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-CNN blocked from the White House press pool; conservative network Real America’s Voice steps in. -A Washington Post photographer attacked by masked Israeli settlers in the West Bank. -Katie Zacharia out of her role as White House press secretary after just five rocky days. Read these #media stories and more in today’s Poynter Report newsletter: poynter.org/commentary/2026/…

Initially, President Donald Trump said he approved the Pentagon’s plan to livestream an execution, “but in the end, even Trump realized this was a bad idea,” writes senior media writer Tom Jones. Trump announced Thursday on Truth Social that the execution will still take place, but it won’t be livestreamed. Read this story and more: buff.ly/e2rxgp2

A federal judge ruled this week that the Trump administration violated the First and Fifth Amendment rights of CNN, MS Now and Politico when it barred the outlets from the White House. The judge also ordered the administration to restore their access while the case plays out in court. The ruling marks yet another setback in Trump’s efforts to restrict press access. poynter.org/commentary/2026/…

In her first press briefing on Tuesday, a visibly nervous Katie Zacharia met with the media for 14 minutes, mostly reading prepared notes. Already, questions are mounting about her hiring, her legal credentials and her future in the job. “Here’s how you know it’s bad: Insiders are already asking if her days are numbered,” writes senior media writer Tom Jones. Read this #media story and more in today’s Poynter Report: poynter.org/commentary/2026/…

In the past year, 170 newspapers have closed or merged, causing the number of news deserts to rise by 26, the largest increase in at least five years, according to a new study by Medill’s State of Local News Project. Read more about what’s driving the spike in news deserts: poynter.org/business-work/20…

We surveyed nearly 60 journalists who moved into a new newsroom job in 2026. Some journalists are landing new roles with better salaries and benefits, “but their good fortunes were hard fought,” writes Boston Globe managing editor Cristina Silva. Here are the results of the informal survey – and their practical advice for journalists on the job hunt: poynter.org/commentary/2026/…

President Donald Trump has reportedly been flooded with “negative input” about the Pentagon’s plan to livestream an execution, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview with CBS News that “There are colleagues that have concerns.” Read more about why some Republicans are having second thoughts: buff.ly/UixrnP5

Fox News’ national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin spent decades reporting inside the Pentagon to help the public understand decisions about war and national security. Now, the Pentagon press corps, including Griffin, are on the outside. And the consequences, she said, extend far beyond the journalists who lost access. In a new episode of “The Poynter Report Podcast,” Griffin explains how reporters are still covering the Pentagon after being forced out and what the loss of access could mean for Americans. Watch now: youtu.be/OvExLOZGyBk

“I’d often remember the trailblazing members of my family and what they went through,” said “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts. “So if somebody was going to give me a hard time because I wanted to be a sports journalist, bring it on. That’s how I looked at it: ‘Bring it on.’” Here's how Poynter's 2024 Medal for Lifetime Achievement honoree finds joy in the "little moments": poynter.org/ethics-trust/202…

What does it really mean to build trust with an audience these days? At an exclusive event in Kansas City, the Poynter Institute awarded Chuck Todd (@chucktodd), host of the podcast “The Chuck ToddCast” and former NBC Meet the Press moderator, the Mark a Mark Leadership Award. We sat down with Todd to discuss what it’s like to go independent as a journalist — and why he’ll always lean into “truth bias.”

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly extended his order allowing CNN, MS Now and Politico to regain their White House press credentials through next Tuesday, at which time he could extend it again. Interestingly, writes senior media writer Tom Jones, Kelly remains focused on if the media’s Fifth Amendment rights of due process were violated. Read this media story and more in today’s Poynter Report newsletter: poynter.org/commentary/2026/…

President Donald Trump wants to rebrand AI as super intelligence. That term has already been used in the industry to describe technology that has not been developed yet. poynter.org/fact-checking/20…

“The water came down so fast, and then it rose so fast. … There was water coming from places I’ve never seen water come from.” There are invisible rivers in the sky — enormous plumes of moisture borne over oceans that, when released back to Earth, can bring a drizzle or deluge. The Washington Post’s investigation into the global rise of dangerous rainfall is a wide-ranging yet visceral series. Backed by tremendous amounts of data, compelling storytelling and innovative data visualizations, the series won the Poynter Journalism Prize for Excellence in Climate Change Reporting earlier this year. These compelling stories were of people whose communities weren’t prepared. The reporting delivered a tangible warning: Communities must reassess their flood risk and improve their alert systems. poynter.org/reporting-editin…

The Cherry sisters’ variety act grew increasingly boisterous as people “laughed and cheered more than they would for a genuine comedian.” Riots sometimes broke out in the audience, and scathing newspaper reviews followed the Cherrys wherever they went. One such article, published in 1893 in The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, noted that “their knowledge of the stage is worse than none at all.” The reviews became so brutal that the sisters sued The Des Moines Leader for libel in 1898, in a case that was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court of Iowa. That landmark ruling — which favored the press — helped shape journalists’ right to criticize public performances, securing the Cherrys’ legacy (of being quite bad) beyond their infamous act. poynter.org/ethics-trust/202…

CBS announced Wednesday that it will air a town hall with Vice President JD Vance on Oct. 17 — just two and a half weeks before the pivotal Election Day. The town hall will air at 8 p.m., be moderated by “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil and take place in the key battleground state of Michigan. Vance is expected to take questions from voters across the political spectrum. It gives a high-profile Republican a chance to make the GOP’s case immediately before what is expected to be a close race to control Congress. poynter.org/commentary/2026/…

Paramount Skydance finally closed its $111 billion deal to take over Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday, following an arm-wrestle in court and high-profile pushback, and the big media question now is how CBS News and CNN will carry on under one roof. Read this #media story and more in today’s Poynter Report newsletter: poynter.org/commentary/2026/…

On the eve of the Paramount-WBD deal closing, CNN got some good news: well-respected chief executive and editor-in-chief Mark Thompson will stay on at the network. In a memo to staff, Thompson wrote, “Having now spoken to them at length on the topic, I have real confidence that they both understand and will fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for.” poynter.org/commentary/2026/…

President Trump once again lashed out at the media over the weekend when he singled out CNN’s Kaitlan Collins during a speech before a hostile crowd, then directed his ire at Fox News, including liberal commentator Jessica Tarlov. Read these #media stories and more: poynter.org/commentary/2026/…

With Paramount set to officially acquire Warner Bros. Discovery next week, what will happen to CNN when the companies merge? One hint is that Paramount CEO David Ellison has asked Mark Thompson to stay on as the big boss at CNN. Read this #media story and more in today’s Poynter Report newsletter: poynter.org/commentary/2026/…

As possibly the most ambitious effort to revive community news in the country, it’s clear why the Community NEWS Act is a big deal. Signed into law on Wednesday by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, it will create refundable tax credits for local news organizations that hire and retain journalists. Here are six (less obvious) reasons why “this is a big deal.” poynter.org/commentary/2026/…