| | | | | Exec summary: The Comcast-Disney war for Fox is on... AT&T is waiting to see if the DOJ will appeal... Plus, there's new info about the unaired episodes of Anthony Bourdain's show, and some important tweaks coming soon to Twitter... | | Everyone's numb. I get it. But President Trump's rhetoric about the press is so extreme that it can't be brushed aside as "yet another Trump tweet."
Hours after returning from a trip where he lavished praise on one of the world's worst dictators, Trump declared that America's biggest enemy is... "fake news." He singled out NBC and CNN in his angry post.
The "biggest enemy" line harkens back to February 2017, when he called several news outlets "the enemy of the American People!" This is another dose of the poison.
--> My reaction: Is it any wonder why most Americans say Trump is unfit to serve as president? These sorts of tweets place Trump at odds with core U.S. values. He sounds oblivious to what has made America great for 200+ years...
--> He relishes the fight, and so do some of his fans: This was by far Trump's most "popular" tweet of the day, as indicated by retweets and faves... | | >> Jake Tapper tweeted: "POTUS attacking press as prosecutors prepare for big steps against Manafort and Cohen..."
>> Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) on "The Situation Room:" That tweet "could have been issued from Pyongyang. That could have been issued from Moscow. That could have been issued from Ankara."
>> Jason Miller on "Cuomo Prime Time:" "I think President Trump is living rent-free in many members of the media's heads when he says something like that... I think he's pushing folks' buttons..." | | Trump's alternate reality in action | | Trump's "don't believe reporters, they're your enemy" talk is part of something much bigger. It's related to his bogus claim that "there is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea" and his willingness to excuse Kim Jong Un's murderous ways by saying lots of people have done "really bad things." It's the Trump alternate universe in action.
Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker said Wednesday that "it's becoming a cultish thing." Countless Trump critics have thrown around the word "cult," but it was striking to hear Corker say it.
WashPost columnist/CNN analyst Max Boot used a stronger word on Wednesday. He predicted that "before long" the GOP base "will be brainwashed by Trump & Fox into thinking that N Korea has ALREADY denuclearized..." | | Chastising reporters for reporting is a pivotal part of that alternate reality. Speaking of: Some corners of the pro-Trump media are still blasting CNN's Jim Acosta for shouting Q's at Trump and Kim the other day.
"I was simply just trying to do what a reporter should do in those situations," Acosta told Erin Burnett on CNN Wednesday night. Asking, even shouting, questions "is the American way." He added: "I'll do it again if I have the chance."
Burnett pointed out that the workers from North Korea's state-run media outlets were at the summit, too. They were "looking at all of you," she said, "to see how you do your jobs, to see how you stand up to authority. It's a moment when our country can show part of what makes it so great. And it is pretty shocking that it is being slammed by those in the highest places in this land..." | | Michael Cohen splits with his legal team | | George Stephanopoulos is having a good week. First he anchored ABC's coverage of the summit in Singapore, then he landed a sit-down with POTUS, and then he broke some important news about Michael Cohen. Stephanopoulos published a story on ABCNews.com about Cohen parting ways with his attorneys.
His source also indicated that Cohen is likely to cooperate with the feds -- a detail that other news outlets have not matched and some outlets have countered. But as CNN reported later in the day, Trump allies are "worried Cohen could flip at any minute..." | | How much longer does Sanders want to be press secretary? | | CBS News popped a story Wednesday night saying that Sarah Sanders and her principal deputy Raj Shah "are both heading for the exits." Sanders "has told friends that she plans to leave the administration at the end of the year."
This lines up with something CNN reported last week: that Sanders "has told friends she wants to serve at least a year in the position -- possibly longer." She's been press secretary for 11 months.
Sanders disputed the CBS story without really denying it. She tweeted: "Does @CBSNews know something I don't about my plans and my future? I was at my daughter's year-end Kindergarten event and they ran a story about my 'plans to leave the WH' without even talking to me. I love my job and am honored to work for @POTUS." CBS said she didn't respond to "repeated requests for comment" before the story was published... | | -- NBC paid tribute to Tim Russert, who "passed away 10 years ago on this day..." (NBC)
-- News Corp CEO Robert Thomson: "If journalism were a film, the last decade is certainly the equivalent of a slasher movie: the Silicon Valley Chainsaw Massacre..." (BuzzFeed)
-- I usually just watch my wife Jamie's Thursday morning Facebook Live talk show... This week, I'll be guest co-hosting... Wish me luck! We're live at 10:31am ET on Facebook and Twitter... (NY1's Facebook page) | | The DOJ hasn't appealed the AT&T ruling yet... | | There was radio silence from the Justice Department on Wednesday, a day after it suffered a stunning defeat in its lawsuit against AT&T's bid for Time Warner. An appeal could still come later this week.
AT&T is planning to close the deal and take control of Time Warner by this time next week... | | Comcast's bid for Fox is official | | Congrats, Rupert Murdoch -->
The moment the market closed on Wednesday, Comcast announced its $65 billion all-cash bid for 21st Century Fox's assets. Fox's deal with Disney is still in effect... But that was valued at just $52.4 billion... Comcast is offering a nearly 20% premium.
Fox's board is considering the offer... Meanwhile, Disney had no comment on Wednesday... | | | ☝️ Bob Iger v. Brian Roberts illustration via BTIG's Rich Greenfield: | | Jill Disis emails: Comcast sounds very confident about this deal. On a conference call, execs said they believe it will pass regulatory approval and they're willing to fork over a $1.5 billion break-up fee that Fox would owe Disney if it backs out of that deal.
>> Comcast CFO Mike Cavanagh: "Our money's where our mouth is. We think this deal gets closed." | | Comcast values Fox's international reach | | Disis adds: Execs said that 70% of Fox's revenue comes from outside the US, and that owning the company would give it influence in places like Europe, Latin America and India. NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke even said NBC News and Sky News, which Fox has a stake in, could complement each other. "Together, we have the opportunity to enhance each other's news coverage on a global basis," Burke said...
>> Roberts: "We firmly believe that the truly great media companies of the next century will be integrated global entities..."
>> Also: Peter Kafka notes that "Disney and Comcast are willing to walk away from Rupert Murdoch's local sports networks..." | | More from Disis: On the call, analysts also pressed the Comcast execs on Hulu, the streaming service with 20 million subscribers. Comcast owns 30% -- if it gets Fox's share, it would take majority control. Cavanagh said they think Hulu is a "great business" that they would "love to have." A side note, though -- a source familiar with Comcast's thinking later told me that while the company does want Fox's share, it would be willing to part with that stake if needed to satisfy regulators...
>> Dylan Byers' latest: "Can AT&T really go head-to-head with big tech?" | | What will Disney do next? | | | Brian Lowry emails: Before egos take over the Fox hunt, if I'm Bob Iger, I'd be asking this question: With the marquee brands I already control, do I need these Fox assets enough to risk being drawn into overpaying for them? And what else is out there that I can buy, more reasonably, which would serve the same purpose in terms of beefing up our content? | | By Julia Waldow:
-- "S-Town" to Tinseltown: The buzz-worthy investigative journalism podcast from This American Life and Serial is coming to the big screen, via Participant Media. Tom McCarthy is in negotiations to direct, and Samuel Hunter is in talks to write... (Deadline)
-- The creators of the women's satirical website Reductress are teaming up with Comedy Central for a late-night show called "The Reductress Hour," starring Abby Elliott of "SNL..." (THR)
--Max Willens dissects how Viacom "uses AI to predict the success of its social campaigns..." (Digiday) | | CNN president's contract extended through 2020 | | A source confirms Joe Pompeo's scoop: CNN president Jeff Zucker "signed a new deal several months ago that will keep him at CNN through the 2020 election."
Pompeo says the news will "presumably come as a sigh of relief for an organization whose employees are already somewhat trepidatious about what, if anything, might change once AT&T starts cutting their paychecks."
The WSJ is out with a big new story about that larger point... What will change at CNN, HBO, etc in the AT&T era... The story says "people close to CNN and familiar with AT&T's thinking believe Mr. Zucker is secure," but notes that other changes will be coming. "John Martin, the chief executive of Turner, is expected to leave the company," in part because the AT&T exec in charge of Time Warner, John Stankey, "plans to be more hands-on" than Jeff Bewkes... | | Ali Watkins update: NYT is "conducting a review" | | The New York Times says it is "reviewing the work history of Ali Watkins," the reporter who recently joined the paper after stints at McClatchy, BuzzFeed, and Politico... Watkins had a relationship with James Wolfe, the Senate aide who was arrested last week and accused of lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Watkins and other reporters...
"We are conducting a review," a Times spokeswoman told me Wednesday. But "the real issue here is the subpoena. Ali Watkins is a reporter, which the Department of Justice knew and yet the agents secretly served a broad subpoena for communications she had over a period of years. They shouldn't get a pass."
So why'd the DOJ do it without giving her a heads up first? "Justice Department leaders worried that if they told Ali Watkins of their intentions, she might tip off" Wolfe or "take other steps that would upend the investigation," the WashPost reported Wednesday evening, citing a source... | | 😲 Ingraham says Pruitt has "gotta go" | | Oliver Darcy emails: Laura Ingraham on Wednesday declared on Twitter that EPA administrator Scott Pruitt has "gotta go." Ingraham wrote in her stinging tweet that Pruitt's "bad judgement" was "hurting" Trump. This is one of the first times a key member of the conservative media has broken publicly from supporting the scandal-plagued agency head...
--> Later in the day, National Review also called for Pruitt's resignation... | | | For the record, part three | | | By Daniella Emanuel:
-- Gayle King, speaking broadly, not just about her ex-colleague Charlie Rose, says "there has to be some sort of due process here" regarding #MeToo accounts... (NYT)
-- MoviePass just hit 3 million subscribers... And predicts it will have over 5 million by the end of the year... (Variety)
-- Apple is trying to learn from Facebook's mistakes. The company has cracked down on App Store rules "to limit how developers use information about iPhone owners' friends and other contacts..." (Bloomberg Technology)
-- A new report shows how "social media have profoundly changed gang activity in the United States...Of particular concern, researchers say, is how social media often appear to amplify and speed up the cycle of aggression and violence..." (WashPo) | | Two more Bourdain episodes will premiere this month | | | CNN is airing the eleventh season of Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown." After he was found dead last Friday, the network decided to go ahead and air the previously scheduled new episode, featuring Berlin, on Sunday. Now we know the plan for the remaining episodes. A CNN spokeswoman says the final two episodes of the season will also air as scheduled, this Sunday and next Sunday at 9pm ET. The "Remembering Anthony Bourdain" tribute will re-air this Sunday at 8... | | Netflix has extended its "Parts Unknown" streaming deal | | | Repeats of "Parts Unknown" were scheduled to come off Netflix this weekend. But when Bourdain died, the streaming service reached out to extend the licensing deal. Now the deal is done... As Lisa Respers France notes here, Netflix says the episodes will remain online for "months to come..." | | | For the record, part four | | | -- David Klein emails: A brand new Pew "fact sheet" shows a grim state of affairs for newspapers... Between 2016 and 2017, total estimated newspaper industry ad revenue dropped 10%... Circ down 11%... (Pew)
-- One more from David: Writing for CJR, Anna Marum looks at the dwindling size and quality of statehouse coverage in Oregon. "As Oregon's capitol press corps has grown smaller, it has become less experienced. Of the 13 statehouse reporters in Salem as of April, seven have covered the statehouse for three years or fewer..." (CJR)
-- What's with all the "high volume, hyper-partisan anonymous profiles" on Twitter? Some of them are "human sockpuppets," furiously RTing to make certain ideas and links look really popular. This story is a reminder of that... (The Outline) | | All of these Twitter tweaks will emphasize breaking news and stories | | Julia Waldow emails: Twitter is making some changes to make "relevant breaking news, events, and stories easier to discover," VP of product Keith Coleman announced in a blog post on Wednesday. The company is now experimenting with topic tabs in Explore; grouping related news, events, and stories in search results; rolling out personalized news and events notifications; and reorganizing Moments into a vertical format. And it's created a special page for the World Cup...
--> Axios's Kia Kokalitcheva makes an important point: "Twitter's expansion of efforts to curate and serve up news content to its users raises questions about the role of its human curators (which are not a new addition to the company, but perhaps not very visible). Joanna Geary, director of curation, says that Twitter is not a newsroom, but its employees responsible for news curation do write news headlines, summaries, and make decisions about content -- just like news organizations..." | | "Morgan Freeman's Lawyers Retreat From Battle With CNN" | | The Daily Beast's Maxwell Tani reports that Morgan Freeman's attorney Robert Schwartz, who threatened legal action after CNN's investigation alleging inappropriate behavior and harassment by the actor, will no longer be representing him on matters relating to CNN.
"It is unclear why the decision was made, but CNN previously said that the firm had a conflict of interest in any legal action against the network, as it simultaneously represented the cable channel in unrelated intellectual-property lawsuits," Tani writes... | | | Brian Lowry emails: Will "Incredibles 2" trigger more animated sequels? That might seem obvious, given that the movie is tracking for a huge opening. In its early days, though, Pixar largely resisted the siren song of sequels, preferring to focus on original concepts, and has said it only does sequels when motivated to do so creatively. But with the Disney unit at a crossroads (see John Lasseter's departure), the clear advantages that animation enjoys in producing sequels -- starting with characters that don't age -- and the appetite for pre-sold concepts, the scales could easily tilt in that direction... | | Lowry adds: On a related note, NBCU International Studios president Jeff Wachtel conceded that creative executives find it difficult to be overly enthusiastic about reboots, despite a slew of new ones ("Will & Grace," "Magnum P.I.," "Murphy Brown," and of course "Roseanne") in recent seasons.
Speaking at the Banff Media Festival, Wachtel acknowledged the edge such titles have in getting noticed in a "super-saturated" environment, adding, "But I do think there is a risk of leaning too far that way. On the USA Network, we studiously avoided reboots..." | | | For the record, part five | | | By Chloe Melas:
-- Here's a first look at "Wonder Woman 1984..."
-- Tiffany Haddish opens up to GQ about the #WhoBitBeyoncé mystery...
-- Neil Patrick Harris apologized for his snarky Rachel Bloom tweet from the Tonys... | | Feedback welcome!
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