Journalism

Facebook and other social media have been under scrutiny for vaccine misinformation, but local outlets have also sometimes been active.

Scripps-owned WPTV, the NBC affiliate in West Palm Beach, Fla., has debuted a new set from Devlin Design Group. The upgrade coincides with the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, a time when many NBC stations take advantage of increased viewership to run additional promotional spots and debut changes.

What’s one thing broadcast journalists can never get enough of? Time. But Stephanie Haney, digital anchor and legal analyst at Tegna-owned Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC, has all the time — and space — she needs.

The veteran media executive returns to Hearst Television to head all its news operations in Boston.

It will feature 24 hours of continuous daily programming, dedicated to all things weather, including extreme and natural events, global forecasts, climate and weather-related long- and short-form documentaries from across the U.S. and around the world.

After a failed reboot attempt two years ago, the site that helped set the tone for digital journalism is back.

During their broadcasts on Monday, ABC’s World News Tonight and CBS’s Evening News devoted about two minutes each to recounting the latest triumphs and disappointments at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Over on NBC’s Nightly News, however, it was a different story — a much bigger one.

After more than 40 years in the business, WJET-WFXP Erie, Pa., News Director Lou Baxter is stepping down from the day-to-day management of news operations at the ABC and Fox affiliates on Aug. 27.

“Testimonials are your best research audience,” says Kristin Joyal, marketing director for WTLV and WJXX in Jacksonville, Fla. “It doesn’t get more honest or closer to the truth at a time when people demand it.”

The first day of a House investigation into the Jan. 6 uprising at the U.S. Capitol featured emotional testimony from four police officers who defended the Capitol and video clips of violence and mayhem. It was shown live widely, but not uniformly, on several television networks. Cable networks CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC carried the hearing, lasting more than three hours, in full. ABC preempted daytime programming to air most of it but not CBS and NBC. Instead of compelling their local stations to carry it, those networks said it was optional.

PBS leads the nominations for the 42nd annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards, as it usually does, this year scoring 52 noms over last year’s 48. Vice News Tonight, which topped all programs with 16 noms in 2020, equaled that number this year but is tied with CBS’s 60 Minutes.

NBCU News Group said it plans to hire 200 people over the next few months as it adds several new hours of live, original programming for NBC News Now, its over-the-top streaming service. NBCU News Group said the additional headcount is on top of more than 70 new hires of late. The expansion plans include doubling the size of the Today newsroom, growing NBC News’ breaking news and beat reporting team, expanding the MSNBC digital footprint and investing in ecommerce initiatives and CNBC Pro.

The new programming  includes WBTS’ Restaurants Remade, a streaming series about New England restaurants’ re-imagining their business models to adapt to challenges brought on by the pandemic; WBTS’ all new live and local lifestyle show The Hub Today, and WNEU’s fundraising special Milagros para Ninos (Miracles for Kids) for station partner Boston Children’s Hospital.

A Locked On NBA Draft 2021 special, co-produced in partnership with Tegna’s WFAA Dallas on Thursday, July 29, and the Monday, Aug. 2, debut of Locked On HBCU, a podcast fully dedicated to HBCU sports and athletes, are the latest additions to the Tegna podcast.