Earl Caldwell, veteran journalist whose dilemma over a government demand to reveal his sources in the Black Panther organization prompted the 1970 founding of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, with Jack White, retired Time magazine columnist, Lee Levine, First Amendment lawyer, and Richard Prince, Journal-isms Roundtable moderator. (Credit: YouTube)
In October 2023, Journal-isms reported that “The infamous Cointelpro program, the covert surveillance operation by government intelligence agencies that overrode citizens’ rights in pursuit of information, targeted a Black journalist in order to keep the news media from reporting fairly about the Black Panther Party, according to a First Amendment lawyer writing a book about Earl Caldwell, the targeted Black journalist.
“Caldwell was a New York Times reporter in 1970 when he was ordered to reveal his sources in the Black Panther organization to a federal grand jury, threatening his independence as a newsgatherer.”
Now that First Amendment lawyer, Lee Levine, has competed his book. Its publisher is offering “Journal-isms” readers and participants in the Journal-isms Roundtable a digital advanced review copy of “In Bad Faith: Earl Caldwell and the Fight for a Free Press,” to be published Nov. 15, and is entertaining requests for interviews.
In Bad Faith is the historical thriller where a subpoena, a newsroom, and a movement collide.
Digital advanced review copy (not reflective of the final copy) is here.
Any interest in a physical advanced review copy?
Or perhaps a final edition as published? (Available mid- October).
- In 1970, New York Times national correspondent Earl Caldwell — one of the first Black reporters hired to cover America’s civil-rights flashpoints — was ordered to reveal what he had learned about the Black Panther Party behind the sealed doors of a federal grand jury. Convinced that testifying would destroy the trust he’d built and silence a vital source of truth, Caldwell refused — setting off a showdown that raced from Bay Area streets to the steps of the Supreme Court.
- Lee Levine tells this story as it unfolded: a Black journalist with rare access; a mostly white press struggling to cover Black communities; and a government — under J. Edgar Hoover and Richard Nixon —running COINTELPRO, a sweeping campaign to infiltrate, discredit, and break the Panthers while pressuring reporters who covered them. When United States v. Caldwell reached Washington, DC, the Justices issued a 5–4 ruling against the reporter and the First Amendment cause he championed — a landmark decision that still imperils press freedom today.
- Drawing on one-on-one interviews and once-secret FBI, Justice Department, and White House records, In Bad Faith reveals how legal tactics, surveillance, and media manipulation converged on a single reporter to test the nation’s promises of equal justice and a free press. Levine’s dynamic narrative showcases the dramatic events of the era and highlights the clash of race and power, and how that impacts who gets to tell America’s story. A seminal landmark release on a major First Amendment case, singular & the first of its kind.
- Lee Levine has practiced, taught, and written about First Amendment law for fifty years. He has argued on behalf of the press in courts nationwide, including the US Supreme Court. He taught at Georgetown University’s law school, has written three books, and regularly publishes in popular and academic journals.
Feel free to share with any colleagues that may be interested. Don’t hesitate if any questions or requests arise.
***Open to all coverage opps including reviews, features, interviews, op-eds, excerpts, mentions, listings, inclusions, shoutouts, etc***
Thanks kindly for your time.
Alexander John Vlahov
Publicist
Cornell University Press
(607) 254-8744
ajv87 (at) cornell.edu
Also, from video from Marc Lacey, New York Times managing editor, on the Times’ 175th anniversary: “I wrote a piece for the 175th about Earl Caldwell, and the fact that he was the only reporter at the Lorraine Motel when Martin Luther King was assassinated. Earl Caldwell, a Times journalist, was down here in Room 215. He saw him there on the balcony with his own eyes.”
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More Notices
From New York: Media Watch for Sept. 14
Through Sept. 27: ‘How D.C. Changed American Culture’
Sept. 23: Advancing Latino Health Through Storytelling . . .
Sept. 23: Democracy Denied in Nigeria – Documentary Preview
Sept. 24–27: 10th Anniversary of the ‘Blacksonian’
Sept. 29: When Sources Don’t Tell the Truth
Sept. 30: Jim Crow Museum Opens in Big Rapids, Mich
Sept. 30: Webinar: Covering Voting Access in Indian Country
Oct. 1: Online Journalism Awards
Oct. 1: You’re Invited to a Live Podcast Taping in N.Y.
Oct. 2: Shirley Carswell Leaving Dow Jones News Fund
Oct. 2-4: JAWS’ Conference and Mentoring Program (CAMP)
Oct. 2: Panafest in Wheaton, Md.
Oct. 7: ‘From Selma to Saigon to Bloods’ Book Launch
Oct. 7, 13, 21: Marvin Kalb, AI and Cybersecurity, Arts Diplomacy
Oct. 24: South Asian Journalists Association Awards Reception
Oct. 22-24: Maynard Institute Training for Editors, Managers
On Black Marylanders: Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Baltimore
JOBS
From these journalist organizations . . .
Rebecca Aguilar’s Journalism Job Openings: ‘The September List’
From South Asian Journalists Association
From the Uproot Project
From NBC
From David Careers, Koch Davis, LinkedIn
From New York: Media Watch for Sept. 14
Alan Singer, Ph.D., Raymond Peterson, Robert Anthony and Eric V Tait Jr: Our individual takes on the state and fate of the country 25 years after the 9/11 attacks.
Our assessment of the NABJ/Stephen-A dispute and whether or not he actually deserves their THUMBS DOWN Award for denigrating Black women on his media platforms.
The Cambridge-Prof Jason Arday Debacle and a Shout-Out to ByLine Times, the UK media outlet blowing the whistle on the Peter Thiele-funded Right Wing Eugenics Cabal who successfully targeted, hounded/harassed Arday.
A playbook Thiele and company underwrote and perfected here in the U.S. with Christopher Rufo’s anti-CRT campaign.
First floor of Washington’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (Credit: Richard Prince)
Through Sept. 27: ‘How D.C. Changed American Culture’
From the D.C. Public Library:
Exhibit Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
Satellite Exhibits: Anacostia Library | Benning/Dorothy I. Height Library | Chevy Chase Library | Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Library | Mt Pleasant Library | Southwest Library| Woodridge Library
Washington, D.C. is more than a federal city — it’s a mosaic of neighborhoods and communities that have nurtured creativity, learning, music, cuisine, and sports for generations. While the District is smaller geographically than every single U.S. state, within its 68 square miles residents of the District have contributed groundbreaking ideas that have shaped the nation’s imagination and driven meaningful change.Sept. 23: Advancing Latino Health Through Storytelling . . .
Webinar: Advancing Latino Health Through Storytelling and Innovation
Sponsored by the American Heart Association
Date: September 23, 2026
Time: 5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT
Join the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the American Heart Association on Wednesday, September 23 at 5 p.m. ET for a conversation on Latino health and the tools journalists can use to better reach and inform their communities.
Learn about new research on Latino health, emerging solutions and the National Hispanic Latino Cardiovascular Collaborative, plus resources available to journalists, including data, bilingual experts and reporting support.
Sept. 23: Democracy Denied in Nigeria – Documentary Preview
A Community Preview Screening of “MKO” and Conversation on Nigeria’s Democratic Future
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, will hold presidential and National Assembly elections on January 16, 2027. What lessons does its democratic history offer for the election ahead?
Join us at American University for a community screening of “MKO,” followed by a panel discussion on Nigeria’s democratic past, present, and future. The documentary recounts the landmark June 12, 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history, and the constitutional crisis that followed its annulment. It examines MKO Abiola’s imprisonment, his death in detention, and the years of political repression and human-rights abuses that followed.
Journalists, scholars, and democracy advocates will discuss June 12’s lasting legacy and its lessons for electoral integrity, civic participation, media freedom and accountability, and Nigeria’s future.
- Vanguard, Nigeria: Abiola documentary to hit Nigerian cinemas in October (Sept. 5)
Sept. 24–27: 10th Anniversary of the ‘Blacksonian’
From the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture:
Join us at “The Reunion,” our 10th-anniversary commemoration, featuring a series of multi-day celebrations and signature events for visitors of all ages taking place Sept. 24–27. Guided by the theme “Welcome Home: Our Legacy Continues,” The Reunion brings together visitors, supporters, community partners and friends of the museum to reflect on the journey that has shaped the museum over the past 10 years. . . .
Sept. 29: When Sources Don’t Tell the Truth
Join us for a timely 45-minute webinar featuring New York Times Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker exploring how journalists can report ethically and effectively on false statements by politicians or other sources. Baker will be interviewed live by Stephen J. Adler, the director of NYU’s Ethics and Journalism Initiative and former Reuters editor-in-chief. As with all Ethics and Journalism events, you can join this event free of charge, and questions on the topic can be submitted in writing before or during the conversation.
Ferris State University says its Jim Crow Museum “is is the nation’s largest publicly accessible collection of artifacts of intolerance. The Museum contextualizes the dreadful impact of Jim Crow laws and customs. The Museum uses objects of intolerance to teach tolerance and promote a more just society.”
Sept. 30: Jim Crow Museum Opens in Big Rapids, Mich.
On September 30, the day will include a special program beginning at 1 p.m. in Williams Auditorium, located at 630 S. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids, Michigan. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will follow, along with a self-guided museum experience supported by museum staff. . . .
Sept. 30: Webinar: Covering Voting Access in Indian Country
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Oct. 1: Online Journalism Awards
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Oct. 22-24: Maynard Institute Training for Editors, Managers
The Propel Regional Training Series for Editors and Managers is a *Tuition-FREE* professional development training series led by award-winning journalists, editors and university faculty as well as Maynard Institute staff. In partnership with the Department of Journalism at California State University Northridge and the Tom and Ethel Bradley Center and held in Burbank, California at the Los Angeles Burbank Airport Marriott Hotel. Read More.
On Black Marylanders: Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Baltimore
THE LINES WE CROSS: 250 Years of Maryland Forging America
July 31, 2026 — October 31, 2027
Maryland sits directly below the Mason-Dixon Line, a border state where freedom and slavery once existed side by side. In this landscape of impossible boundaries, Black Marylanders learned to navigate through movement, making, and profound creativity. They crossed literal and symbolic lines to claim their lives, build vibrant communities, and challenge the nation to live up to its highest ideals. The Lines We Cross is a multi-floor, evocative experience at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum that traces how Black Marylanders have pushed boundaries, broken systems, and shaped the social, cultural, and political landscape of America.
A Journey Through Three Floors
TO BREAK: Abolition (Floor 1) – Step into a landscape of resistance. From the literacy of Frederick Douglass to the tactical brilliance of Harriet Tubman, discover how Maryland became a geography of escape and liberation.
TO BUILD: Artisans (Floor 2) – Celebrate the skill and innovation that built our foundations. Witness the power of the hand and the tool in shaping Maryland’s infrastructure.
TO BECOME: Artistic Expression (Floor 3) – Experience the shift from survival to imagination. Explore how lived experience was transformed into art, sound, and vision by icons like Billie Holiday and others.
Our freedom has always been unfinished work. This exhibition is more than a history lesson; it is a baton passed to the present. Join us in exploring the struggle, the creativity, and the courage of the generations that forged America.
JOBS
From these journalist organizations
Rebecca Aguilar’s Journalism Job Openings: ‘The September List’
Fom the Uproot Project (Sept. 17)
Growing new roots
Job Opportunities
- NYT, Audience Editor, Climate and Science
- Plumas Sun, Disaster recovery reporter
- Sentient, Food and Farming Storytelling Fund Program Manager
- Science News, Social Media Producer
- Floodlight, Operations and Development Coordinator
- Baltimore Public Media, Environmental Reporter
- The Houston Chronicle, Energy and Data Center Reporter
- NEWSWELL, Climate, Environment & Water Reporter
Fellowships & Grants
- The Open Notebook, Early-Career Fellowship Program (deadline October 31)
- Sentient, Food and Farming Storytelling Fund (applications not open yet)
- WCSJ2027 Travel Fellowships (deadline October 23)
- Poynter, Reporting on Brain Health & Research (deadline September 22)
- NYT, Local Investigations Fellow
- Pulitzer Center, Our Work/Environment Reporting Grants
Other opportunities & resources
- UNESCO, Reporting the environment: a practical manual for journalists
- Field Sources, An Environmental Source Desk
- Earth Journalism Network Opportunities
- NPR, Next Gen Radio
- Calendar for paid internships & fellowships (courtesy of Mandy Hofmockel’s substack forjournalism jobs)
- National Press Photographers Foundation, Grants & Scholarships
- Pitching Science Friday
- ProPublica, Freelance Pitch Form
From NBC
Political Campaign Embed
30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NEW YORK
Employees work in a hybrid mode
Full-time
Business Segment: NBC Editorial
Compensation: USD 80,000 – USD 95,000 – yearly
. . . In this role, you will travel full-time with presidential candidates and/or may be temporarily relocated to live in primary states which will prove critical to the 2028 election. You will report and produce video/television and digital elements for all NBCU News Group platforms, including NBC News, NBC News NOW, NBCNews.com, and more. An intuitive grasp of social media as both a newsgathering and storytelling tool is a must.
Political embeds will be NBC News’ principal contact with the campaigns and will be responsible for editorial and element gathering while in the field. This is a 100% travel position.
Interested candidates should apply by September 25, 2026. This is a contract position through December 2028
Also:
- Books reporter, Wall Street Journal, New York
- Senior newsletter editor, Daily Mail, New York
- Editorial Page assistant editor, New York Post
From David Careers (Sept. 20)
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From Koch Davis (Sept. 19)
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