From a New York Times conversation between columnists Gail Collins and Bret Stephens headlined “This Is Not the Year of the Optimist”:

Bret Stephens: Happy Easter, Gail. The news has been so depressing lately. A crazy guy opens fire in a subway in Brooklyn. The Russians are committing atrocities in Ukraine and are about to start a major offensive in the east. And my tuna melt on rye costs $21 at a not-much-to-look-at New York City diner, not including the tip.

From a Times Insider column by Steven Moity headlined “Covering the U.S. the Past Two Years”:

It has been nearly two years since the first Covid cases were reported in the United States. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the National desk has been covering the immense changes occurring in every part of the country. Reporters on the desk, stationed across the nation, are continuously adapting to major events while simultaneously dealing with the risks of Covid-19 themselves. Below, some of those reporters share a few of the ways they have adapted to this new reality — and what they’ve learned along the way.

From a story on presswatchers.org by Dan Froomkin headlined “What kind of country do you want to live in?”

Quite a few of us media critic types have taken to calling for our most influential political journalists to take an overtly pro-democracy approach to their coverage, rather than bothsidesing Republican efforts to restrict voting and potentially overturn electoral defeats in order to install an authoritarian right-wing minority government.

But let’s say journalists did start treating the issue with the proper attention and alarm. Simply hearing more about the “threat to democracy” could well be too abstract a concept to be compelling for most voters.

From a Pew Research Center News Platform Fact Sheet by Katerina Eva Matsa and Sarah Naseer:

The transition of news from print, television and radio to digital spaces has caused huge disruptions in the traditional news industry, especially the print news industry. It is also reflected in the ways individual Americans say they are getting their news. Today an overwhelming majority of Americans get news at least sometimes from digital devices. Explore the patterns and trends that shape the platforms Americans turn to for news below.