Email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser ([link removed]) .
[link removed]
[link removed]


** OPINION
------------------------------------------------------------


** Trump’s speech caps another busy day in media
------------------------------------------------------------
House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., right, and Vice President JD Vance, left, listen as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

President Donald Trump spoke to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night in a speech entitled “Renewal of the American Dream.”

Naturally, it was big news, as these types of events always are with Trump. And there’s plenty to digest from the night.

I want to give it a day to see reactions to the speech and bring you some of the more interesting feedback in Thursday’s newsletter.

In the meantime, be sure to check out PolitiFact’s live fact checks ([link removed]) from Trump’s speech.

Now onto today’s newsletter …


** President Stephen A?
------------------------------------------------------------

Ever since last year’s election, Democrats have been wringing their hands and rubbing their temples trying to figure out two things: how they lost the White House and who might be best positioned to run for president — even though the next election is still more than three years away.

Plenty of out-of-the-box names have sprung up. And while no one with power inside the party has mentioned the name Stephen A. Smith, somehow the ESPN (and podcast) personality has had his name floated as a potential possibility. Who floated his name? Well, Smith, of course. But, to be fair, Smith’s name has actually shown up in polling.

But is he serious?

Appearing on ABC’s “The View” on Tuesday, Smith admitted he is not qualified to be president, but still claims he could be anyone in the Democratic field. After all, he says, just look at Republicans, who have turned over their party to someone who was never a politician before running for president in 2016.

He told the show, “I make of it that citizens, particularly on the left, are desperate and I mean it when I say it: I think I can beat them all. And I have no desire whatsoever to run for office. I am not a politician. I am not qualified, but I know this much: When you consider who is on the other side and how he’s gotten away with saying very little in terms of being coherent and articulating his thoughts clearly and concisely and what have you, this is not something that he’s known to do. Yet and still he has owned the Republican party since 2015. Not only has he won, but the Republicans’ constituency has said we don’t want anybody else but him.”

Oh, on the topic of Stephen A. Smith … he scored the first interview with the former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo since Cuomo announced he would run for mayor of New York City. The interview on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” picks up around the 20:24 mark ([link removed]) .


** Big night for Fox News
------------------------------------------------------------
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, being interviewed by Fox News’ Bret Baier last week. (Courtesy: Fox News)

Last Friday, Bret Baier interviewed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on his Fox News show in the first interview following Zelenskyy’s contentious Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump. The interview averaged 6.2 million viewers.

Why is that number significant? Because it had more viewers that night than “NBC Nightly News” (5.76 million) and “CBS Evening News” (3.9 million). Of the evening newscasts, only ABC’s “World News Tonight” (7.4 million) had more viewers.


** Celebrating Katharine Graham
------------------------------------------------------------

On Sunday, there was a special screening of the new documentary about famed former Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham called “Becoming Katharine Graham.” Graham led her family’s newspaper from 1963 to 1991 and presided over the paper as it covered some of the most consequential moments in American history and journalism: the Pentagon Papers, the Watergate scandal, and the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Graham died in 2001, and the Graham family sold the Post to Jeff Bezos in 2013.

The special screening of the documentary, hosted by family friend and billionaire Warren Buffett, was held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

Bezos did not attend the screening. Instead, he attended the Academy Awards, which were held on the same night. The New York Times’ Katie Robertson reported ([link removed]) , “Numerous retired Washington Post reporters attended, as did those who had recently defected to other outlets. They all noticed who wasn’t there: Will Lewis, the current publisher and chief executive of The Post. According to two people with knowledge of the matter, Mr. Lewis had told organizers last week that he would attend. Matt Murray, the executive editor, was also a no-show. A Post spokeswoman declined to comment about the pair’s absence. On Tuesday, Mr. Murray said he had planned to attend but missed the event because he was sick.”


** MSNBC adds Post veteran
------------------------------------------------------------

More moves affecting The Washington Post and MSNBC. The Post’s Jackie Alemany is joining MSNBC as a Washington correspondent and has been named a co-host of “The Weekend” — the show that airs Saturday and Sunday from 7 to 10 a.m. She joins co-hosts Jonathan Capehart and Eugene Daniels. Daniels just left Politico to join the network.

The move is just the latest in a series of lineup changes since Rebecca Kutler officially took over as president of the network last month. The most noteworthy moves were Joy Reid’s show being canceled and Jen Psaki being moved to evenings.

Alemany was a part of The Washington Post team that won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Before the Post, Alemany worked at CBS News.

Speaking of Daniels, The New York Times’ Katie Robertson wrote about him in “He’s the Face of a White House Press Corps Under Attack by Trump.” ([link removed])


** The end of ‘Around the Horn’
------------------------------------------------------------
A look at the set of ESPN’s “Around the Horn.” (Courtesy: ESPN)

An ESPN staple is coming to an end. “Around the Horn,” the afternoon debate show featuring host Tony Reali and a rotating group of four sports journalists, will air its final show on May 23.

Last November, The New York Post’s Ryan Glasspiegel broke the news ([link removed]) that the show, which has been on the air since 2002, would end sometime in 2025. ESPN announced Tuesday that, indeed, the show is shutting down after 23 years.

David Roberts, ESPN’s executive vice president and executive editor for sports news and entertainment, said in a statement, “‘Around the Horn’ has had a remarkable run of more than two decades. That kind of longevity in media is incredibly rare, and we look forward to celebrating the show’s many accomplishments before the final sign-off in May. Beyond Tony and the ensemble of on-air contributors, we are particularly grateful to the production team led by Erik Rydholm and Aaron Solomon, who have been instrumental in ‘ATH’s’ consistent success since the very beginning.”

The show was a part of ESPN’s Happy Hour — it aired at 5 p.m. and was followed by the award-winning and well-respected “Pardon the Interruption.” The format was fun as the host, the affable Reali, threw out the various hot-button sports topics of the day and the four panelists took their turns giving their opinions. Reali would rank their answers by giving them points and the winner of the day got to close the show by giving their take on whatever they pleased.

I’ve written this before, but I’ve always had a like-dislike relationship with “Around the Horn.” In the early days, I liked the different format for debate, but too often, I found the show obnoxious. The panelists took themselves too seriously, were frequently rude or shared outrageous takes simply to be outrageous. And they spewed off numbers like they were reading a research paper instead of doing what they were supposed to be doing, which was having the kind of conversation you might hear at a sports bar or someone’s living room.

Over time, as Reali became more adept at hosting, the show found its footing. The guests settled in with reasonable and smart takes and the show became watchable. Aside from having a collection of superb veteran journalists over the years (Jackie MacMullan, Kevin Blackistone, Tim Cowlishaw, J.A. Adande, Woody Paige, Bill Plaschke), the show also gave space to younger and more diverse voices.

In the end, I’m surprised the show is being put to rest, and no official reason has been given as to why.


** ‘Hard Knocks’ deal falls through
------------------------------------------------------------

HBO’s “Hard Knocks” is one of the cooler sports shows on TV. Debuting in 2001, the show is a behind-the-scenes look at an NFL team during training camp. In recent years, it has started filming teams during the regular season, giving fans a fascinating peek behind the curtain of professional sports.

Then came some refreshing news. Reports surfaced over the past couple of weeks that the show was going to turn to college football by featuring the University of North Carolina, which recently hired legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick as its head coach.

But just as we were all getting excited about seeing how the enigmatic Belichick ticks, the deal has apparently fallen through.

A spokesperson for NFL Films, which produces “Hard Knocks,” told CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones ([link removed]) , “NFL Films had discussions with Coach Belichick and UNC about appearing on Hard Knocks this offseason but couldn't reach an agreement.”

So what happened? Why did what seemed like a great idea fall apart?

ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio wrote that ([link removed]) “multiple owners weren’t happy about Belichick getting an NFL Films platform.”

Florio added, “So if the paperwork wasn’t signed, it was just a matter of finding an impasse. It might have arisen during negotiations regarding who would own the footage gathered by NFL Films. Would it be NFL property, or would North Carolina retain the rights? For all anyone knows, Belichick personally wanted to have ownership of the final product. There were also rumblings that certain people close to Belichick were already inserting himself (or herself) into the process in a way that was not viewed as ideal.”

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand and Lauren Merola report ([link removed]) Belichick and North Carolina are talking to other platforms about a “Hard Knocks”-type show.


** Media tidbits
------------------------------------------------------------
* The Associated Press’ David Bauder with “AP again seeks end of its White House ban, saying the Trump administration is retaliating further.” ([link removed])
* The Associated Press is adding U.S. reporters to cover state and local news. Here ([link removed]) are the details.
* Axios’ Kerry Flynn and Sara Fischer with “Scripps lays off staff at local stations.” ([link removed])
* In case you missed it, be sure to check out this piece from my colleague, Poynter media business analyst Rick Edmonds: “Is Bezos’s new editorial mission for The Washington Post already bombing?” ([link removed])
* The Atlantic’s Alan Taylor with “Winners of the 2025 World Nature Photography Awards.” ([link removed])


** Hot type
------------------------------------------------------------
* For The New York Times, Eve Peyser with “Dr. Pimple Popper Knows You Can’t Look Away.” ([link removed])
* If you're a sports fan, you should read this incredibly in-depth piece from The Washington Post’s excellent sportswriter Dave Sheinin: “Analytics transformed sports. Has it also made them less entertaining?” ([link removed]) And along with that main piece, here’s Sheinin with “The NBA is facing an analytics-fueled crisis. MLB can relate” ([link removed]) and “From NFL to chess, an existential question: Can all games be solved?” ([link removed])


** More resources for journalists
------------------------------------------------------------
* This Poynter Leadership Academy is our flagship workshop for experienced managers and leaders. Apply by March 24 ([link removed]) .
* Gain a deeper understanding of Immigration policy with Poynter’s Beat Academy training. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Elevate your editing expertise with the Poynter ACES Advanced Certificate. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Ditch work-life balance for a more sustainable approach. Sign up for this six-week email course ([link removed]) to discover the unique formula that helps you thrive.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
[link removed]
Help Poynter strengthen journalism, truth and democracy. ([link removed])
GIVE NOW ([link removed])

ADVERTISE ([link removed]) // DONATE ([link removed]) // LEARN ([link removed]) // JOBS ([link removed])
Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here. ([link removed])
[link removed] [link removed] [link removed] [link removed] mailto:[email protected]?subject=Feedback%20for%20Poynter
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
© All rights reserved Poynter Institute 2025
801 Third Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
If you don't want to receive email updates from Poynter, we understand.
You can change your subscription preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe from all Poynter emails ([link removed]) .