For the Record

McClatchy Vacates Several Offices:

McClatchy announced Tuesday that six of its newspapers "will give up their office leases" effective immediately, ensuring that employees will work from home until the end of the year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and the media company enters bankruptcy protection, according to Hanaa’ Tameez of NiemanLab. The company's autonomous Washington bureau also will relinquish its office. "We know that the office space of today is not what the office space will be for tomorrow as it relates to social distancing and keeping our employees safe," said Aminda Marqués González, the president, publisher, and executive editor of the Miami Herald and co-chair of the Pulitzer Prize Board. "After the New Year, once the commercial real estate industry has sorted itself out with regard to new standards and approaches, we will find a new, centralized home."

Twitter Deletes Accounts Tied to China:

Twitter announced Thursday that it has deleted "more than 170,000 accounts tied to the Chinese government," according to Donie O'Sullivan of CNN. The platform said that the accounts were employed in a geopolitical misinformation campaign "favorable to the Communist Party," encompassing posts about the Hong Kong protests and the COVID-19 pandemic. Stanford Internet Observatory Research Manager Renee DiResta said that many of the COVID-related accounts were established in late January. Although Twitter is nominally banned in China, it remains readily accessible through VPN services.

Freeman Talks:

In an exclusive interview with Sarah Ellison of The Washington Post, Alden Global Capital Managing Director Heath Freeman asserted that the hedge fund "bought almost all of our newspapers out of bankruptcy" through its Digital First Media subsidiary and intends to "safeguard the news business [...] on a path to sustainability.” However, other figures, such as Gannett board member Larry Kramer, have expressed skepticism toward Digital First's management strategy: "I said that they concentrate on immediate profits and we were in it for the long haul, so we did things that we hoped created value over the long term, whereas their approach [...] was damaging long-term prospects for the product." Following a failed takeover of Gannett in the spring of 2019, Alden acquired 32% of Tribune Publishing's stock in December and received two board seats in exchange for not augmenting its stake until June 30.

Gannett Confirms Lone Local News Staffer at Ithaca Journal:

In response to an inquiry from Rick Edmonds of Poynter, Gannett Vice President for Local News and Audience Development Amalie Nash has confirmed that upstate New York's Ithaca Journal retains only one locally based journalist, reporter Matt Steecker. As the newspaper is "run in tandem with Gannett properties in Binghamton and Elmira, 49 and 33 miles away respectively," many editions "include few if any stories originating from Ithaca." Nash added that "many of its 260 properties have 10 or fewer news staff and a lot have five or fewer."

Post-Gazette Editor Defends Sidelining Johnson:

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Executive Editor Keith Burris "defended his paper in a fiery front-page essay Wednesday morning against charges that it had discriminated against" reporter Alexis Johnson "when it barred her from covering protests over racial justice," according to David Folkenflik of NPR. "No fair person could make the case that our actions were race-based," said Burris. "We will not apologize for upholding professional standards in journalism or attempting to eliminate bias."  Johnson, who was removed from coverage after tweeting a "satiric comparison of damage caused by looters to the stadium lots trashed by fans of country singer Kenny Chesney," said that "any leader who looks to gaslight its personnel when confronted with challenges to managerial decisions is not fit to remain in a position of power." Joshua Axelrod, a white reporter at the newspaper, has alleged that he was kept on the story by management after tweeting "a vulgarity to characterize a man suspected by police of looting."

Wintour Comments on Diversity:

In a note released to staff last Thursday and seen by Sara Nathan of Page Six, Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour said the magazine "has not found enough ways to elevate and give space to Black editors, writers, photographers, designers and other creators." Wintour continued: "It can’t be easy to be a Black employee at Vogue, and there are too few of you. I know that it is not enough to say we will do better, but we will — and please know that I value your voices and responses as we move forward." Former Editor-at-Large André Leon Talley has alleged that the editor "failed to thank him for writing an op-ed for the Washington Post praising her September 2018 cover featuring Beyoncé as culturally significant for the black community."

Kelly: Baquet May Remain After Turning 65:

According to Keith J. Kelly of the New York Post, New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet may "stay in his job till 2022" as Publisher A. G. Sulzberger "broaden[s] his search" for the position and "bring[s] in younger and more diverse candidates" following the resignation of Editorial Page Editor James Bennet last week. A spokesperson told Kelly that "the tradition has been that the executive editor steps down before they turn 66," although Baquet, who turns 64 in September, would be the "first New York Times editor in 50 years to give up the reins after turning 65" if the alleged plan were to manifest.

Google Endows 'Support Local News' Campaign:

The Google News Initiative, Local Media Consortium and Local Media Association have allocated $15 million to 'Support Local News,' an ad campaign designed to buttress "local newsrooms hurt by the shutdown of the economy and its impact on advertising," according to Kristen Hare of Poynter. "People may not understand why they need to support local news organizations with digital subscriptions, donations, memberships and advertising if applicable," said Local Media Association CEO Nancy Lane, alluding to a 2019 Pew Research study in which 71% of respondents said that the local news industry is financially healthy. "This $15 million ad campaign will help us change the conversation."

Vanity Fair's Nasr to Succeed Bailey at Harper's Bazaar:

Vanity Fair Executive Fashion Director Samira Nasr will succeed Glenda Bailey as editor of Harper's Bazaar effective July 6, the magazine announced Tuesday. The appointment "marks the first time a black editor will lead Harper’s Bazaar, the oldest continuously published fashion magazine in the country, a milestone in an industry where there is little if any diversity in the highest levels of leadership," according to Chantal Fernandez of Business of Fashion. "My lens by nature is colorful and so it is important to me to begin a new chapter in Bazaar’s history by shining a light on all individuals who I believe are the inspiring voices of our time," said Nasr in a statement.

Batiste Heads Musical March:

Past Pulitzer Prize juror and "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" bandleader Jon Batiste "headed a musical march of George Floyd protesters through the Big Apple streets" Saturday, according to Jackie Salo of The New York Post. "Look what we’re doing. We're using music to bring people together of all races, of all genders for black lives,” Batiste said to CNN’s Bill Weir.