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** OPINION
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** Why one longtime media reporter still has hope for journalism
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There’s plenty to be depressed about when it comes to the state of journalism these days.

Layoffs. Dwindling resources. A decline in audiences. And public distrust in the media partly sowed by a president who has done nothing but attack the press for the past decade.

But it’s not all doom and gloom.

On the latest episode of “The Poynter Report Podcast,” ([link removed]) out today, I asked longtime Associated Press media reporter David Bauder what makes him optimistic about journalism’s future.
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He told me, “The thing about journalists is instead of bemoaning the state of the industry as much as we do — because it's been our job — they put their head down and work because it's very important. They understand the importance of it, and they love it. I mean, it's in your blood when you're doing stuff like that. And I think there are enough people that want to do that sort of thing that make me feel optimistic.”

Bauder was at the AP for nearly 40 years before recently taking a buyout to start his retirement. Actually, let me correct that. Bauder says he is retired from the AP, but not from the business.

That’s good because there are few, if any, people who have a better perspective on the media landscape than Bauder. And that’s because his experience goes back decades.

In our conversation, we talk about Bauder’s time as the media writer for AP, including the changes he has seen and what lies ahead. We cover the concerns facing journalism these days, the challenges of covering Donald Trump, the future of the AP and The New York Times, and whether a new generation of journalists is ready to step in.

And we also talk about his time covering music for the AP, including conversations with music giants such as Paul McCartney, David Byrne, Dave Grohl and more.

This kicks off our summer season of “The Poynter Report Podcast.” We’ll have a new episode every three weeks, starting with this conversation with one of the good guys in the business in Bauder. Also, one of the sharpest.

Aside from watching on YouTube ([link removed]) , you can also find the show on Apple ([link removed]) , Spotify ([link removed]) , and most places where you find podcasts.


** Media controversy
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On May 9, The Washington Post published a story by staff writer Drew Harwell: “Inside Ben Shapiro’s MAGA meltdown.” ([link removed]) On May 14, New York magazine published a story by Ross Barkan, a contract writer for the publication: “Why Ben Shapiro’s Media Empire is Collapsing.” ([link removed])

After it was published, Harwell took to social media ([link removed]) to point out that the lead of Barkan’s story was similar to his. Harwell’s post had screenshots of his story and Barkan’s story to show the similarities. Soon after, New York magazine updated its story to quote from Harwell’s story.

It didn’t end there.

NPR’s Bobby Allyn reports ([link removed]) that he found at least two other instances where Barkan, according to Allyn, “apparently pulled partial paragraphs from other stories that appeared in the publications the Intercept and Compact Magazine.”

Allyn tweeted screenshots of times when Barkan’s work was similar to previously published work by other writers: here ([link removed]) and here ([link removed]) .

New York magazine spokesperson Lauren Starke told NPR, “We are conducting a review of the writer's prior work.”

Allyn wrote in his story for NPR, “Barkan did not deny relying on other writers' work. Instead, he defended his methods by arguing that he included a hyperlink to the pieces that inspired his own, or named the author whose words he replicated in his own writing.”

Barkan told Allyn that the whole thing was “ridiculous,” adding, “I have written hundreds upon hundreds of columns, essays, and pieces of journalism in my career. I stand by my record."

Meanwhile, the drama is also playing out on social media.

On Saturday night, Compact Magazine editor Matthew Schmitz tweeted ([link removed]) , “So @RossBarkan heavily plagiarized a @rojasrjuand article in Compact. He claims that this is a-ok because he linked to Juan’s article. No. That isn’t how it works.”

Barkan posted several responses late Saturday night defending his work, including writing ([link removed]) , “It's beyond absurd. I stand by my record.” He also tweeted ([link removed]) , “I am incredibly proud of my track record. I write honestly, and I write originally. You become a target after a while when you do this.”

A little after midnight on Sunday morning, Barkan tweeted ([link removed]) , “Here's a lesson for reporters out there. When you are writing a story, don't email at 11:24 p.m. and threaten someone for comment about a story you publishing ‘tonight.’ It's deeply unserious. @BobbyAllyn 's been doing this a long time, and it sure doesn't show.”

Barkan’s tweet was chided by others — including Harwell, who tweeted ([link removed]) , “.@RossBarkan is now offering journalism lessons.”

Then late Sunday afternoon, Barkan tweeted ([link removed]) that Allyn was apparently reviewing his Substack, writing, “Right now @BobbyAllyn is subscribing to my Substack - six years' worth of essays - to presumably trawl through each piece to commit what, quite frankly, is character assassination at this point. I'm proud of my record, my work, and stand by it. I won't be bullied.”


** Changes?
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The latest from The Guardian’s Jeremy Barr: “CBS News insiders fear Bari Weiss will soon enact ‘massive changes’ to ‘60 Minutes.’” ([link removed])

The 58th season of the venerable news show came to an end Sunday night. Barr writes, “One longtime network insider said to expect ‘massive changes’ after the season ends, though the network is said to have no plans to blow up the format or to change the show’s award-winning mission. Layoffs are widely expected, however. ‘People (at ‘60 Minutes’) are afraid and they’re waiting for something monumental to happen here,’ said another network insider.”

However, another insider told Barr, “They don’t want to turn it upside down.”

This is all about Bari Weiss being the editor-in-chief of CBS News.

The biggest move for now is the departure of Anderson Cooper, who told audiences on Sunday night, “I hope ‘60 Minutes’ remains ‘60 Minutes.’ There’s very few things that have been around for as long as ‘60 Minutes’ has and maintained the quality that it has.”

Cooper had announced in February that this would be his last season on “60 Minutes” after more than two decades. He said at the time that he wanted to commit more time to his family (doesn’t everyone say that?), but there were certainly rumors that Weiss's taking over the network might have played a role.

Status’ Natalie Korach weighed in, writing ([link removed]) , “​​While it remains unclear exactly how Weiss intends to overhaul the newsmagazine, the risk for its news division is obvious. ‘60 Minutes’ is not merely another network television program, but one of the last remaining successful news brands built almost entirely on institutional trust. Viewers tune in not simply because of the stories, but because of the credibility of the correspondents delivering them. If that continues to erode, whether through talent departures, editorial controversies, or the perception that the program is being reshaped to fit a new ideological vision, it is difficult to imagine the franchise’s ratings and image remaining unscathed.”


** Another season ends
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“Saturday Night Live” writer and star Colin Jost, shown here last December. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

“Saturday Night Live” wrapped up its 51st season Saturday night with some A-list stars. Former “SNL” cast member Will Ferrell hosted with Paul McCartney as musical guest.

Like the season in general, it had a few good moments, but overall, it was a disappointment. I’ve always been a big fan of “SNL,” and I’ve consistently defended criticisms from those who, often without watching, say, “‘Saturday Night Live’ hasn’t been funny in years.” But this past year, the criticisms have been valid.

Look, I get it. Everyone’s humor is different. But my two cents: Other than some decent political commentary — with the uncanny Trump impression by James Austin Johnson and Colin Jost playing a hilarious frat-bro version of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — the show has ranged from forgettable to mediocre. While there have been some notable strong performers, especially Ashley Padilla, the show has sorely missed some of the stars who departed over the past couple of seasons, particularly Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim and Bowen Yang.

I think I’m also ready for a change to the “Weekend Update” desk of Jost and Michael Che, although they seemingly remain popular among studio audiences. They have co-anchored “Weekend Update” for 12 years — the longest-running co-anchors in the history of the show. Maybe it’s time for something different. At the very least, can they please drop their "tradition" of ending the season by exchanging jokes written for the other? It just feels like an excuse to tell really offensive jokes.

However, here’s a different take on the joke swap from The Atlantic’s Michael Tedder: “Why Michael Che and Colin Jost Said All Those Awful Things.” ([link removed])


** Doing his job
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Shams Charania is ESPN’s NBA insider. His job is to break news about the NBA, and no one is better at it. If there’s a big story in the NBA — a coach being fired, a player being traded, a big free-agent signing — there’s a good chance Charania has the scoop. Known affectionately by just his first name, Shams, he has 3.7 million followers on X. That’s because of his news-breaking mastery.

But, for some, Shams’ latest scoop was a little too much.

The NBA originally planned to announce who would win this season’s hotly contested most valuable player award during a pregame show Sunday night on Amazon Prime. For NBA fans, it would have made for must-see TV to see if either Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama or Denver’s Nikola Jokić would be named MVP. It also would have been a big deal for Amazon Prime.

But at 9:50 a.m. on Sunday, hours before the official announcement, Shams ended the drama by tweeting ([link removed]) that sources told him Gilgeous-Alexander would be named MVP. He then appeared on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” to talk about it.

Awful Announcing’s Qwame Skinner noted ([link removed]) that the news coming out before the Amazon Prime show didn’t sit well with some fans.

But Royce Young, a former ESPN reporter who now is a basketball operations content lead for the Oklahoma City Thunder, put it right when he tweeted ([link removed]) : “He’s a newsbreaker. He breaks news. He was told news — pretty big news — so he broke it.”

However, one person on social media asked ([link removed]) a fair question: Would Shams have still broken the news hours ahead of a show announcement if the show had been on ESPN instead of Amazon Prime?


** Media tidbits
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* The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin with “NPR Podcast Host Exits Amid Workplace Investigation.” ([link removed])
* The Washington Post’s Scott Nover with “The Trump administration arrested this journalist. She says the censorship is ongoing.” ([link removed])
* Axios’ Sara Fischer and Mike Allen with “Paramount in talks with Katie Miller for podcast deal as it eyes expansion.” ([link removed])
* LateNighter’s Bill Carter with “David Letterman’s Colbert Farewell Was a Love Letter With Teeth.” ([link removed])
* And Carter wrote this for The New York Times: “CBS Cancels Itself, Not Just Colbert.” ([link removed])
* The Los Angeles Times’ Itzel Luna with “Why the infuriatingly catchy Kars4Kids jingle got yanked off the air in California.” ([link removed])
* Former Poynter editor Bill Mitchell with “A new documentary explores Democracy Now!’s journalism philosophy: confront power, center the vulnerable.” ([link removed])
* Awful Announcing’s Drew Lerner with “Fox political pressure campaign on NFL ‘a little bit odd’ given commitment to broadcast TV, league says.” ([link removed])


** Hot type
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* A high school track team in North Carolina was stripped of its state title because of an extremely mild celebration at the end of a clinching race. And now it has become a media storm. First, here’s The Athletic’s David Ubben with “Celebrate too soon? One track team lost a state title over it: ‘Is this really happening?’” ([link removed])
* And here’s Charlotte Observer sports columnist Scott Fowler with “Bad call robbed a Charlotte school of a track title. NC officials should fix it.” ([link removed])


** More resources for journalists
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* Learn from trusted experts how to create vertical videos that reach and engage your audience. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Master trauma-informed reporting to cover mental health with accuracy, empathy and impact. Webinar: June 9 - Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Gain access to top courses and members-only webinars. Become a Poynter Member today. ([link removed])

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

The Poynter Report is your daily dive into the world of media, packed with the latest news and insights. Get it delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday by signing up here ([link removed]) . And don’t forget to tune into our biweekly podcast ([link removed]) for even more.
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