For the Record

Capital Gazette Trial Delayed:

The trial to determine sanity for the Capital Gazette shooter who took the lives of five staff members — Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith and Wendi Winters — has been delayed until March 4. The paper was recognized by the Pulitzer Prize Board with a Special Citation in 2019 for "their courageous response to the largest killing of journalists in U.S. history in their newsroom on June 28, 2018, and for demonstrating unflagging commitment to covering the news and serving their community at a time of unspeakable grief."

NAHJ Starts Local-Oriented Freelance Publication:

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists has launched palabra., an online publication in which freelance members of the organization will cover local Latino stories and communities. "In an industry climate that is becoming more and more difficult to navigate, and when many Latino journalists are finding it difficult to live off of what they are being compensated, this is an initiative to give our colleagues exposure and help them stay in the business," said Alberto Mendoza, the organization's executive director. "With items such as billing, health insurance and administrative tasks, it is our hope that NAHJ can create a mechanism to serve freelancers as their back office, and provide development that creates a sustainable future for them beyond just this outlet."

NYT Co. Announces Q3 Earnings:

The New York Times Company announced the addition of 273,000 online subscribers in 2019's third quarter, bringing the news organization's number of digital and print subscribers to 4.9 million. However, advertising revenue fell 6.7 percent overall, with a notable 5.4 percent dip in digital ad revenue. In a statement, CEO Mark Thompson ascribed the decline to "continued turbulence in the digital advertising space."

RCFP, CPJ Launch Press Freedom Campaign:

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Committee to Protect Journalists launched the Protect Press Freedom campaign Thursday in conjunction with more than 30 media, technology and nonprofit organizations, including Barron's, CBS, Comcast-NBC Universal, CNN, Facebook, the USA Today Network, the Los Angeles Times, McClatchy, The New York Times, NPR, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, Reuters, Scripps, Sinclair, Twitter, Dow Jones and The Washington Post. "Americans across the country rely on diverse news sources to help them make informed choices every day, but many don't see the threats that are putting that information at risk," said Bruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee. "When one journalist or news source is threatened — whether it's verbally, physically, or legally — it threatens a fundamental American freedom that’s essential to understanding and participating in our communities." Visit the campaign's website here.

G/O Editorial Director Resigns:

According to an internal email, G/O Media Editorial Director Paul Maidment resigned Tuesday to pursue "an entrepreneurial opportunity." He had executed owner Jim Spanfeller's sports coverage mandate for Deadspin, which precipitated the departure of former Editor-in-Chief Megan Greenwell, interim successor Barry Petchesky and most of the site's editorial staff. As of Wednesday morning, Deadspin has not published any content since November 4.

WSJ Launches Business-Election Newsletter:

The Wall Street Journal has launched 2020 Election+Business, a weekly newsletter that "will report on the intersection of business, finance and the 2020 election cycle." According to Dow Jones Senior Publicist Jessica Mara, the newsletter will feature a column by Investigative Reporter Theo Francis "highlighting the issues that companies care about and the ways that they are tackling political and policy challenges and opportunities."

McClatchy Launches Campaign Subscription Service:

McClatchy has launched Impact 2020, a subscription-based aggregator of 2020 presidential coverage that has replaced its branded DC bureau coverage for the election season. An introductory subscription for the service, which will cull reportage from The Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and other sources, is $50. "McClatchy is better positioned than any single news organization to tell the real story about voter sentiment," said former Pulitzer Prize juror Kristin Roberts, the company's vice president of news. "It is a story the polls fail to capture."

Pearlstine Accepts Distinguished Service Award:

In a conversation with Poynter Institute President and Pulitzer Prize Board member Neil Brown at the institution's Bowtie Ball in St. Petersburg, Fla. Saturday, Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Norman Pearlstine "said the existential question at the [newspaper] is whether it's a local, national or international publication." The editor, who received Poynter's 2019 Distinguished Service to Journalism Award at the event, also reiterated owner Patrick Soon-Shiong's aggressive growth strategy. "We think we can get to 750,000 to a million subscribers," said Pearlstine. "It's going to take some work but at that level our economic picture will look a lot better than when Patrick bought it."

Knight Funds Tech Policy:

The Knight Foundation announced Sunday that it will invest $3.5 million "in funding to support new, independent research into issues at the forefront of national tech policy debates." The research, which is intended for "near-term application," will be conducted by a range of institutions, including the American Enterprise Institute, Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society and the Santa Clara University School of Law.

HuffPost Launches Redesign, Tagline:

HuffPost Editor-in-Chief and former Pulitzer Prize juror Lydia Polgreen unveiled a redesign of the news organization's website Monday that will emphasize "a wider variety" of stories. The site also will employ a new tagline ("It's personal") in its branding. According to Polgreen, "What unites our journalism is our dedication to serving you, and putting your life at the heart of our journalism."