Welcome to the Reliable Sources newsletter! This is Oliver Darcy, filling in for Brian Stelter. Last week this time I was sitting in an island in the Caribbean -- this week, it's Brian's turn. So while he is away, do feel free to direct your feedback/tips to me. You can do so via email, or find me on Twitter. Now, to the news...
"The talk of the nation"
"This Jussie Smollett case -- Look, it's the talk of the nation." That's how Chris Cuomo put it on Thursday night.
The Smollett case isn't the most consequential story in the country. We're on the precipice of Robert Mueller's report, Michael Cohen's testimony, and the Vietnam Summit.
But the Smollett story received the most attention on Thursday. Why? Likely because it touches on so many flashpoint: Race, politics, culture. It encapsulates the current state of our country like few other stories do... | | Chicago Police: Smollett took "advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career"
News alerts about the arrest of "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett greeted Americans first thing Thursday morning. The actor was taken into custody in the early hours of the day on the suspicion of filing a false police report over the January incident in which he alleged he was the victim of a racist, homophobic attack carried out on the streets of Chicago by Trump supporters in MAGA hats.
Hours later, Chicago police were standing before the media, saying Smollett paid $3,500 to have an attack staged because he was dissatisfied with his salary. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson put it in simple terms, saying Smollett took "advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career." The press conference was carried live on every cable network, and ABC -- which scored an interview with Smollett for "Good Morning America" before his story came under significant scrutiny -- even broke into regular programming to air it...
Speaking of the Smollett "GMA" interview...
Staffers at ABC anonymously spoke out to BuzzFeed's David Mack on Thursday to defend the interview Robin Roberts conducted with Smollett for "GMA." One source noted to Mack that "it was an interview everyone wanted." Another source said there was "not really a spirit of regret" about the interview and that "no one feels that Robin got duped." That source added, "Taken advantage of, yes, but not duped..."
Media spectacle at the courthouse
On Thursday afternoon, everyone's eyes were fixated on the Chicago courtroom in which Smollett appeared. He was trailed by a circus of cameras as he left following bail being set at $100,000. Smollett remained silent as he was escorted into a car while reporters shouted questions.
Trump weighs in
The President -- never one to not weigh in on a story in the news -- tweeted directly at Smollett, asking, "What about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!?"
Smollett maintains his innocence
A statement released on Thursday night on behalf of the actor characterized the bail hearing as an "organized law enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system." The statement added, "Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing."
How will 20th Century Fox handle this?
As all this ongoing drama unfolds, remember: Smollett is supposed to be on set filming "Empire" right now. It's going to be interesting to see how 20th Century Fox handles the situation. The company put out a statement on Thursday, saying it understood "the seriousness of the mater" and respects "the legal process." The company added, "We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options."
Variety reported later in the day that Smollett was back on set after being released from police custody... A Fox rep confirmed that to me, saying, "It is true that he was on set filming today." While on set, Smollett met with the cast & crew of "Empire" and maintained his innocence, per CNN's latest reporting...
Smollett's detractors now most vocal on social media
Lisa Respers France emails: When Smollett first said he had been attacked by two menu who used racial and homophobic slurs, his supporters quickly rallied around him on social media. Now that he's been accused of allegedly orchestrating the attack, it's his doubters who are the most vocal.
"A cautionary lesson"
Jeffrey Toobin said on "The Situation Room" that the Smollett case served as an important reminder. "As someone who goes on live television frequently, to talk about cases breaking in the news, this is a great cautionary lesson to all of us," Toobin said. "That you say people are guilty or innocent right away...And I think there are some public figures, including some politicians, who embarrassed themselves in this case by immediately embracing his story. And I think it's just a poignant lesson to people like us who are in the public eye, to say, 'Let's wait and hear all the evidence.'"
Hate crimes are still on the rise
Princeton University historian and CNN analyst Julian Zelizer tweeted on Thursday, "The Smollett scandal should not obfuscate the very real and dangerous increase in hate crimes that the nation has witnessed. Take a look at what the @splcenter recently reported, based on data from the @FBI..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- NYT spox tells Joe Pompeo that James Bennet will recuse himself from coverage related to his brother, Sen. Michael Bennet, if the senator runs for president... (Vanity Fair)
-- Erik Wemple criticized CNN for the network's hire of former Trump administration official Sarah Isgur... (WaPo)
-- An IRS analyst has been charged in the leak of Michael Cohen's bank records... (CNN)
-- Medium is building four new publications to fold into its existing subscription plan, Digiday reports. The new mags will cover science and tech, business, health and general interest. VP of editorial at Medium Siobhan O'Connor says this is "just the beginning...." (Digiday)
-- Poynter's Daniel Funke and Susan Benkelman writes about the unparalleled "flood" of fake photos that followed a terrorist attack in India. "Fact-checkers have never seen anything like it..." (Poynter)
-- Google will eliminate its controversial forced arbitration practice... (CNN Business)
AT&T latest to pull ads from YouTube
AT&T (which is the parent company of CNN) became the latest company to announce it had pulled its ads from YouTube over concerns raised this week that the platform was exploited by pedophiles. "Until Google can protect our brand from offensive content of any kind, we are removing all advertising from YouTube," an AT&T spokesperson said in a short statement.
YouTube, of course, says it has taken aggressive action to scrub its platform of content that "endangers minors." A spokesperson for the company told me thousands of comments have been removed, more than 400 channels terminated, and dozens of videos taken down. Additionally, the spokesperson said that illegal comments have been reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children so the organization could work with the appropriate authorities. Read my full story here...
Facebook also continues to struggle patrolling its platform It wasn't just YouTube in the headlines on Thursday for failing to enforce its rules/guidelines on its own. The LA Times published a story about how advertisers were still permitted on Facebook to target users interested in famous Nazis like Joseph Goebbels and Heinrich Himler.
When the LA Times reached out for comment, a Facebook spokesperson conceded, "Most of these targeting options are against our policies and should have been caught and removed sooner. While we have an ongoing review of our targeting options, we clearly need to do more, so we're taking a broader look at our policies and detection methods."
Will Cohen address BuzzFeed's report next week?
Brian Stelter emails from paradise: At next week's public hearing, will Michael Cohen say anything to support or refute BuzzFeed's report that Trump told Cohen to lie to Congress? The story remains disputed... And BF remains confident that it's accurate.
Last month on "Reliable," I posited that Trump may have engaged in mob-like talk that Cohen considered a directive.
With that in mind, notice what Lanny Davis said on ABC's "The Investigation" podcast this week: "There's another-- there's an easier way to explain why Mr. Trump can be inferred as being compromised by the Russians. You don't have direct evidence of it, but as -- I think Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein agree, circumstantial evidence is the following: you go to bed at night and there's no snow on the ground. You wake up in the morning and there's snow on the ground. Would a jury convict that it snowed? You didn't see it snow. This is the way Donald Trump has operated, as Michael Cohen will explain, through the years. He uses code words. He winks and he nods, and people do what he wants. He doesn't say, 'Go kill the Archbishop of Ant-- of Canterbury.' He says, 'Will no one rid me of this grievous priest?'"
Davis said Cohen "will explain" that...
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- CNBC's Sarah Whitten reports that, with Comcast, Disney and Warner Bros. entering the streaming ring, "Netflix could lose about 20 percent of its total content library..." (CNBC)
-- NBC's Claire Atkinson talks with WSJ Editor-in-Chief Matt Murray... (NBC News)
-- Will Sommer reports that some Turning Point USA students are calling on Candace Owens to step down... (Daily Beast)
-- Jon Stewart will appear on Fox News on Monday to discuss legislation aimed at benefiting 9/11 first responders... (Deadline)
Michael Jackson's estate sues over "Leaving Neverland"
Michael Jackson's estate filed a lawsuit on Thursday alleging HBO (which is owned by the same parent company as CNN) violated a contract with its "Leaving Neverland" documentary that it agreed to in order to air a 1992 Jackson concert. The lawsuit, of course, comes as HBO prepares to release the four-hour documentary early next month.
According to attorneys from the Jackson estate, "HBO breached its agreement not to disparage Michael Jackson by producing and selling to the public a one-sided marathon of unvetted propaganda to shamelessly exploit an innocent man no longer here to defend himself."
HBO says the doc will air
In a statement, HBO said the lawsuit would not stop it from moving forward with the release of the documentary. "Despite the desperate lengths taken to undermine the film, our plans remain unchanged," HBO said. "HBO will move forward with the airing of 'Leaving Neverland,' the two-part documentary, on March 3rd and 4th. This will allow everyone the opportunity to assess the film and the claims in it for themselves."
Lowry's review
Brian Lowry emails: "Leaving Neverland" was the talk of Sundance, and given those still inclined to staunchly defend Michael Jackson, it will be a considerable source of debate and controversy when the four-hour documentary hits HBO next month. Those who watch with an open mind will surely be struck by the parallels between the twin accounts of Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who both allege years of sexual abuse by the pop star, while their families — also interviewed — were dazzled by his wealth and stardom. Read Lowry's full review here...
Roger Stone ordered to follow strict gag order | | Roger Stone can no longer talk publicly about his case. On Thursday, Judge Amy Berman Jackson placed Stone under a strict gag order after he landed back in court for publishing an Instagram post featuring a photo of her and crosshairs behind her head.
Stone profusely apologized to Jackson, but the judge said she didn't believe his testimony. "Roger Stone fully understands the power of words and the power of symbols. There's nothing ambiguous about crosshairs," she said. As CNN's Katelyn Polantz noted in her story, "The development will in effect silence one of the most outspoken and politicized former advisers" of Trump...
USA Today yearbook audit leads to inward-looking scrutiny
Tom Kludt emails: USA Today's EIC Nicole Carroll apologized after a sweeping investigation at Gannett-owned papers revealed that she herself had published a photo depicting people in blackface while editor of the yearbook at Arizona State University in 1989. Call it the Ralph Northam effect: after the Virginia governor found himself ensnared in a blackface scandal, papers that are a part of the USA Today Network embarked on a thorough probe, scouring 900 yearbooks from 120 different schools across the country. The offending photo for which Carroll was responsible was unearthed by the Gannett-owned Arizona Republic, which did not publish the image. Carroll's apology Tom adds: Carroll said she was "shocked" by the discovery, and that she "had no memory of that photo." "Today's 51-year-old me of course understands and is crushed by this mistake," she said. "I want to apologize publicly. As journalists, we must hold ourselves accountable as we do others, and it is important to call myself out for this poor judgment." More to come? Tom sends one more: How many more prominent figures will be linked to blackface photos from their not-so-distant past? For me, the most sobering part about the Carroll revelation is just how recent it appeared. 1989 was really not that long ago, and yet, there it was on display in the pages of an annual at a major American university. Something tells me there may be more revelations like this. To that end, Emory University said Wednesday that it will examine its own history with a commission to review racist photos published in the school's past yearbooks...
Schumer wants answers from Alden Global Capital Tom keeps on emailing: The New York hedge fund Alden Global Capital, which owns MNG Enterprises, aka Digital First Media, wants to buy Gannett. But first, Chuck Schumer wants answers from Alden. In a letter Thursday, the Senate minority leader expressed concerns to Alden president Heath Freeman over the company's "strategy of acquiring newspapers, cutting staff, and then selling off the real estate assets of newsrooms and printing presses at a profit."
Schumer said he wants "fuller disclosure on how an acquisition of Gannett would influence employment and competition in my state." Schumer asked Freeman to respond to a series of questions, saying that "fuller disclosure on how an acquisition of Gannett would influence employment and competition in my state is critical."
>> MNG's response: "MNG has a long track record of operating newspapers profitably and sustainably to serve their communities. We look forward to providing Senator Schumer with additional information."
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- The Verge's Casey Newton pans out on YouTube's problem, proposing "Pinterest's perfect response to misinformation..." (The Interface)
-- The Action Network, a sports betting media startup, announced almost $20 million in funding on Thursday... (Reuters)
-- Jay-Z's Tidal is launching Tidal Unplugged, a grant program for emerging artists. Submissions open March 1 to Detroit-area musicians... (Variety)
-- Reggie Fils-Aimé is retiring after 13 years helming Nintendo of America, with Doug Bowser ready as his replacement. (IGN)
-- New Yorker's Isaac Chotiner speaks with classicist Victor Davis Hanson about his "Case for Trump..."
WSJ: Stephanie Ruhle has been quietly providing business advice to Under Armour's CEO
MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle has been providing business advice to Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, according to a WSJ story published Thursday. The advice has reportedly caused a stir inside the sports apparel company. On the journalism side of things, the Free Beacon's Alex Griswold noted that Ruhle, who mostly covers politics and breaking news, did boost Under Armour products on-air and in posts on her Twitter account, without disclosing the relationship. I reached out to MSNBC, but a spokesperson declined to comment on the matter...
Stephenson talks to Kafka about 5G technology, sports, and more
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson sat down with Peter Kafka for the "Recode Media" podcast, and the two of them covered a lot of ground in this wide-ranging interview. Some highlights...
-- Stephenson says that 5G technology will "absolutely" eliminate the need to have broadband Internet at home "within three to five years." Stephenson described 5G as "more than fast" and said it "puts you in a world of no latency and what that means is just instantaneous."
-- Stephenson says sports "is critical to everything" AT&T is trying to do. "When you think of live content, live media, that's always going to be very, very relevant. And live media, obviously over here on the distribution side, is really critical. We want live content, that's time sensitive."
-- Stephenson says he wants to protect the distinctive cultures of both AT&T and WarnerMedia: "Those are very independent and necessary cultures."
-- Stephenson says he believes WarnerMedia's streaming service will be in virtually every household. "We're convinced that we will be one of those video on demand subscriptions that will be in the household..."
"Male journalists continue to report most news..."
Katie Pellico writes: So deduced the Women's Media Center's report on the Status of Women in the U.S. Media, an exhaustive annual compilation of nearly 100 studies, including some of the WMC's own research. A small sampling of their findings...
-- 60% of online news and 59% of print news is written by men.
-- Almost 70% of AP and Reuters wire stories are "snagged" by men.
-- 63% of prime-time news anchors are men.
This year's extended section on tech, social media, gaming and engineering "spotlights the growing threat online to women in media and the perils of failing to protect free and safe speech."
WMC President Julie Burton issues a reminder that "diversity boosts corporate profits. When boardrooms, newsrooms, studios and tech companies fully reflect the faces, genders and myriad talents of our society, we're all exceedingly better served..." Read the full report here...
Network's gear up for Vietnam Summit
Networks are preparing for coverage of next week's Vietnam summit between Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un...
-- NBC News said Thursday night that Lester Holt will lead the network's coverage from Hanoi, and be joined in the region by Hallie Jackson, Peter Alexander, Kelly O'Donnell and Bill Neely Will. Holt will be in Hanoi starting on Tuesday...
-- Fox News said Thursday that Bret Baier, Bill Hemmer, and Ed Henry will be in Hanoi. And Fox News announced Sean Hannity will have an interview with Trump after his meeting with Kim Jong Un. NYT's Annie Karni tweeted of the news, "Hannity's world tour with Trump continues..."
| | -- Peter Tork, the Monkees guitarist, has died at the age of 77... (CNN)
-- Warner Bros announces "Space Jam 2" will be released in theaters on July 16, 2021... (Deadline)
-- The podcast "Serial" will tackle the US public school system next. The new season will be released toward the end of 2019... (The Wrap)
Disney film chief talks streaming
Frank Pallotta emails: Alan Horn, Disney's film chief, has helped make the House of Mouse the most dominant studio in all of Hollywood, but he and Disney are heading into a whole new world: Streaming. THR's Pamela McClintock has a great interview with Horn that touches on the Fox merger, "Star Wars" and the streaming wars.
"Everyone wears an additional hat now," Horn said of Disney taking on streaming, adding that "the quality of the idea and the piece itself will drive whether we can make it or not" for Disney+. "The interesting thing, which is not resolved yet, is how big is the consumer appetite for these incremental services?" he said. "I like our chances."
CBS' "Twilight Zone" shows the power of content
Pallotta emails one more: CBS All Access' "The Twilight Zone" premiered a new trailer on Thursday for its upcoming debut on the streaming service on April 1. The trailer for the revival of the classic series starring Jordan Peele got me thinking about the power of content in this new media environment. I am a huge fan of "The Twilight Zone." I've had no desire up to this point to sign up for CBS All Access, but I'm now considering signing up so I can watch the new show. That's the power of content and why so many streamers are racing to find the next big thing.
"How to Train Your Dragon" flies to finish in "The Hidden World"
Brian Lowry emails: "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" is billed as the end of a cinematic trilogy, and it feels ambitious in its themes. But lacking the sense of wonder that the first film conjured, it would be nice if DreamWorks made good on that pledge – and really did give these dragons a rest... | | | I want to hear from you! Shoot me an email, or find me on Twitter... Tips are always appreciated... See you tomorrow! | | | |
