Latest news with #TheBackstory
USA Today
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Diddy trial starts, Sovereignty rules Derby
Diddy trial starts, Sovereignty rules Derby | The Backstory 'Once upon a time, Sean 'Diddy' Combs was on top of the world,' USA TODAY's Anika Reed and Marco della Cava write in a story that traces the downfall of the hip-hop mogul who rose to meteoric fame and is about to stand trial on sex-trafficking allegations. Reed and della Cava take readers inside the Great Gatsby-esque White Parties Combs hosted for more than a decade starting in the late 1990s. The sometimes risqué extravaganzas featured a parade of celebrities, from Leonardo DiCaprio to Mary J. Blige to Mariah Carey. As the champagne flowed and sumptuous food was passed around, Combs required his A-list guests to wear only white in what was seen as a cultural touchstone for a Black man from Harlem who reached the top echelons of celebrity and wealth. That was then. Now, Combs is facing federal charges related to sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. His trial begins Monday. While the trial in the Manhattan courtroom won't be televised, we'll be liveblogging it and delving into all the controversies. 👋 USA TODAY Editor-in-Chief Caren Bohan here. Welcome to The Backstory, our newsletter exclusively for subscribers (that's you!). I'll be taking you behind the scenes of our breaking news coverage, scoops and unique storytelling. I'm putting a spotlight this week on our talented team covering the Sean Combs trial. I'll also be sharing some insights about our spectacular coverage of the Kentucky Derby. First, here's a glimpse at some of the great reads from USA TODAY, including a few of our previews of the Diddy trial: Covering Diddy's 'incredible' downfall Sean Combs's White Parties were seen as cultural touchstones because of the ultra-exclusivity and the dress code. The requirement of wearing only white put the A-list guests on a level playing field in the exclusive Hamptons on Long Island, New York, where Diddy owned a waterfront mansion. "Don't forget that Black people in the Hamptons wasn't a common thing," says filmmaker Yoruba Richen, co-director with Emma Schwartz of "The Fall of Diddy" series, according to della Cava and Reed's story. "He wanted to show he was breaking in mainstream culture, not just with Black hip-hop culture in Harlem,' Schwartz said. Anika Reed, USA TODAY's Entertainment Breaking News Editor, said the downfall of Sean Combs and its reverberations in the music and business worlds is one of the reasons the trial will be so closely watched. 'It cannot be overstated the position that he holds in the entertainment industry as well as in business,' Reed said. Combs 'rose among the ranks to become a producer, to own his own record label, to own his own clothing brand, to be this powerhouse when it comes to music and culture and business acumen.' 'It's absolutely incredible to see where he reached and to see where he is now, sitting in a jail cell in Brooklyn,' Reed said. To get ready for the trial, Reed and USA TODAY investigative reporter Gina Barton have been scouring court documents for months. Barton, who has extensive experience reporting on criminal justice, said the careful preparation is essential to assessing witness testimony and finding openings to break stories. 'I covered federal courts for several years, and the thing that I always have done is read every single document in detail, even the ones that are labeled Exhibit G in docket number 167, because those are the places where, when I was on the beat, I found some of my best stories,' Barton said. Sovereignty rules the Derby Beat expertise also laid the groundwork for excellent coverage of the Kentucky Derby by USA TODAY Sports columnist Dan Wolken and our team of journalists across the country. Wolken, who was at muddy Churchill Downs when Sovereignty claimed victory, has covered eight Kentucky Derbies. His experience with the biggest day in horse racing goes back to his childhood in Arkansas. His family has been around horse racing for generations, with Dan's great-grandfather starting a business in the 1930s providing concessions at racetracks. Wolken's ability to speak the language of owners, trainers and breeders led to unique reporting. His story about Into Mischief, North America's leading sire for six consecutive years, is a gem. The performance by the stallion's offspring on horse racing's biggest stage has upped the game on his stud fee. Other good reads
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
What Gene Hackman meant to his fans and why our journalism matters. Read The Backstory
What Gene Hackman meant to his fans and why our journalism matters. Read The Backstory A message from the editor in chief There is nothing more rewarding as editor in chief of USA TODAY than hearing from people who connect with our journalism. Launched in 1982 by Al Neuharth, USA TODAY rolled off printing presses with a creative, colorful design that broke the mold of older, legacy newspapers. Neuharth was resolute about a reader-friendly approach. He was known to weigh in even on deadline to insist that editors rewrite headlines if they were too bland. Get to the point. Never waste readers' time with stodginess. Don't be afraid to use drama, humor and the element of surprise to tell the stories that matter most to readers. Neuharth was convinced that ethos would drive the success of the nation's newspaper. I couldn't agree more. Every day, we aspire to forge a deep connection with our readers, viewers and listeners. That is why I'm excited to announce that starting May 4, I'm launching The Backstory, a subscriber-exclusive newsletter and column that will take you behind the scenes of how we deliver lively stories, news you can use and content you can trust. I want to showcase our best work and introduce you to our talented journalists. I'm in awe of their expertise and commitment. When you learn more about them, I think you will be too. Our stories are engaging and people-focused. We talk with you, not at you. We're dedicated to service journalism: the mission of informing you to help you live your best life. With our sports and entertainment news, we capture the moments and events that bring you joy (and sometimes heartache). We are devoted to accountability journalism. Rigorous fact-checking and unbiased journalism are at the core of what we do. We know you are bombarded every day with content. If our stories don't speak to you - if they aren't compelling - you won't make time for them. Nor should you. That's why reader feedback is so meaningful to me. It validates the importance of what we do. One example was the response to a deep dive that senior journalists Rick Jervis and Marco Della Cava did on the final days of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. The couple, beloved in their community of Santa Fe, New Mexico, were found dead in their home Feb. 26. Adding to the blow to the community and to Hackman's fans, the causes of the couple's deaths were initially a mystery until authorities discovered Arakawa had died first from a virus and Hackman passed away days later. Rick and Marco brought our audience to the tight-knit Santa Fe community and painted a vivid picture of how the couple touched the lives of their neighbors. Our package included a beautifully written story and moving video. Rick and Marco's headline was captivating: Tough guy, everyman. Gene Hackman pursued anonymity and a private artist life in Santa Fe. The story was riveting from the first paragraph. One reader wrote: Rick, Just a quick note to thank you for the excellent reporting and writing on the final days of Gene Hackman and his wife. Journalism teachers should use this as an example of how to do a tick tock. I enjoyed it. Another reader wrote: I can't say how much I enjoyed this article. What an incredible person Gene was. Thank you for writing this along with Marco Della Cava. In the coming weeks, I will share more reader feedback. I will walk you through our approach to our craft and the rigor with which we carry it out. And in the spirit of a conversation, I always welcome your feedback. Thanks for reading. To support USA TODAY and our journalists, become a subscriber today. For those already subscribed, thank you. You can always sign up to receive The Backstory here.
USA Today
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
We're giving you the backstory on USA TODAY's reporting
We're giving you the backstory on USA TODAY's reporting | From the editor A message from the editor in chief There is nothing more rewarding to me as editor in chief of USA TODAY than hearing from people who connect with our journalism. Launched in 1982 by Al Neuharth, USA TODAY rolled off printing presses with a creative, colorful design that broke from the mold of older, legacy newspapers. Neuharth was so devoted to the importance of a reader-friendly approach that he was known to sometimes insist that editors rewrite headlines on stories if they were too stodgy and not eye-catching enough to entice readers to read the newspaper. The conversation with our readers is the essence of what we aim to do every day, which is why I'm excited to announce that starting May 4, I'm relaunching The Backstory, a subscriber-exclusive newsletter and column that will aim to lift the curtain on our reporter process and give readers greater insight into what we do and how we do it. My aim is to highlight our best work each week and introduce you to the talented journalists on the USA TODAY staff. I'm in awe of the expertise and commitment of the journalists around the country who work to deliver content that connects with your lives. Our stories are engaging and people-focused. We talk with you, not at you. We're dedicated to service journalism: the mission of informing you to help you live your best life. With our sports and entertainment news, we capture the moments and events that bring joy (and sometimes heartache) to you. We are proud of our accountability journalism, our rigorous approach to fact-checking and our unbiased reporting. We also know that our readers, viewers and listeners are bombarded with content every day, and if our storytelling doesn't speak to them, if it isn't compelling enough, we are not serving them the way we need to. That is why reader feedback to some of our best stories is so meaningful to me. It validates the importance of what we do. One example of this that I found especially gratifying was the response to a deep dive that senior journalists Rick Jervis and Marco Della Cava did on the final days of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. The couple, beloved by their neighbors in their community of Santa Fe, New Mexico, were found dead in their home Feb. 26. Adding to the blow to the community and to Hackman's fans, the causes of the couple's deaths were initially a mystery until authorities discovered Arakawa had died first from a virus and Hackman passed away days later. Rick and Marco's aim was to bring the readers behind the scenes to draw a vivid picture for our audiences of a significant moment in time or key event. Our package on Hackman included a beautifully written story and moving video. Rick and Marco's headline was captivating: Tough guy, everyman. Gene Hackman pursued anonymity and a private artist life in Santa Fe. The story was riveting from the first paragraph. One reader wrote: Rick, Just a quick note to thank you for the excellent reporting and writing on the final days of Gene Hackman and his wife. Journalism teachers should use this as an example of how to do a tick tock. I enjoyed it. Another offered this feedback: I can't say how much I enjoyed this article. What an incredible person Gene was. Thank you for writing this along with Marco Della Cava. In the coming weeks, I will share more of our reader feedback. I will also walk you through our approach to our craft and the rigor with which we carry it out. And in the spirit of a conversation, I always welcome your feedback. Thanks for reading. To support USA TODAY and our journalists, become a subscriber today. For those already subscribed, thank you. You can always sign up to receive The Backstory here.
