Exec summary: While I'm on the beach with Jamie for the next few days, celebrating our five-year wedding anniversary, Oliver Darcy will be manning the newsletter. 😃 🏖 But before I take off, here are Thursday's front pages, plus Time's new Oval Office cover, Sean Spicer the special correspondent, my podcast with Tim Carney, and more...
"Empire" of lies?
Jussie Smollett the victim is now Jussie Smollett the suspect. On Wednesday evening the Chicago Police Department said that the Cook County State's Attorney Office has approved a felony charge of disorderly conduct against Smollett for allegedly filing a false report about being attacked by two men last month.
"Detectives will make contact with his legal team to negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest," a Chicago PD spokesman said.
At the moment I'm hitting "send" on this, Smollett hasn't turned himself in yet. Check CNN.com for the latest updates.
>> Quoting from the Chicago Sun-Times' story: "The announcement by prosecutors comes almost three weeks to the day from when Smollett — who is black and openly gay — called police to report he had been the victim of an attack by two men who hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him as he walked home from a Subway restaurant..."
>> Here's the front page of Thursday's New York Post: | |
What Smollett's attorneys are saying
A few days ago, Smollett's attorneys were saying that he was the "victim of a hate crime." Now they're saying... something else.
He "enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked," the attorneys said Wednesday night. "Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense."
"Modern-day lynching?"
When Smollett reported the alleged attack to police, both Kamala Harris and Cory Booker said this was an "attempted modern-day lynching." Other 2020 candidates also condemned the attack. But the authorities are now asserting that this was a modern-day lie. These are moments for soul-searching... While everyone wonders why anyone would stage a hate crime...
Notes and quotes
-- Reps at Fox, which produces and airs "Empire," declined to comment on Wednesday night... The network has previously expressed support for Smollett...
-- What I pondered on "AC360:" Was this about fame? Smollett wanting a bigger star?
-- Anderson Cooper: This also "makes it difficult for people who are actual victims of crimes, victims of bias attacks of one form or another -- you know, it makes it harder for them to come forward..."
-- Cooper added: "It also was obviously just a waste of police resources..."
IN OTHER NEWS...
Trump's attacks keep coming
Several members of the media were shoved and assaulted at President Trump's campaign rally in El Paso, Texas, last week. But even as some supporters appear to take cues from Trump's anti-media rhetoric, the president isn't changing his tune. On Wednesday he said "The Press" -- a catchall term for tens of thousands of people -- is "totally out of control." And he singled out the NYT for its recent reporting about him, calling the newspaper "a true ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!"
Then we all found out about this...
Yet another threat against journalists
A Coast Guard lieutenant who was arrested last Friday on gun and drug charges "allegedly wanted to conduct a mass killing" who "had a hit list that included prominent Democratic politicians as well as several journalists from CNN and MSNBC," CNN's Mary Kay Mallonee and Caroline Kelly report.
The people on his list included CNN's Don Lemon, Chris Cuomo and Van Jones and MSNBC's Chris Hayes, Ari Melber and Joe Scarborough.
"We are all safe. And we thank the Coast Guard and law enforcement for stopping this in time," Lemon said on "CNN Tonight." But "we need to talk about WHY. Once again, critics of the president are being targeted with violence... These things don't happen in a vacuum. The president's words matter. Just look at the suspect's list of targets."
>> Hayes tweeted: "Just a crazed right-wing nut with an enormous cache of weapons and a hit list of media personalities and prominent Democrats..."
Sulzberger's message
Now back to Trump's newest "enemy" tweet. A.G. Sulzberger responded by saying "the phrase 'enemy of the people' is not just false, it's dangerous. It has an ugly history of being wielded by dictators and tyrants who sought to control public information..." And "there are mounting signs that this incendiary rhetoric is encouraging threats and violence against journalists at home and abroad."
Thursday's NY Daily News has Sulzberger v. Trump on the cover, saying "The News stands with The Times:" | |
Zuckerberg's Thursday meeting
"Mark Zuckerberg is finally coming face to face with a top UK official who'd like to regulate Facebook," Hadas Gold reports. "After avoiding multiple requests to testify in front of a UK parliamentary committee, the FB CEO is set to meet Thursday with Jeremy Wright, the UK secretary for digital, culture, media and sport." More here...
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- February going out like a lion? "Justice Department preparing for Mueller report as early as next week..." (CNN)
-- Michael Cohen will testify publicly next Wednesday... Annie Karni tweeted that Cohen's testimony will turn the "Trump-Kim Summit into a split-screen event..." (CNN)
-- Sam Thielman spoke with Jason Leopold about BuzzFeed's disputed Michael Cohen story and much more... (CJR)
-- James Wolcott, who joined Vanity Fair in 1983, says his time at the mag has to come to an end... (Twitter)
-- Carol Rosenberg has taken a buyout from McClatchy... And now she's joining the NYT to continue covering Gitmo... Her work will continue to be partially underwritten by the Pulitzer Center... (NYT)
Glor out, O'Donnell in?
My sources are affirming what Variety's Brian Steinberg reported earlier in the day: "CBS News is considering making significant changes to its flagship 'CBS Evening News.'"
Susan Zirinsky, the incoming president of the news division, is considering replacing Jeff Glor with "CBS This Morning" co-anchor Norah O'Donnell. In one scenario, O'Donnell would anchor the broadcast from DC, where her husband owns restaurants and her family has roots. "There are serious discussions about moving staff to Washington to accommodate her," one CBS staffer told me.
Steinberg said none of the 6:30 plans are definitive: "There is no guarantee they will come to fruition." And Page Six added that "O'Donnell has not yet been offered the gig." But CBS executives are seeking to do something to improve "Evening News" ratings.
>> One complicating factor, I'm told: Zirinsky needs Gayle King to extend her morning show contract before moving O'Donnell off the A.M. shift, lest she jeopardize the morning show...
>> Yashar Ali tweeted that Z "met with senior staff of CBS Evening News" after these stories started percolating on Wednesday, and said Glor "was the anchor of the broadcast, to not pay attention to articles, and that she was proud of the show..."
>> The network also sought to shore up Glor's role by sending out a press release on Wednesday that said Glor would lead CBS coverage of the next US-North Korea summit from Vietnam...
>> CBS is declining to comment on all of this... Remember, Zirinsky doesn't officially take the job until March 1...
Kadro to Quibi
Speaking of CBS, the morning show still needs a new executive producer. The most recent E.P., Ryan Kadro, left the network several weeks ago. "But he isn't leaving the news business," Steinberg reported. Kadro is "set to join Quibi, the company led by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman that is devoted to short-form content. Kadro is expected to oversee news programming for the subscription-based service, according to a person familiar with the matter, and to have some involvement with music and sports content as well..."
CNN explains new hire
CNN executives defended the controversial hiring of Sarah Isgur Flores in a memo to political staffers on Wednesday. (If you missed my Tuesday night coverage, click here.)
Isgur is moving from the Justice Department to CNN's DC newsroom as a political editor. "We're thrilled that Sarah is coming to CNN," DC bureau chief Sam Feist wrote. "She brings a wealth of government, political, communications, and legal experience to our team. Sarah will spend the first few months here getting to know our systems and our people. Eventually we plan to have her play a coordinating role in our daily political coverage – helping to organize and communicate between newsgathering, digital, and television. With two dozen candidates to cover, constant coordination is needed more than ever. "
The memo was co-signed by political director David Chalian and news-gathering chief Virginia Moseley. It did not address the criticism of Isgur's appointment -- including from rank-and-file staffers throughout CNN.
On Wednesday I continued to hear from reporters and producers who are concerned about three things: Isgur's very sudden move from the Trump DOJ to CNN; the confusing way it was announced; and the perception that her role could cause people to doubt CNN's coverage.
But CNN is a big place. There are lots of different opinions. And in any case, CNN management "isn't backing down," as Vox's Aaron Rupar wrote here.
When I posed questions to CNN PR on Wednesday, I didn't get any on-the-record answers, but my impression is that execs hope staffers will get to know Isgur when she starts work next month...
Pros and cons
WaPo media critic Margaret Sullivan wrote one of the toughest critiques of CNN's decision. She asserted that CNN hasn't learned anything from 2016 coverage. And she said the fact that Trump "has spent the past two years mocking and endangering CNN's journalistic staff makes Isgur's hiring even more incomprehensible — and insulting."
She also quoted a tweet from WaPo reporter Wesley Lowery -- who's also a CNN contributor -- that said "I'd like a world where partisan hacks aren't laundered into journalism via our newsrooms."
Representing the other POV is Ann Compton, the veteran broadcast journalist, who read last night's newsletter and emailed me to say that Isgur is "fair, intelligent, collegial, honest, ethical." The two women were fellows at Harvard's IOP in 2017. "I believe she will prove her doubters wrong," Compton told me.
She also noted that "many iconic names in journalism came from partisan politics — Sarah Isgur would follow in a distinguished line of other journalists with whom I have worked — and covered. Stephanopoulos (Clinton), Russert (Moynihan and Cuomo), Perino (Bush43), Pete Williams (Cheney), Nicole Wallace (Bush, McCain), Caitlin Conant the new CBS political director (Rubio, Portman, McCain, Ernst, Pawlenty.)"
When media reporting hits close to home
Fox's Tucker Carlson actually defended CNN on Wednesday night -- because he was criticizing me for covering the internal concerns about Isgur's new job. He called me a "creepy kid covering media" and said CNN was "rushing to judgment" again.
Earlier in the day, one of Carlson's producers reached out to CNN PR and asked for comment about why it was appropriate for me to report on internal resistance to Isgur. CNN PR responded with a statement defending the purpose of reporting about the media. "In his role as a media reporter, Brian is obligated to turn the lens on his own network and colleagues when they become the story," a spokesman told Fox. "He provides the same protections to his sources and applies the same scrutiny to the subjects of his reporting -- within or outside of CNN. That's called journalism. If he hadn't reported on yesterday's story, your show would be accusing him of bias."
Carlson didn't use the statement on the air, but I wanted to share it with all of you.
Notes and quotes
-- "It appears that Isgur, as she was preparing to exit the D.O.J., wasn't only shopping around for a media gig at CNN," VF's Joe Pompeo reports. "Cable-news sources told me that she also passed through 30 Rock to discuss a potential role at MSNBC, where she met with top newsroom management in recent months." A source tells me that ABC was also interested in hiring her...
-- The DNC expressed concerns about Isgur's role, The Daily Beast's Maxwell Tani and Sam Stein report. "CNN assured them Isgur would not have involvement in Democratic debates..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- Quartz's Matt Quinn is joining CNN Business as senior tech editor based in SF... (Twitter)
-- Sean Spicer "has signed a contract to serve as a special correspondent for syndicated newsmagazine show Extra," Jeremy Barr reports... (THR)
-- Three new members of the Committee to Protect Journalists board of directors: Lester Holt, Matt Murray and Norman Pearlstine... (CPJ)
-- Charter is launching "Spectrum TV Essentials, an OTT video service for the company's existing internet customers who don't already get pay-TV from Spectrum." It'll cost $15 a month and include 60+ channels... but no sports... (Deadline)
-- Speaking of Charter, Viacom is touting new distribution deals with Spectrum TV Essentials and with the FuboTV streaming service... (Variety)
-- "Yahoo Sports is creating a potential challenger to the The Athletic's subscription model," starting with Mets coverage... (NYPost)
FIRST LOOK
Time's new 2020 cover
The cover line is "Knock, Knock..." With everyone from Elizabeth Warren to Michael Bloomberg peering through the Oval Office window at POTUS... | |
Tucker's fury
Oliver Darcy emails: Video of Tucker Carlson's unaired confrontation with historian and author Rutger Bregman was published by NowThis on Wednesday. In the video, Bregman argued for what he contended would be a more fair tax system, and also took the opportunity to lace into Carlson himself. Bregman said the Murdochs use Fox News to "scapegoat immigrants" instead of focusing on people avoiding paying their taxes, and proceeded to call Carlson a "millionaire funded by a billionaire." Carlson responded with fury. The Fox News host concluded the interview, asking Bregman, "Why don't you go f**k yourself?" Carlson then called Bregman a "tiny brain...moron."
Carlson addressed the controversy in a web video on Wednesday night. He conceded that he did become "rude" to Bregman in the segment after he was effectively accused of taking marching orders from the Murdochs. But Carlson said he thought what he said about Bregman during the segment was "entirely accurate." Carlson told viewers they could find video of the segment online, adding, "There is some profanity, and I apologize for that. On the other hand, it was genuinely heartfelt."
Hannity wants Fox to hire Lara Logan
Oliver Darcy emails: Former "60 Minutes" correspondent Lara Logan appeared on Sean Hannity's show Wednesday night, saying she had been "targeted" for recent remarks in which she said the media is mostly liberal. Referencing Michael Calderone and Brian Stelterby name, Logan told Hannity the same "group of people" who often go after him had gone after her. (All Brian did was point out that she's no longer working for CBS.) Logan then repeated some of her critiques of the media.
I found it interesting that -- while criticizing the media industry -- Logan simultaneously went out of her way to praise right-wing Fox contributor Sara Carter, calling her a great journalist and saying she has "so much respect for her work." The whole interview felt to some extent like an audition for a Fox gig. Hannity even said toward the end of the segment, "I mean this sincerely: I hope my bosses at Fox find a place for you." But Logan told him later, "It's not a job interview. I don't know if Fox would want to hire me. Because nobody is going to own me." Hmm!
This week's "Reliable" pod: Tim Carney on the media's blind spots about "Alienated America"
Timothy P. Carney's new book "Alienated America" is about the collapse of local communities and the causes of "social deserts." On this week's podcast conversation, he shares the findings from his research and says national news coverage often overlooks issues that were indicators of support for Trump in 2016. He talks about ways to improve coverage of religion and other American institutions, plus the role of local news. Listen to the pod via Apple, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your preferred app...
A new YouTube scandal sends advertisers running (again)
Katie Pellico writes: According to Bloomberg, Disney is joining Nestlé and Epic Games in "pausing" (a.k.a. pulling funding for) their ads on YouTube, after discovering some ads had been billed alongside a series of subtly sexualized videos of children. Vlogger and creator Matt Watson first flagged the "wormhole."
>> "Any content — including comments — that endangers minors is abhorrent and we have clear policies prohibiting this," a YouTube spokesperson told The Verge when asked about Watson's explainer.
>> On Tuesday YouTube began implementing its new "strikes" system, a three-strikes-you're-out approach to regulating the platform and its bad actors. This goes live site-wide on February 25.
>> It's been less than a year since CNN reported more than 300 companies' ads had been found alongside variably extremist content...
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson will be on Maria Bartiromo's Fox Biz show on Thursday morning...
-- By Laura Wagner: HuffPost "fires social media editor for being incredibly racist on social media..." (Deadspin)
-- WaPo's Anna Peele spent several weeks working on this profile of Marianne Williamson, the "self-help author and motivational speaker" who's running for the Democratic nomination for president...
Gannett ownership fight continues
Tom Kludt emails: Gannett's Q4 earnings report arrived on Wednesday, which represented the latest front in the public war of words between the USA Today publisher and would-be Gannett owner MNG Enterprises.
MNG fired off the first shot by launching a website: www.SaveGannett.com. The company also urged shareholders to grill Gannett's leadership on a Wednesday A.M. conference call. Gannett CEO Robert Dickey preempted any such scrutiny with a statement at the top of the call on the potential takeover, before telling investors that he wouldn't say anything more on the matter...
>> The earnings: Gannett reported a dip in Q4 revenue, but it made a point to trumpet its digital growth.
>> MNG was unimpressed with the earnings report, saying it underscored its "concerns about the health and direction of [Gannett's] business."
McCabe lauds the press on Colbert
Brian Lowry emails: Having watched multiple legs of Andrew McCabe's PR tour on behalf of his book, I was perhaps most struck by how well he came across on Stephen Colbert's show -- mostly because he acknowledged right off the bat that he would have never imagined being interviewed by a late-night comic, while proving adaptable enough to roll with Colbert's jokes. Colbert also asked how McCabe views the quality of the reporting regarding the Trump administration, and McCabe lauded the press, calling the coverage "extraordinary..."
| | Oscars past might offer hope to host-free awards
Brian Lowry emails: With all its fits and starts, can this year's Oscars be saved? Maybe, if you look to the history of the telecast (including the last host-free Oscars 30 years ago), rely on the popularity of the nominees, and... perhaps most significantly... have enough perspective to grade on a curve. Read the rest here...
>> Various public figures will introduce each of the best-picture nominees, including Congressman John Lewis, Serena Williams and Barbra Streisand...
Some experimental ad formats during the show
Lowry adds: In other Oscar-related news, the Academy might have backed off its plan to present some awards during the commercials, but ABC will experiment with its ad format during the telecast, Brian Steinberg reports...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR
By Frank Pallotta:
-- ABC has officially sold out of its ad inventory for the Oscars, per AdAge...
-- One of my favorite parts of Oscar season: THR's brutally honest Oscar ballots. This one calls "Roma" an "expensive home movie." Yikes!
-- What makes an Oscars telecast watchable? Polygon ranked every modern Oscar show to find out...
Hulkamania and Hemsworth head to Netflix
Frank Pallotta emails: Chris Hemsworth is entering the ring to play Hulk Hogan for Netflix. The biopic, which is set to be directed by Todd Phillips, will have Hemsworth play Hogan at the origins of Hulkamania, according to THR. It won't, however, cover Hogan's entire life, so it's unlikely it covers any of the wrestler's legal battles with Gawker...
The news of the project is interesting because the biopic genre is catnip for the Oscars (three biopics are nominated for Best Picture on Sunday). I'm not saying that Netflix's Hulk Hogan film will be an Oscar contender (I mean, it's still in development), but if the streamer wants to continue to get the Academy's attention, biopics are a great place to be...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE
By Lisa Respers France:
-- Kylie Jenner insists she really is self-made. The reality star/makeup mogul says her family "cut her off at the age of 15..."
-- Ariana Grande has tied a Beatles record... and has also made chart history....
-- Kate Beckinsale is clapping back over Pete Davidson, who some are speculating is her new beau...
Lowry reviews "Flack"
Brian Lowry emails: Pop TV isn't a top-of-mind stop for original programming, but it has a very of-the-moment new dramedy in "Flack," which stars Anna Paquin as a harried veteran of a crisis-PR firm, responsible for getting its celebrity clients out of trouble. Situated in the U.K., it's among the more interesting attempts (in what admittedly is a rather low bar) to try tapping into this glamorous but seamy world. Read on... | | | |
