Exec summary: Sorry I'm late. This is a special edition of our newsletter, coming to you early Thursday morning from the CNN NYC's office at Time Warner Center. Normally I wouldn't point out the location, but this isn't a normal time...
"We are not afraid."
"What happened today was an act of terror. Terror designed to kill or maim, to scare, or to silence," Anderson Cooper said on "AC360" Wednesday night. "If the devices were designed to kill, they failed. If they were designed to scare and to silence reporters or politicians, they failed at that as well. We here at CNN are thankful for the sharp eyes and the clear thinking of the men and women who protect us every single day in this building and around the country and the world, and for the quick response and expertise of the NYPD and all the other agencies involved in what is now a massive and ongoing investigation." | | Cooper added: "Terror only works when it produces fear. We are not afraid. We are here and we will be here tomorrow and we'll be here the day after and we'll be here the day after that. We have a job to do. [This] only makes our resolve that much stronger."
It's been a day.
Even as a media reporter, who looks inward every day, I don't want the story to be about us. Wednesday's bomb at Time Warner Center is the last thing I want to be writing about. But I'm grateful for all of your kind messages throughout the day.I think everyone at CNN's New York offices is just hoping for an uneventful day on Thursday. Here's a recap of what happened and what's next...
What the targets have in common
More info is still coming in about the # of suspicious packages and the intended recipients, but so far it seems all the targets had something in common: They were frequent targets of right-wing criticism. Most of the recipients were prominent Democrats. Or as the WaPo succinctly put it: "Amid incendiary rhetoric, targets of Trump's words become targets of bombs."
That's not the same as blaming Trump. Like many people on TV on Wednesday, I specifically said I wasn't blaming Trump for the crimes of a madman. But news industry execs have repeatedly warned that Trump's reckless attacks against the media are having real-world consequences. They have repeatedly warned that words and deeds matter — but he chooses to heat things up instead of cool things down.
In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker spoke out about the problem. "There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media," he said. "The President, and especially the White House Press Secretary, should understand their words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that."
Trump's anti-media talk continued on Wednesday night
Trump may not know what America needs. But he knows what his fans want to hear. So at his rally in Wisconsin on Wednesday evening, he followed up his remarks decrying political violence by slamming the media.
He "took no responsibility for the tone of the political discourse," CNN's Eric Bradner noted in this story. Instead, he said "the language of moral condemnation and destructive, routine — these are arguments and disagreements that have to stop," without acknowledging his own destructive language. And he said "the media also has a responsibility to set a civil tone and to stop the endless hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories. Have to do it..."
David Gregory's reaction
I was on Don Lemon's "CNN Tonight" with David Gregory and Phil Mudd. Gregory made a couple of key points that I want to reiterate. "I thought he said some of the right things" on Wednesday, he said, but it was "inappropriate to go after the press" at the rally.
Gregory added: The media's job "is not to create a 'tone' in this country. The media's job is to cover power, to seek accountability, to ask the questions, and to do it fairly... We are not responsible for creating a tone, he creates the tone, politicians create the tone..."
Back to work on Thursday
All of WarnerMedia's offices in the building were affected, not just CNN's floors. This included staff at channels like TNT and the corporate offices.
WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey emailed staffers on Wednesday night and said that "Jeff Zucker and the entire CNN team showed why a capable and functioning press is an essential element in defense of our liberty — doggedly reporting the facts of today's events as they unfolded and keeping people informed."
"Our work environment is safe and ready for your return tomorrow," Stankey said. "I am pleased with how our security processes worked today, and I'd like to extend my thanks to our internal teams and large number of dedicated first responders that kept us all safe during today's event..."
HERE'S HOW IT HAPPENED
Walking into the scene of a news story
Tom Kludt emails: "I spent my morning commute reading the breaking news about explosives that were sent to the Clintons and Obamas. I arrived at our building to find a small but growing contingent of police officers, along with a few colleagues who had been stymied at the door. It's weird to say, but I pretty much knew right away that they were related. The news I had been reading was suddenly right in front of me..."
The timeline
I was in Philly this morning, so I first learned about the security situation when "Reliable Sources" EP Jon Auerbach texted me and said "we're evacuating." Here's how it happened:
Around 9:30: That's when the package was delivered to the WarnerMedia mailroom, according to a source.
10: Per the Citizen app, NYPD units were dispatched to the scene.
10:04: Word of an evacuation at the Whole Foods in Time Warner Center. The mailroom and the Whole Foods are both on the basement level.
10:07: Staffers like Kludt were stopped at the door.
10:09: An alarm went off at CNN's New York offices, signaling an evacuation. Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto were anchoring from the fifth floor newsroom set. They asked a question to a remote guest, Tom Fuentes, which gave them a moment to size up the situation.
10:10: "There's a fire alarm here," Harlow said. "We'll be right back," Sciutto said, tossing to a commercial break.
10:11: Oliver Darcy writes: "As I was walking by on my way toward the exit stairs, I overheard Sciutto say in a very serious voice to someone, 'We need to leave.' For whatever reason, hearing Sciutto say that the way he did conveyed the seriousness of the situation."
10:12: In the show's Atlanta-based control room, executive producer Michelle Moryc lined up correspondent Rene Marsh, who was standing by for a live shot in the DC bureau, to sub anchor.
10:13: Also in the DC bureau, Shimon Prokupecz was on his phone, gathering info about the situation at TWC.
10:15: CNN came back from commercial. "The Time Warner building in New York City has been evacuated," Marsh said.
10:19: Sciutto called into the newscast via phone while technicians set up a Skype video signal.
10:25: Harlow and Sciutto rejoined the newscast via Skype. | | Staffers were not allowed back into the NYC office until 3 p.m.
Here's our full story with more of the minute by minute details...
Scenes from the evacuation
The CNN staffers who had to evacuate turned nearby hotel lobbies and restaurants into temporary work spaces. "The opinion team is at Maison Keyser editing. 'New Day' is at the diner. Digital is mostly at Hudson Hotel, and the staff here has been phenomenal to us," SVP S. Mitra Kalita told me.
Email chains, conference calls and Slack channels were used to organize coverage. Folks had their laptops and phones, but few had chargers... Thankfully the Hudson Hotel had a vending machine with chargers, so Kalita bought a few for staffers...
Help from fellow journos
As the situation unfolded, one of CNN's rivals, CBS News, reached out to offer help from a few blocks away. In a memo, Zucker thanked CBS News chief David Rhodes "for graciously offering their assistance while we deal with this...Really nice to see from our fellow journalists." An official from WeWork, the co-working startup with spaces all across the city, also offered free space to CNN employees...
In the control room
For several hours, Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper led CNN's TV coverage from DC while Harlow, Sciutto and 11 a.m. anchor Kate Bolduan reported from a nearby street corner. Zucker, who's based in NY, happened to be at CNN HQ in Atlanta for meetings. He headed to the control room and stayed there for several hours, helping to direct the coverage and CNN's response. Zucker and his aides sent out updates to staffers roughly every half an hour...
The scene at CNN HQ
Megan Thomas emails: "I'm working in Atlanta today, where Zucker and most of the other senior leaders in the company were in town for a manager's meeting. I've been in this newsroom when a major story breaks on several occasions and while today was similar -- hyper-focused energy, producers rushing to the control room, the sounds of phones ringing and marching orders being yelled -- the unique thing was the expression of concern and care for our colleagues in NYC and elsewhere. People checked in with each other and responded to worried messages from friends and co-workers... there were open discussions about what was safe and appropriate to report... and every-half-hour updates from Zucker on what was happening with the investigation."
Thomas added: "The managers' meeting was cancelled but Zucker took time to address the day's events and answer questions. He said the safety of CNN employees in the United States and around the world is — and always has been — his top concern. I think that was seen and felt today, company-wide..."
Heightened state of alert
Security officials at other major media companies were paying very close attention. For example, "we are treating this situation with extra vigilance," News Corp's security department told staffers in an email. CNN's Sonia Moghe reported that NYPD Intelligence, Counterterrorism and Bomb Squad teams increased their patrols at media locations in NYC and other potential areas, as a precaution.
There were no indications of any suspicious packages at any other newsrooms in NYC. But there were scares at the LA Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune. And maybe there were some other incidents I missed.
At CNN Center in Atlanta, magnetometers were installed at the entrances to the building... More here...
Far-right stars yell "false flag"
...And the rest of us say, shame on them.
Oliver Darcy emails: Some prominent Trump supporters and far-right online personalities suggested the bombs were sent by a Democratic operative as part of a supposed "false flag" operation. Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Candace Owens, and Michael Flynn Jr. all shared some version of the theory. And the incendiary comments about the bomb incidents were not limited to them. To the contrary, the spreading of conspiracy theories was a common theme among individuals on the fringes of the right...
Notes and quotes
-- Dan Balz in Thursday's WaPo: "This is a time of the politics of the apocalypse — an all-or-nothing view of the difference between winning and losing an election and of holding power or not holding it..."
-- Frank Pallotta emails: "I was immensely proud to work at CNN today. After being evacuated, we all kept working. Editors even brought their computers with them..."
-- Chloe Melas emails: "As I sit here on the train home tonight my eyes are welling up with tears. So many what-ifs... what if the package wasn't intercepted? What if someone had gotten hurt?"
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- ICYMI, here are some of the highlights from Christiane Amanpour's interview with Tim Cook... (CNN)
-- "AT&T stock dropped 7% Wednesday after the company reported mixed results for its first full quarter since completing its merger with WarnerMedia..." (CNN)
-- Most other media and tech stocks also fell sharply. "Netflix shares plunged more than 9%," Jill Disis notes... (CNN)
Megyn Kelly's show is ending
| | "Megyn Kelly Today" is not over yet. But it's a matter of when, not if.
Two years of pent-up bitterness and backbiting about Megyn Kelly have finally come to a head at NBC News. Her exit from the 9 a.m. hour of the "Today" show appears to be imminent.
It's important to note that the talks about her move pre-dated this week's controversy about her blackface comments. As I noted in this story, NBC News staffers were calling her show a "disaster" well before this latest controversy. And Kelly has been openly challenging the news division's management for months...
| | Here's the latest
Kelly will not be hosting her program on Thursday, and she is unlikely to return later, a reliable source told me just after midnight ET.
NBC may air a pre-taped episode on Thursday. We'll see.
Variety's Brian Steinberg was the first to report on Wednesday evening that Kelly and NBC News execs had been having conversations about a new role for her. Then the NYT's John Koblin and Michael Grynbaum reported that Kelly and NBC News chair Andy Lack met earlier this month and "discussed a possible winding-down of her portion of the 'Today' show by the end of the year." The WSJ's Joe Flint went further and said she could be leaving NBC altogether.
That's why this next detail is crucial: Kelly has parted ways with her talent agency, CAA, according to two sources, and she has hired attorney Bryan Freedman...
--> A person familiar with the matter told me that Kelly's show will be ending, but negotiations about the end date and other details are still underway...
-- Spokespeople for NBC News declined to comment, and most staffers at the news division remain in the dark. Here's my full CNN.com story... Kelly's apology
Kelly started her show on Wednesday by apologizing for the comments made the previous day. Her audience gave her a standing ovation, but disappointment inside NBC News runs deep and isn't likely to fade anytime soon. Al Roker and Craig Melvin strongly criticized Kelly's comments during the 7 a.m. hour of "Today." And Lack condemned her comments at an 11 a.m. town hall meeting.
-- KEY POINT: Tuesday's segment was a major misstep, but the Kelly rancor is about much more than one segment... All of the anger about her appointment and salary and show is bubbling up...
-- As NYT's story indicates, Lack and co. haven't been happy with Kelly for a while. And Kelly hasn't been happy with them for a while...
-- The Daily Beast's dramatic headline: "NBC News Declares War on Megyn Kelly After Blackface Fury..."
-- From an emailer: "It is one of the biggest falls from grace I have ever seen..."
What will happen on Thursday?
-- Will NBC comment on Kelly's status?
-- NBC reporters Jo Ling Kent and Claire Atkinson filed a full story about Kelly on Wednesday night... The story notes that "Kelly is slated to be part of the team covering the midterm elections..." Will that remain the case?
-- Who/what would replace Kelly at 9 a.m.? A few names come to mind right away, but I think they're in the dark too...
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- All eyes on Snapchat: The company will report Q3 earnings after the bell on Thursday... (MarketWatch)
-- The new NBC News streaming service will be called NBC News Signal... (Deadline)
-- I'm hearing that Jon Steinberg's Cheddar network will be making some acquisitive news on Thursday...
What's going on at WikiTribune
The Jimmy Wales-founded for-profit news site is "laying off its staff of 13 paid journalists and handing the keys more completely to the site's (not particularly numerous) users," NiemanLab's Joshua Benton reports. What's the plan? Is there a plan? Read on...
| | "The Conners" update
Brian Lowry emails: The 25% drop for "The Conners" in week 2 might seem pretty steep, but given the possibility that people might leave in droves after they saw how the writers chose to excise the Roseanne character — and stiffer-than-usual competition from Fox thanks to the World Series — it actually feels like a pretty solid hold...
"Walking Dead" weakness
More from Lowry: This is an interesting piece by The Hollywood Reporter's Rick Porter about the off-a-cliff decline in viewing for "The Walking Dead" -- comparing its 60% drop in demos to other long-running shows at this stage in their life span -- as the AMC series prepares over the next two weeks to say goodbye to its star, Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes. It's an interesting question for media, too -- the recappers, etc., who feast off the show -- at what point, if ever, do they begin dialing back some of their coverage in response to the diminished audience?
Jim Bell takes over "Tonight Show"
NYT's John Koblin tweeted: "NBC makes it official: Jim Bell, veteran Olympics and TODAY producer and one of the most important execs at the network, will take over as showrunner of THE TONIGHT SHOW... Appointment comes at a critical time in late nite ratings battle: Colbert is dominating Fallon in total viewership. But among 18-to-49 year olds Fallon is barely clinging to his lead: His show is averaging a .52 in the demo compared to .51 of Colbert."
Two supernatural reviews
Brian Lowry emails: The number of youth-oriented supernatural shows is so abundant that they're nearly bumping into each other. First up is CW's "Legacies," spun off from "The Vampire Diaries" and "The Originals," while Netflix's "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" tries to do for that character what "Riverdale" did for Archie Comics. "Sabrina's" a bit better, but frankly, feel like satellite programs from Harry Potter's Hogwarts...
That's a wrap on today's newsletter... Thank you for all the kind messages today... Email me here anytime, and see you tomorrow... | | | |
