How Local Journalists Can Translate Flood of Government News
The transformation of the federal bureaucracy, including key institutions across the government, has been historic and continues to alter American life far beyond Washington. From health care and the unfolding tariff policies to the National Guard’s expanding local public safety role to immigration enforcement, the ever-changing landscape is testing the country and the press as never before. Anna Johnson, the…
Scott Greenberger, Tia Mitchell and Anna Johnson Transcript — Oct. 7, 2025
Scott Greenberger, Tia Mitchell and Anna Johnson Transcript — Oct. 7, 2025 Kevin Johnson/NPF (00:00:00): So you might, the transfer to an intimately lighted room is probably the right way to go closer to cocktail hour and there might be a little Frank Sinatra in the background, so we'll try to play along with that. But thanks for making a…
Local Journalism ‘Vital’ to ‘Future of American Democracy’
Local journalism's role in American democracy is "more vital than at any other time in memory," as federal government operations have undergone a near-wholesale transformation during the first 10 months of the Trump administration, said Michael Waldman, president of the non-partisan law and policy institute Brennan Center for Justice. Waldman told the National Press Foundation's "Federal Action, Local Impact" journalism…
Mike McCurry and Dave Lapan Transcript — Oct. 8, 2025
Mike McCurry and Dave Lapan Transcript — Oct. 8, 2025 Kevin Johnson/NPF (00:00:00): This is a session where sort of the counterpoint to our restaurant session last night where you heard from a lot of reporters in Washington and how they do their work. We have just the opposite here this afternoon. The Washington Press Corps, as you know, and…
Medaria Arradondo Transcript — Oct. 8, 2025
Medaria Arradondo Transcript — Oct. 8, 2025 Kevin Johnson/NPF (00:00:00): But when I was searching for someone who could address the presence of the National Guard in so many cities, and that number is increasing almost daily, I reached out to someone who I thought hands down would be the perfect person to address it. In the hours after George…
Tom Fahy, Erik Hooks, Tim Quinn and Stacey Young Transcript — Oct. 8, 2025
Tom Fahy, Erik Hooks, Tim Quinn and Stacey Young Transcript — Oct. 8, 2025 Kevin Johnson/NPF (00:00): When there is a breakdown in federal government operations, the first to feel it are often communities far beyond Washington. Consider a couple of things and these are just pulled from just recent clips. Bloomberg reported at least a third of senior career…
Covering Small Business Infrastructure: What Journalists Need to Know
Nearly half of America’s private sector workforce—more than 62 million people—work for small businesses. But when it comes to the impactful decisions about infrastructure and policy, many of those employees and owners have little or no input. As a former small business owner himself, John Arensmeyer sought to change that reality by launching the Small Business Majority, a nonprofit network…
Muriel Bowser: D.C. Mayor, Not President, Should Control National Guard
President Trump has deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Memphis and Chicago, attempted to do so in Portland and suggested that San Francisco, Oakland, New York, Baltimore, New Orleans and St. Louis may be next. But it’s the nation’s capital that has seen the most prolonged deployment, ongoing since Aug. 11. Currently, more than 970 D.C. National…
Business Reporting Beyond the Bottom Line
Covering local business involves more than just the financial bottom line. Increasingly, politics, environmental impact and public engagement are among a broad range of factors journalist must consider when analyzing the business community’s role in civic life. During the National Press Foundation Local Business Journalism Fellowship, journalists Brody Mullins (Wall Street Journal), Rafael Nam (NPR) and Olivia Evans (Louisville Courier…
Covering Tariffs: What’s at Stake for Small Businesses
On October 10, President Donald Trump threatened China with enacting a massive tariff hike over a dispute about rare earths exports to the U.S. It's just the latest in a series of trade strategies from the current administration, and analysts are scrambling to convey the potential impact. As these policies unfold, a central question is emerging for the 99 percent…
Daysi Calavia-Robertson and Sabrina Sanchez Transcript — Sept. 8, 2025
Daysi Calavia-Robertson and Sabrina Sanchez Transcript — Sept. 8, 2025 Rachel Jones, National Press Foundation (00:00:01): For session two, we'll hear from journalists Daysi Calavia-Robertson, who's an award-winning columnist with New Jersey Advanced Media. And Sabrina Sanchez, the early childhood education producer with aist Daysi's focus as a columnist, is on delving into the issues affecting New Jersey's most vulnerable…
Davar Ardalan and Lucretia Williams Transcript — Sept. 8, 2025
Davar Ardalan and Lucretia Williams Transcript — Sept. 8, 2025 Rachel Jones, National Press Foundation (00:00:00): Session three of the September, 2025, widening the Pipeline Virtual training. We're joined by two women who will outline a vision of using artificial intelligence to provide a voice clarity and relevance for communities as a way to rebuild long abandoned trust in media.…
Kirstin Garriss Transcript — Sept. 5, 2025
Kirstin Garriss Transcript — Sept. 5, 2025 Kevin Johnson, National Press Foundation (00:00): So our next session, we're equally lucky to have Kirstin Garris with us today when the networks or even C-SPAN call to feature your work on their broadcast, you want to be at your best, and I know that some of you work in broadcast or have…
Katherine Tai Transcript — Sept. 5, 2025
Katherine Tai Transcript — Sept. 5, 2025 Kevin Johnson, NPF (00:00): I think it's fair to say that no one issue has captured or commanded the global attention of nations around the world and the press then the unpredictable trade policy that's being pursued by this current administration, deadlines have been set and moved. Close allies have become adversaries and…
Turning Data into Dollars: AI for Small Businesses
As daily headlines about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence continue to roll out, the benefits for business can become obscured by doomsday scenarios. But for the 99 percent of American companies that are categorized as small businesses, AI can yield significant bonuses through increased productivity. "When great AI works, it should look like magic," said Balaji Padmanabhan, director of…
Small Business and AI Transcript — Sept. 16, 2025
Small Business and AI Transcript — Sept. 16, 2025 Rachel Jones/NPF (00:00): For this next session of the NPF Local Business Journalism Fellowship, we'll be exploring how small businesses can harness the power and the potential of artificial intelligence. We're joined today by Professor Balaji Padmanabhan. He is the director of the Center for AI in Business and the dean's…
Investigating Nonprofits: David Fahrenthold Shares His Secrets
Rivers of money run through the nation's nonprofit organizations. Yet these operations, which often benefit the rich and powerful, from Elon Musk and Donald Trump to universities, hospitals, and professional sports leagues, lack basic regulatory oversight. David Fahrenthold, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at The New York Times, has built a career examining the workings of this overlooked network and shared…
Taking Care of Business, The Downtown DC BID Way
Across America, businesses large and small, urban or rural, hope to attract the broadest range of customers and tourists for their products and services. But in a post-pandemic world, cities like Washington, D.C., are scrambling to craft strategies for attracting visitors and supporting economic development. On Sept. 17, NPF Local Business Journalism Fellowship reporters got an exclusive briefing about those…
David Fahrenthold Transcript — Sept. 16, 2025
David Fahrenthold Transcript — Sept. 16, 2025 Kevin Johnson/NPF (00:00:00): Well after we've heard from such a variety of folks, I thought it would be great to have one of you to come in and talk about the work and the importance of this work, and if you're a fan of deeply reported journalism, examining business, especially the business of…
Immigration Policy and Business: Understanding the Link
As the Trump administration's immigration policies and objectives continue to evolve, journalists need a strong contextual grasp of the impact on local businesses and the overall economy. That was the take-home message from Julia Gelatt, associate director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute. Immigrants accounted for 15.8% of the U.S. population in January 2025, the…
NPF Marks World News Day 2025: A Day for Democracy
The National Press Foundation joins with journalism organizations around the globe to mark World News Day, an international initiative to draw public attention to the role that journalists play in providing trustworthy news that serves citizens and democracy. World News Day takes place annually on September 28 to align with the UN Universal Day for Access to Information. “At a…
Julia Gelatt Transcript — Sept. 17, 2025
Julia Gelatt Transcript — Sept. 17, 2025 Rachel Jones/NPF (00:01): Our next session will provide us with a deep dive into how federal immigration policies are affecting local businesses across America. Really, this is not just a location-based conversation. This is uniformly affecting communities. We're joined today by Julia Gelatt, the associate Director of the US Immigration Policy Program at…
Why Regional Food Business Centers Mattered
When the Biden Administration created the US Department of Agriculture Regional Food Business Centers (RFBC) program in September 2022, the stated goal was to support small farms and food businesses after the pandemic. They were hit hard when restaurants, schools, and businesses like nursing homes stopped buying their produce. Because the USDA is responsible for developing and implementing policy related…
Aallyah Wright and P.J. Haynie Transcript — Sept. 17, 2025
Aallyah Wright and P.J. Haynie Transcript — Sept. 17, 2025 Rachel Jones/NPF (00:01): For this next session of the local business journalism fellowship, we're going to pivot to a look at the food chain. That's a term that gets used a lot in business circles, but communicating how it functions and its role in local communities is very important. So…
Bipartisan U.S. Free Trade Push Likely Gone for Generations, Sánchez Says
The Trump administration's global tariff strategy has upended the nation's longstanding, bipartisan commitment to free trade in a move that could reverberate for generations, former U.S. Commerce Trade Undersecretary Francisco Sánchez told the National Press Foundation's Local Business Journalism Fellowship. "The idea of promoting free trade as we did for years and years under both Republican and Democratic administrations is…
Limited Housing Supply, Shrinking Workforce are ‘Real’ Problems for U.S.
Americans are confronting financial strains driven in part by limited housing stocks and a U.S. workforce at risk of decline for the first time in history, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Neil Bradley told the National Press Foundation's Local Business Journalism Fellowship. (The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sponsored the four-day conference.) Bradley, who also serves as the chamber's…
Marc Lacey Transcript — Sept. 5, 2025
Marc Lacey Transcript — Sept. 5, 2025 Kevin Johnson/NPF (00:00:00): I'm really excited that Mark is here because anytime I feel discouraged about the state of our industry and there's plenty to be discouraged about, I often look to what he's posting on social media. Those posts are a constant source of encouragement, highlighting good work, exuding energy and optimism…
Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone Transcript — Sept. 5, 2025
Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone Transcript — Sept. 5, 2025 This transcript was minimally edited to remove obscenities. Kevin Johnson/NPF (00:00:00): We've invited these two guys here to talk about the implications of the administration's takeover of Washington DC and an end game that is very unclear, especially for the city and for local law enforcement. The city, as everyone…
NPF Names 35 Journalists for 2025 Local Business Journalism Fellowship
The National Press Foundation has selected 35 journalists from across the country to participate in the 2025 Local Business Journalism Fellowship. Fellows will travel to Washington, D.C., Sept. 15-18 and have exclusive briefings with economists, small business owners and other experts. This four-day training will give the local reporters opportunity to dive into the business infrastructure across America today and…
July 15 Webinar Transcript: The Trump Tariff Strategy Report Card — Six Months In
Kevin Johnson/NPF (00:00:06): Good morning. We're in the case of Deborah Elms who's joining us from Singapore. Good evening. I'm Kevin Johnson of the National Press Foundation and on behalf of NPF and our sponsor of the Heinrich Foundation in Singapore, I want to welcome you all to this webinar, an attempt, and I emphasize an attempt to examine the…
Business Journalists Share Tips on Unrelenting News Cycle
Apart from the press corps covering conflicts around the globe, perhaps no group has been challenged more than journalists tracking the economic upheaval of the past six months. Finding meaning, providing context and broadening networks of knowledgeable sources while building public trust have been daily tasks for the reporters on the front-lines in unrelenting, super-heated news cycles. In a wide-ranging…
Market May Be Only Check on Trump’s Power, Analyst Says
As Donald Trump continues to flex his power across the U.S. government and beyond, the president may only be constrained by the fluctuating market economy while he attempts to implement sweeping tariffs against America's top trading partners. Steve Okun, political analyst and founder of APAC Advisors, said Trump is increasingly going it alone, bolstered by the unstinting loyalty of top…
Jason Lee Transcript: June 24, 2025
Jason Lee Transcript: June 24, 2025 Kevin Johnson/NPF (00:00): So this is about climate. As with other subjects, we've heard bits and pieces throughout the last few days about climate and its impact on trade and the economy, but we're fortunate to be able to do a deeper kind of look at it singularly in this last session of the…
Even Singapore is Dealing with Right-Wing Extremists
In a society with so many cultures, religions and nationalities living in close proximity, Singapore’s government has long emphasized social cohesion. Those efforts have come into play in new ways over the past two decades as the city-state confronts ISIS-inspired security risks and now far-right ideologies and conspiracies. “If large numbers of one ethnic group are killed in a violent…
In Trump Economy, One Thing Is Certain
Navigating “Trumponomics” is marked by extreme unpredictability, says Trinh Nguyen, senior economist at Natixis. But there’s one thing we can count on: tariffs. “Tariffs are here to stay; that’s the only certainty amid rising uncertainty,” she told NPF International Trade Reporting fellows. “Trump likes tariffs,” and there are several ways he employs them as a tool to achieve his goals,…
China’s Big Problem? Its Own Consumers
While headlines tend to focus on the U.S.-China trade war, economists point to China’s ongoing economic imbalance. “With the global economic situation getting worse, I think more countries may have disputes with China on the trade issue – EU, India, or even some Southeast Asian countries,” said Chen Gang, deputy director of the East Asian Institute at the National University…
Trade Tensions, Geopolitics Threaten Global Stability
While there are signs of optimism in global trade – such as the support behind the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) that the UK just voted to join – there’s also a great deal of uncertainty, said GeoPol Asia founder Andrew Staples. “We are looking at the emergence, the birthing, of a new world order. The old…
Bilahari Kausikan: U.S. Role in World is Undergoing ‘Fundamental Shift’
Bilahari Kausikan, former Permanent Secretary of Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs known for his candid commentary, has a bone to pick with journalists. “Journalists, public officials, academics, pundits of all kinds, they generally pay far too much attention to events and not enough attention to the processes,” Kausikan told a room full of international trade reporters, criticizing the “apocalyptical tone”…
TRANSCRIPT: How To Cover Education Department Cuts in Your Community Webinar — June 10, 2025
TRANSCRIPT: Education Webinar — June 10, 2025 Rachel Jones/NPF (00:00:01): Welcome to the Evelyn Y. Davis Studios of the National Press Foundation. Thank you for joining us for this briefing, focused on how to cover education department cuts in your community. The past few months since President Donald Trump signed an order to dismantle the Department of Education have yielded…
Candice Mays Transcript: June 2, 2025
Candice Mays Transcript: June 2, 2025 Rachel Jones/NPF (00:00): Session two of the June, 2025 Widening the Pipeline virtual training. We'll discover how harnessing the power of data can yield impactful storytelling. We're joined by Candice Mays, who is the project director at Mapping Black California. It's the only community newsroom in the country with a dedicated data journalism unit.…
