By the end of the year, I can barely remember what I wrote at the beginning of the year. So this is a curated list…

Eight top stories
• ‘Disturbing for democracy’: Americans are divided into two media worlds, survey shows
• Republican trust in media keeps sinking to new lows, opening door to overlapping misinformation
• Instagram blocked the #VaccinesKill hashtag two years ago. Facebook only just now got around to doing it
• Disbelief in election results and distrust of the vaccines are connected
• Obama’s question for the media: How do we start telling a ‘common story?’
• ‘You breathe differently when you aren’t the only one:’ Women are leading America’s key news outlets
• Press Freedom Awards ceremony stands up for journalists in ‘increasingly repressive world’
• A man was sentenced to prison for threatening journalists. I was one of them

The pandemic and the media
• December: Science reporters say new Covid-19 surge is a ‘collective issue’
• December: News coverage conveys creeping anxiety amid Delta surge, Omicron uncertainty
• December: Why return-to-office headlines don’t reflect the messy reality
• November: Omicron news coverage is in overdrive, but there’s still so much we don’t know
• November: Nearly 80% of Americans have been exposed to Covid misinfo, and many don’t know what to believe, survey says
• September: Here’s how the Covid-19 conversation is changing in the media
• September: A new focus of news coverage: Are there double standards for Covid protocols?
• August: As the government talks about vaccine boosters, it’s time to cover the endemic reality of Covid
• August: ‘We are failing one another:’ USA Today front page implores people to pay attention to Covid surge
• August: Covid news coverage needs to start from this fact: ‘The vaccines work’
• July: Reporters and pollsters say vaccine hesitancy is devolving into vaccine refusal
• June: Newsrooms begin to welcome vaccinated staffers back to offices with ‘soft’ reopenings
• June: News coverage balances vaccination progress with continued pandemic pain
• May: News outlets ask: Is this the beginning of the end of the pandemic?
• May: As the pandemic eases, the media’s coverage of it is shifting
• April: Pandemic authorities are failing the public. Can the media step up?
• March: From ‘hoax’ to hope: Why March 2021 may be a turning point for the US
• March: The pandemic has changed TV viewing patterns, and awards shows are suffering
• March: The US pandemic at one year: Looking back at the week everything changed, and looking forward
• February: Reasons for cautious optimism amid Covid-19 crisis: ‘The news about the future’ is really promising

Biden’s first year
• As Biden prepares to be inaugurated, a journalist hopes the war on truth is over
• Biden White House press secretary pledges to share ‘accurate information with the American people’
• Biden speech draws high praise across media — even on Fox News
• Biden builds out communications staff with chief photographer and deputy press secretary
• ‘Town halls are back:’ CNN prepares to host a Tuesday night event with President Biden
• White House reporters clamor for press conference as Biden waits longer than predecessors
• Jen Psaki, appearing on “Reliable Sources,” says I can’t let the briefing room become ‘a forum for propaganda’
• The Biden administration is taking fact checks to heart, at least some of the time
• Biden’s first address to Congress wasn’t immune to TV ratings erosion
• From ad-libs to whispers, here’s how the Biden address to Congress was covered by the press
• Boring or fascinating? Journalists assess Biden’s term at the 100-day mark
• Both Biden and the media are under scrutiny as Afghan crisis dominates airwaves
• ‘That’s not what’s happening:’ Biden tries to rebut news coverage about empty store shelves

Trump and the Big Lie
• ‘He could never tell the truth:’ Trump’s presidency was kneecapped by his lies
• Experts warn that Trump’s ‘big lie’ will outlast his presidency
• Right-wing media commentary about the Trump trial is key to understanding the choices of GOP senators
• All of this week’s news stories have something ugly in common: Lying
• Bill Maher is right about Trump’s ‘slow-moving coup.’ Here are 6 reasons to take it seriously
• Smartmatic is now suing Newsmax and OAN for ‘disinformation campaign’
• The final days of Trump’s presidency inspire hour-by-hour countdowns
• Trump’s post-presidency: On the attack with the help of a cable propaganda machine
• Biden is president, but Trump’s election lies are still being amplified by his media allies
• Murdoch says Trump should leave election lies ‘in the past,’ but does anyone believe that’s possible?
• Wall Street Journal reporters object while opinion section prints Trump’s letter to the editor
• News media faces conundrum as Republicans baselessly cry ‘fraud’ again, this time in California

Jan. 6 and the aftermath
• Jan. 3: Pay attention to the propaganda, and other ways to cover an attempted coup in America
• Jan. 5: News coverage of Congress certifying the vote must put reality first
• Jan. 6: Congressional reporters became the country’s eyes and ears as rioters stormed Capitol Hill
• Jan. 6: How the news media covered domestic terrorism on Capitol Hill
• Jan. 7: Reporters reckon with radicalization in America: ‘You are being lied to’
• Jan. 8: Now it’s sinking in: Wednesday’s Capitol Hill riot was even more violent than it first appeared
• Jan. 9: CNN’s Elle Reeve: ‘Donald Trump plus the Internet brings extremism to the masses’
• Jan. 14: Capitol riot denialism is already here
• The Capitol Hill riot’s long shadow is visible in day-by-day news coverage
• As Congress weighs whether to set up a commission, there are many unanswered questions about January 6
• Why journalists have to make decisions about how to cover the January 6 riot aftermath
• While Congress squabbles over a select committee, reporters are putting January 6 puzzle pieces together
• Will reality ever sink in for riot-deniers? January 6 hearing will be a test
• How right-wing networks covered the January 6 hearing after months of soft-pedaling the Capitol attack

The Fox effect
• Examining how Fox News has changed America as it turns 25 years old
• ‘We turned so far right we went crazy:’ How Fox News was radicalized by its own viewers
• Lachlan Murdoch finally says it out loud: Fox is the ‘loyal opposition’ to Biden
• ‘We are lost:’ Fox News suffers ratings slump while staffers fret about post-Trump future
• Jonah Goldberg and Stephen Hayes resign from Fox News, protesting ‘irresponsible’ voices like Tucker Carlson
• New book alleges Fox’s Maria Bartiromo shouted at Bill Barr about imagined voter fraud
• Fox’s Tucker Carlson gets exclusive access to Kyle Rittenhouse and his defense team during trial
• Fox and right-wing media sources are loudspeakers for Republicans in Virginia governors’ race
• Tucker Carlson’s Fox News colleagues call out his dangerous anti-vaccination rhetoric
• White House has held discussions with Fox News over its Covid-19 coverage
• Fox’s mixed messages about vaccines are coming under scrutiny
• Fox News removes one of its only nighttime hours of news coverage
• Fox News is still trying — and failing — to find a solution to its 7 p.m. problem
• Fox’s worst week? Dominion ruling adds to drumbeat of bad news for the network

Cable news comings and goings
• CNN announces CNN+, ‘most important launch for network since Ted Turner’
• Chris Wallace announces he is leaving Fox News, joining CNN+
• What Chris Wallace’s big move says about streaming at CNN and Fox
• As Brian Williams exits MSNBC, network brass have an intensifying talent problem
• Anchor Brian Williams is leaving MSNBC and NBC News
• The daily edition of ‘The Rachel Maddow Show’ is coming to an end. So who will replace her?
• Rachel Maddow decided to stay at MSNBC, but her role is changing
• Brianna Keilar joins ‘New Day,’ three anchors move to afternoons in CNN schedule revamp
• CNN fires Chris Cuomo
• With Chris Cuomo gone from CNN, another cable news time slot is up for grabs
• Cable news’ longest-serving executive is retiring after 40 years at CNN
• Larry Kudlow’s show to debut on Fox Business Network next week
• The end of the road for Lou Dobbs
• Fox Business suddenly cancels ‘Lou Dobbs Tonight,’ its highest-rated show

News turning points
• Larry King: An appreciation of his legacy from CNN president Jeff Zucker and founder Ted Turner
• Tom Brokaw retiring from NBC News after 55 years with the network
• Washington Post editor Marty Baron announces his retirement
• Julie Pace is the new executive editor of The Associated Press
• CBS News, still trying to find its way, is going from one president to two
• Here are some of the challenges as CBS News picks a new president
• David Muir’s new role at ABC News leads to drama with George Stephanopoulos and a visit from Bob Iger
• The new president of ABC News is about to make history
• ABC News president James Goldston is stepping down

Social media and society
• Wall Street Journal’s Facebook Files series prompts comparisons to Big Tobacco
• The Facebook Papers consortium is growing, and reporters are gaining access to more documents
• How a LinkedIn message paved the way for ‘The Facebook Files’
• ‘We need to admit reality,’ Facebook whistleblower says. Here’s what might happen next

Media business beat
• What the WarnerMedia-Discovery deal means for CNN and Jeff Zucker
• AT&T to spin off and combine WarnerMedia with Discovery in deal that would create streaming giant
• AT&T’s WarnerMedia and Discovery are in talks about combining
• Justice Department sues to stop Penguin Random House’s purchase of Simon & Schuster
• Pence signs a seven-figure book deal, but Trump and other administration alums face a tough market in publishing
• ‘News for the Rich, White and Blue’: New book argues that chasing subscription dollars is bad for journalism
• Politico will be sold to Axel Springer for over $1 billion
• Tribune Publishing shareholders approve takeover by ‘vampire’ hedge fund
• Bari Weiss’ next act: a Substack newsletter that serves as ‘the newspaper for the 21st century’
• Why Los Angeles Times wants to be a ‘media platform,’ not just a newspaper
• The ‘open secret’ about Ozy Media has been laid bare

State of local news
• ‘Ignorance is a virus:’ How local news outlets are reporting on Covid-19 vaccine rejection
• Advocates say this Build Back Better provision is exactly what local newsrooms need
• Sinclair Broadcast Group hit by ransomware attack, upending local TV newscasts
• New York Daily News makes a plea for local ownership as hedge fund takeover looms

The beast of beat journalism
• Covering Congress right now: This $5 trillion debate ‘deals with every issue under the sun’
• The headlines that capture the red hot state of the economy
• The hardship beat: Why it’s essential for reporters to expose income inequality heightened by Covid-19
• Pegasus Project: Why 17 news outlets are working together to cover spyware on a mass scale
• Webcams and social media apps are changing the way we experience hurricanes
• New York City’s slow-motion primary election will force the press to show some patience
• A new governor in New York, a recall in California, and a spotlight on state-level news coverage
• Voter suppression is the story that affects every other story
• Newsrooms confront the ‘police say’ problem
• Minnesota has a First Amendment problem
• Miami Herald editor says ‘we are here for the long haul’ as the search continues in Surfside
• Mental health is front and center in news stories from Tokyo to Washington
• From Jeff Bezos to Elon Musk, Bill Gates to Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire beat deserves scrutiny

Around the world:
• The war is ‘not over for them:’ Reporters, activists urge press to stay focused on Afghan civilians
• Afghans face a return to the dark age during the digital age
• Female journalist flees Afghanistan following groundbreaking TV interview with Taliban spokesman
• Reporters describe ‘palpable fear’ in Afghanistan as Taliban continues to sweep across the country
• New York Times and Washington Post investigations cast doubt on Pentagon’s account of Kabul drone strike
• Media offices destroyed by Israeli airstrike in Gaza
• What Australia’s new law might mean for the news you see in the future
• Australian law is hailed as ‘a big win for the news business’ with ramifications around the world

Entertainment watch
• ‘SNL,’ often lamented by critics, draws rave reviews thanks to Cecily Strong
• New Nielsen data shows that cable TV reigns supreme, but streaming is gaining fast
• Critics assess the end of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ as the family moves from cable to streaming
• ‘Cruella’ and ‘A Quiet Place Part II’ pose the first real test of the summer box office
• Oprah shows the world how it’s done
• Seven media lessons from Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah
• Why Oprah’s interview with Meghan and Harry drew a staggering 17 million viewers

“Jeopardy!” drama
• How Jeopardy’s producer ended up as the front-runner to replace Alex Trebek
• Alex Trebek’s likely ‘Jeopardy!’ successor defends himself on allegations he mistreated colleagues
• ‘Jeopardy’ will replace Alex Trebek with not one, but two hosts
• Mike Richards has stepped down as the host of ‘Jeopardy!’
• Now who will be the new ‘Jeopardy!’ host?
• Mayim Bialik to be first guest host of ‘Jeopardy!’ following Mike Richards’ departure
• Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik will host ‘Jeopardy!’ for the rest of the year