diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index 0111cb4..4807441 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@
 Core and Builtins
 -----------------
 
+- Issue #16839: Fix a segfault when calling unicode() on a classic class early
+  in interpreter initialization.
+
 - Issue #16761: Calling ``int()`` and ``long()`` with *base* argument only
   now raises TypeError.