Journalism

Lawmakers from both parties blame companies like Facebook and Google for the struggles of local newspapers.

CNN has agreed to pay $76 million to settle a 16-year-long National Labor Relations Board dispute alleging that CNN violated federal labor law by firing roughly 200 unionized broadcast technicians — including camera operators — back in 2003.

Allies of President Trump are pursuing an effort to acquire right-leaning news channel One America News Network, according to people familiar with the matter, in a bid to shake up a conservative media market that has been dominated by Fox News. The investment firm Hicks Equity Partners is looking to acquire the channel and is pitching other wealthy GOP donors to arrange a bid of roughly $250 million for the channel’s parent company, the people said.

NBC News is shutting down Peacock Productions, its unscripted production unit that focused primarily on documentaries, reality series and news specials. “NBC News is shuttering Peacock Productions, effective March 2,” a spokesperson for NBC News said. “NBC News is shifting its documentary strategy to an entirely new model, consistent with industry trends, and unfortunately the existing operation is no longer viable. We are working with affected employees to help find positions around NBCUniversal.”

Get ready for a seismic shift in the Sioux Falls, S.D., television news landscape. Next week, KSFY News will be no more. KDLT News will be no more. Dakota News Now is set to go live Monday as two of the city’s largest network affiliates join forces under one brand (and owner — Gray Television), a model of TV news that will test new regulatory waters recently approved by the FCC.

After 40 years as the voice of college hoops on ESPN, Dick Vitale seems to be just getting started. “I want to do this until I’m 100!” he says.

From his primetime perch on the top-rated cable network, Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson has advocated restraint in dealing with Iran, and resisted cheerleading the Trump-ordered drone killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

Words matter. Journalists, of all people, appreciate the power of the reporter’s pen and voice. Yet in newsrooms across the country, we continue to use language that squashes innovation and holds us back from transforming our newsrooms at the pace needed to match the digital disruption around us.

The Radio Television Digital News Foundation has announced the winners of the 30th annual First Amendment Awards. They represent the role journalists play in local and national media to practice the First Amendment. A total of seven awards will be given, to ABC’s David Muir, 60 Minutes, NBC’s Bob Horner, Hearst’s Barbara Maushard, Telemundo’s Lori Montenegro, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and WFLA’s Steve Andrews.

Its Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 at Noon gets an extra 30 minutes beginning Jan. 13. The newscast will be anchored by Kelly Sasso and meteorologist Ashley Dougherty.

The new operation in Jefferson City will serve four Nexstar television markets across Missouri, reaching 2.5 million viewers. Nexstar now operates news bureaus in 20 state capitals across the country.

The station group will work with First Draft to train its journalists to identify and verify false information online and help audiences spot misinformation. It will also expand its news fact-checking initiative Verify.