Latest in USA Today

UPDATED list of papers impacted, company statement added: In a late-Friday move Gannett, the nation’s largest newspaper chain, executed layoffs at outlets across the country. While no official tally was available, journalists at the Athens (Georgia) Banner-Herald, (South Texas) Caller-Times, Columbia (Missouri) Daily…

Not everyone was celebrating the 245th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this weekend. Particularly unenthusiastic were four prominent media outlets, who delivered decidedly downbeat assessments of the significance of American independence and its symbols. The New York Times published a report on the…

USA Today is fighting a Federal Bureau of Investigation request for identifying information about readers who accessed the media giant’s story on a suspect in a child porn case. The story concerned a man who killed two FBI agents and wounded three others in a February raid in Florida. It has not been disclosed why the…

UPDATED, 10:30 AM:  Larry King was moved out of ICU on Sunday as he remains hospitalized in Los Angeles with Covid-19, NBC News reports, citing a source close to the family. The 87-year-old broadcast journalist has been hospitalized for about 10 days, according to multiple media reports. PREVIOUSLY, January 2: Larry…

Besides moderator Susan Page losing control early and that fly on Mike Pence’s head, if there is anything everyone can agree on about Wednesday’s first and only vice presidential debate of the 2020 campaign, it is that the 2024 campaign has begun. Between Sen. Kamala Harris and incumbent Mike Pence, one or both of…

Mike Clark, the film critic for USA Today from 1985 until 2009, died July 31 at a Reston, Virginia, hospital from a head injury sustained in a fall at his Virginia home on July 27. He was 73, and had been battling liver disease for several years. Clark’s son, Nick Clark, told USA Today that the head injury “led to…

2ND UPDATE with police news conference, 11:48 AM: Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessler said at a news conference today that officers were going floor-to-floor investigating reports of a man with a weapon at the USA Today/Gannett building near Washington, D.C. “It’s important to note that right now we do not — I…

Digital First Media, a hedge fund-backed entity known for scooping up local newspapers and then aggressively cutting costs and jobs, has made an unsolicited $1.36 billion offer for Gannett. Shares in Gannett have soared 18% on the news, reaching $11.50 in morning trading. The management of Gannett indicated it will…

Shares in Los Angeles Times publisher Tronc are up more than 7% this morning — and touched a 52-week high of $17.53 — following a report that Gannett has sweetened its acquisition offer to more than $18. That means it’s “no longer a question of whether to sell or not, but for how much,” analyst Ken Doctor says in…

The news about the prominent former president of CBS Digital Media was folded into this morning’s announcement that Gannett’s board has formally approved the spin-off creating separate companies for the publishing and TV assets. Larry Kramer will retire as USA Today’s president and publisher later this month when the…

Fox, Time Warner, and Tribune did it — and now Gannett is, too. The nation’s largest newspaper publisher, and a major owner of TV stations, says it will create a publicly traded company for its publishing businesses which include USA Today. Gannett shareholders will receive stock in the new entity, making the…

USA Today landed in hot water today by with a clumsily written headline that came off as polarizing to some readers. “Holiday Nearly Beat Thor as Race-Themed Films Soar," USA Today headlined in its box office report, prompting many to spank the paper across social media. Many felt that while the cast is predominantly…