mina Kimes. That was never the intention for me to say her name. It had nothing to do with the subject matter, and it dragged her into a controversy through no fault of her own regarding a slur and her race and it’s not at all what my intention was.”
- CNN’s Oliver Darcy and Marshall Cohen with “Man targeted by January 6 conspiracists demands retraction from Fox News and Tucker Carlson over ‘lies.’”
- The Atlanta-Journal Constitution announced Thursday that managing editor Leroy Chapman Jr. has been named editor-in-chief. He succeeds Kevin Riley, who is retiring. Chapman will be the first Black top editor in the newspaper’s 155-year history. He has been with the AJC since 2011. The AJC’s Michael E. Kanell has more.
- Meanwhile, Paul Runnestrand has been named executive editor of the Florida Times-Union. He succeeds Mary Kelli Palka, The Times-Union’s first female executive editor in its 158-year history, who left to pursue other interests. The Times-Union has more details.
- Earlier this week, I had an item about A.O. Scott leaving his post as New York Times film critic after 23 years. He wrote a column explaining why he is done with movies. (He’s moving over to the Times’ Book Review as a critic at large.) Thursday’s episode of “The Daily” podcast has an interview with Scott, who talks about how he fell in love with movies, being a critic and what led to his decision to walk away.
- My Poynter colleague Amaris Castillo with “A photojournalist follows a mother’s rebuild after escaping domestic violence.”
- For The New York Times, Joshua Needelman with “The Aspiring Cult Leader’s Missing Art and the Nephew Obsessed With His Legacy.”
- Finally, it’s here!!! The fourth (and final) season of HBO’s “Succession” starts Sunday night. So to get you in the mood, Vanity Fair’s Natalie Jarvey with “Succession: The Real People Who Inspired the HBO Hit.”
More resources for journalists
- Subscribe to Poynter’s Friday newsletter, Open Tabs with Poynter managing editor Ren LaForme, and get behind-the-scenes stories only available to subscribers.
- Telling the Stories of Faith and the Faithful — Los Angeles, April 18 (Seminar) — Register by March 28.
- Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative — (Sept. – April, 2024) (Hybrid) — Apply by May 15.
- Lead With Influence (July 2023) (Seminar) — Apply by June 2.
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.
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