Hosting virtual events to take you behind the story

Poynter’s first On Poynt event of 2021 gave journalists and the public the chance to meet Julio Cortez, an Associated Press photojournalist who was at the Capitol for the siege on Jan. 6 and the swearing in of the president and vice president two weeks later. Called “From the Frontlines: A Photojournalist’s View from Insurrection to Inauguration,” the event had more than 200 people sign up. You can watch the replay here.

We plan more of these 30-minute chats as a way to connect the public to journalists and the stories they cover. We hope you’ll join us. Bookmark this page to watch for future editions or watch for an email from Poynter.

This is just one of many components of a busy week for Poynter. We’re training media professionals who work at the United Nations; helping 18 local news and public radio stations develop an economic strategy around digital journalism; planning a program to do diversity and inclusion training for more than 1,000 local TV news professionals; and more. And it’s still January! Your support makes all this possible.

Honored to be considered for a Nobel Peace Prize

Helping the public track the promises of a new president

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Beyond elevating Poynter’s educational and fact-checking initiatives, your support also benefits Poynter’s nonprofit newsrooms: PolitiFact and Poynter.org. You might be interested in this Tweet sharing the highlights of PolitiFact's coverage of #InaugurationDay, with links to fact-checks from speeches by Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and more, including the new Biden Promise Tracker. We invite you also to read Poynter's coverage, including front pages from the inauguration and Roy Peter Clark's thoughts on what we learn from the language of the day, including the words of the national poet laureate, Amanda Gorman.

Giving plain explanations about COVID-19 and masks

(Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, Pool)

Should you wear two masks? If so, what kinds? Poynter’s Al Tompkins has a way of explaining things clearly, and his newsletter Covering COVID-19 is a smart read. One issue this week (read it here) is of keen interest to anyone with loved ones in schools, sharing the data showing that with proper precautions, the risk of transmission there is low. Other items in the newsletter show what makes a proper face-covering and why two masks are better than one.  

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Grateful for your support in the new year

In the last few weeks alone, Poynter has been given a donation of stock, a gift in memory of a friend’s father, and gifts from a number of trusts and donor-advised funds. Poynter has more supporters now than ever, as people like you appreciate the importance of access to accurate national and local news and fact-checking. Thank you.

This newsletter comes to you from the staff at Poynter. Please consider making a contribution toward our mission today so we can continue to keep you informed tomorrow. If someone forwarded this newsletter to you and you’d like to get on the list, it’s easy — make a gift. If you recently made a donation to Poynter ... thank you!

Poynter Foundation Board Members: 

Brian Tierney, CEO, Brian Communications
Ramon Bosquez – President, The Bosquez Group, LLC
Michael Dreyer, President, Tampa Bay Trust Company
Frank “Sandy” Rief III, Attorney, Allen Dell, Attorneys at Law
Liz Sembler, Board Member, Corporation for Public Broadcasting