Press Under Siege: Media Experts Assess the Impact of Trump’s Attacks
By Mel Laytner
In an afternoon of lively give-and-take, two leading observers of the national news media offered bleak and contrasting assessments of the challenges confronting the press today, from relentless attacks by President Donald Trump to collapsing business models.
They offered reasons for despair and some rays of hope. Brian Stelter, chief media analyst for CNN, and Oliver Darcy, publisher of the highly regarded Status newsletter, spoke before a rapt Silurians luncheon on March 19.
Moderator and Silurian Board member Carol Lawson set the tone with a “scary thought,” that “we have an American president who hates the free press and is doing everything he can to destroy it.” Turning to Stelter and Darcy, she asked, “How do you see this moment of Trump in the press and what worries you the most?”
Brian Stelter, chief media analyst for CNN Worldwide and lead author of the
Reliable Sources newsletter.
Oliver Darcy's media newsletter, Status, has been hailed as a "must read" by the Wall Street Journal.
Connie Chung, Celebrating a Lifetime of Achievement
The Silurians Press Club is proud to honor Connie Chung, a brave pioneer in broadcast journalism and outstanding talent as its 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Connie was the first woman to co-anchor the CBS Evening News and the first Asian to anchor any news program on CBS, NBC or ABC—both milestones in TV history.
In her best selling new book,
“Connie: A Memoir,”
which she will speak about, she details her struggles in a largely patriarchal industry—struggles many women journalists have experienced—and still are.
She's won three Emmy Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award, among others.
But her singular achievement may be that she inspired “Generation Connie,” as a 2023 New York Times headline dubbed it, noting that many Asian American parents have named their babies after her.
Please Note: The April 23 luncheon falls on the 4th Wednesday of the month, rather than the usually scheduled 3rd Wednesday.y.
News Media News
By Mel Laytner
What is art?
Journalist Bianca Bosker tackled this question head-on, or more accurately, head-first, diving deep and emerging with Get the Picture, a rollicking expose of New York’s contemporary art scene.
Offering sharp humor and sharper insights, Bosker shared her experiences in a wide-ranging conversation with the Silurians own Betsy Ashton, herself a successful fine artist, at the club’s Feb. 19 luncheon catered, perhaps ironically, by the National Art Club.
“For most of my adult life, art and I were not on speaking terms,” Bosker said. Wandering through galleries and museums, she recalled she felt“at least two tattoos and a master’s degree away from figuring out” what she was seeing.
Applications Now Open for Silurians' 80th Excellence in Journalism Awards
- We're the only awards program exclusively honoring local news coverage in the Metro area.
- Awards presented in 16 categories.
- Entry deadline:midnight Monday March 31, 2025.
A Silurian at the Met Museum of Art: Chester Higgins, Jr.
Award winning photographer's fascination with Egypt
By Roberta Hershenson
One of the hottest art shows in town this winter was “Flight into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876—Now,” which closed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Feb. 17. Critic Jason Farago, writing in the New York Times, called the show “winningly eclectic” and “beautifully designed,” while referring to Ancient Egypt as “an inspiration but also a lost dream” for the Black diaspora.
Photo by Betsy Kissam
Chester Higgins, Jr., flanked by his two pieces in the Met’s “Flight Into Egypt” exhibit: “My two images help celebrate the African presence in the ancient Egyptian civilization.”
