Hey there, it's Oliver Darcy. I'm back! Special thank you to Brian Stelter for filling in for me yesterday. As always, please email me feedback and/or find me on Twitter. But first, handing it over to Stelter for some news we've been working on...
Spicer is stepping on toes | | Brian Stelter writes: Some staffers at ABC News are "up in arms," as one source put it, over the hiring of Sean Spicer on "Dancing With the Stars."
ABC's entertainment division is casting the former White House press secretary, best known for his obfuscation on behalf of President Trump, for what's supposed to be a delightful dance-off. There were lots of complaints externally when Spicer's role was announced on Wednesday, and one internal complaint from "Dancing" host Tom Bergeron, who shared his views publicly.
But this "up in arms" source was right -- there was definitely some grumbling inside ABC News, especially because "Dancing" is constantly promoted by the news division, especially by "Good Morning America."
"It's a slap in the face..."
Stelter continues: I spoke with four employees who described discomfort within the ranks. Oliver Darcy spoke with another five employees. We found a range of opinions -- some said there was just "eye rolling" going on. A couple said they didn't care about the Spicer pick. One remarked, "How long do you really think he's going to last?" But others said they were pissed. "It's a slap in the face to those of us who had to deal with his baloney and the consequences of the ongoing lies and disinformation campaign at the White House," one said to me.
Spicer was "horrible" to "so many of us," another said to Darcy. "It's disgusting to think he is getting on the show AND getting paid by OUR company."
One of Darcy's other sources ALSO pointed out the $$$ angle: He's "being paid by the network to dance around on TV."
Of course, "Dancing" isn't typically a height-of-your-fame move. As the NYT's James Poniewozik wrote, "you could say that being cast on ABC's 'Dancing With the Stars' is punishment enough. It is not generally a sign of a thriving career." My original source quipped that the reality show could be called "Dancing with the Down and Out." But it still poses a predicament to ABC News staffers who are charged with promoting the show...
The Spicer problem
Stelter adds: How should ex-White House officials be treated when they spend months misleading the American people, then seek positions of fame and privilege? This question keeps coming up. Case in point: Spicer was scrutinized when he was awarded a visiting fellowship at Harvard in 2017. And it's especially tricky when these Trumpworld veterans interact with news organizations. It is no wonder why Spicer and Sarah Sanders have not been hired as political analysts by any TV networks -- they spent their days undermining the networks and defending a president who calls the news media the "enemy of the people."
One of my best sources at ABC News said they understand that the "Dancing" producers are supposed pick whoever's going to supply the most buzz, but for "GMA" to lean into it -- by setting up a faux podium for his intro on Wednesday -- was gross. The source said "GMA" is like two universes on one show -- the 7 a.m. hour reports on Trump's mendacity and then the 8 a.m. hour, with big "Dancing" promos, treats it as one big joke...
Spicer responds to the controversy
Darcy back here: I talked with Spicer by phone on Wednesday night... he responded to all the controversy around him being announced as a contestant... Here's what he told me:
>> Reacting to the dissent within ABC News: "I think this is an entertainment show. I look forward to having some fun. And if people are looking for news, I suggest they tune into a news program."
>> Responding to Bergeron's statement: "I think Tom has been a great host. And I firmly believe when the season is over he's probably going to realize bringing a diverse group of people together, who can interact in a fun, civil and respectful way, is actually a way we can move the country forward in a positive way. And it will make this show an example of how Americans can disagree about politics and tune into good entertainment shows and keep their politics at bay."
>> Regarding the Twitter outrage: "I didn't look at Twitter. I had my eyes wide open going into this thing. I was like -- not going to social media."
>> Responding to Poniewozik's column: "I am very happy with who I am and who I support. I'm not changing. I am giving people another opportunity to see a side of me that is different."
Did ABC expect THIS level of backlash?
Brian Lowry writes: 'DTWS' has always reveled in a tabloid aspect, and ABC had to know the Spicer casting wouldn't be universally embraced. Still, one suspects the network didn't anticipate quite the level of blowback it would receive from inside and outside, including this tweet from MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell: "Just think about the (liberal) TV executives who did this. Think about what they said to each other in making this choice. Think about why they did it. And then the dark, empty soul of commercial TV will be revealed to you & you'll understand how we got Trump."
How much is competing worth?
According to Variety, Spicer will earn six-figures on the show. Sources told Variety that contestants make $125,000 for the rehearsal period and first two weeks on air. If they make it further, Variety reported, contestants continue earning additional fees, maxing out at $295,000.
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- Erik Wemple speaks with NYT's deputy general counsel David McGraw about Sarah Palin's lawsuit against the paper. McGraw said the editorial Palin is suing about "was an honest mistake..." (WaPo)
-- Christopher Palmeri takes a look at A&E's "Live PD," which he argues is "cable TV's best bet to compete with streaming..." (Bloomberg)
-- The Washington Examiner is launching its first daily podcast. Called "Examining Politics," the podcast will be hosted by conservative talk host Larry O'Connor... (MediaPost)
-- Charlie Warzel wonders: "Is there a way to fix our toxic internet?" (NYT)
ABC announces details for September's Dem debate
On Wednesday ABC News announced some more info about its Dem debate, including four moderators: George Stephanopoulos, David Muir, Linsey Davis and Jorge Ramos.
The debate is slated to take place at Texas Southern University on 9/12 and, maybe, 9/13. So far, 10 candidates have qualified. If that number holds, the debate will take place on just the first night, a Thursday. However, if more candidates do qualify, the debate will be split into two nights and a "selection event" will be held on August 29 to randomly assign candidates to one of the nights. Some campaigns are concerned about the prospect of debating on Friday night...
Inslee drops out via Maddow's show
Appearing on Rachel Maddow's MSNBC program Wednesday night, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee dropped out of the race, saying it has "become clear" that he was not going to become president. He reiterated that he got into the race to affect the conversation on climate change, and he said he remained hopeful the Democratic candidate would be someone who continues to "fight this battle."
--> Next: A reelection bid? CNN's story notes that Inslee "said during his interview on MSNBC that he will make an announcement on Thursday about his plans..."
"He's a birther!": Cuomo grills Chris Ruddy over host Wayne Allyn Root
Appearing on "Cuomo Prime Time," Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy defended one of his hosts, far-right conspiracy theorist Wayne Allyn Root. Trump promoted Root's work on Wednesday morning and again at night. As Mediaite's Aidan McLaughlin pointed out in an article, Root is a "rampant conspiracy theorist." McLaughlin explained that Root has pushed conspiracy theories about the Las Vegas shooting; suggested Seth Rich was murdered by Democrats; peddled birtherism; and more. Yet Ruddy told Chris Cuomo, "I haven't heard him described as a conspiracy theorist." Here's part of the exchange that played out:
RUDDY: I wouldn't say he's a far-right conspiracy theorist.
CUOMO: He's a birther! He's a birther!
RUDDY: Well, there's people who believe it. I disagree. I believe Obama was born in the United States. Some people believe...I don't think that's far-right conspiracy theory.
CUOMO: What else is it, if that -- You're saying Obama wasn't born in this country and it's not a far-right conspiracy theory? What is it?
RUDDY: I don't believe it is a conspiracy theory.
Cuomo ran through the other conspiracy theories Root has promoted over the years. Ruddy said he wasn't there to defend all of Root's statements, and Cuomo quipped back, "You should know a little bit more about the guys under your banner."
Haley playing the press?
Nikki Haley published a strange tweet on Wednesday. "Enough of the false rumors," she wrote. "Vice President Pence has been a dear friend of mine for years. He has been a loyal and trustworthy VP to the President. He has my complete support."
If you're like me, or many others, you might be thinking: What rumors? That's because until Haley affirmed her loyalty to Pence, there hadn't been a whole lot of talk in the open about the two of them having problems. There had been a WSJ op-ed by Andrew Stein in late June calling on Trump to replace Pence on the 2020 ticket, but that's about it.
At least, until Haley's tweet. As Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs observed, Haley appeared to be "almost begging reporters to explain the 'rumors.'" If that was the goal, it certainly worked. Soon after her tweet, headlines popped up noting she had thrown cold water on these "rumors." A senior administration official told CNBC's Eamon Javers, "The only person person talking about Nikki Haley as Vice President is Nikki Haley." Perhaps not anymore...
Trump's wild South Lawn gaggle | | Smears media with conspiracy theory
As he gaggled with reporters on the South Lawn Wednesday, Trump continued to smear the media by falsely claiming journalists are "doing everything possible" to push the country into a recession. Earlier in the morning, he did so in a tweet, and then later during the gaggle said, "The fake news, of which many of you are members, is trying to convince the public to have a recession. 'Let's have a recession.'"
This is flatly untrue. As many journalists have pointed out over the last few days, the news industry is often one of the hardest hit during economic downturns. Journalists rooting for a recession would be journalists rooting for job losses in an industry that has already seen cuts over the past few years. It doesn't make sense.
And, as Matthew Gertz of the progressive group Media Matters noted on Twitter, "Trump's conspiracy theory that journalists secretly want him to get reelected because he's good for ratings conflicts with his conspiracy theory that they secretly want a recession to damage his chance of reelection."
ALL THAT SAID, Fox personalities have been pushing this idea to the network's audience...
Declares himself the "chosen one"
Things took an unexpected turn when Trump fielded a question on the ongoing trade war with China. As he explained his reasoning for the trade war, Trump did something unusual. He paused, looked up toward the sky, and declared, "I am the chosen one."
>> Food for thought: Imagine if Obama had literally proclaimed himself "the chosen one" on the South Lawn. How would Fox be covering? What would Sean Hannity's 9pm monologue look like? I'm still trying to get my head around all that...
Lashes out at NBC's Peter Alexander
Trump was asked by NBC's Peter Alexander about how he zings Joe Biden for gaffes. "You said that the mass shooting happened in Dayton -- you said that the mass shooting happened in Toledo, when it happened in Dayton," Alexander pointed out. "So is that fair game?"
Trump didn't appear very happy. He responded by claiming Alexander is "the most biased reporter" before then claiming NBC is "the most biased." Trump continued, going on a tirade, "Peter, is such a biased, you should be able to ask a question, same question, in a better way. You are so obviously biased and that's why the public has no confidence in the media."
>> Worth pointing out: Notice how Trump avoided answering Alexander's question...
Todd: "This is no way to run a country"
Chuck Todd opened up his program Wednesday saying, "Welcome to a day where we do feel compelled to tell you, again, that what is now the norm in Washington is not normal. And in many ways, it is very un-American." Todd ran through the list of abnormal things Trump did on Wednesday, saying, "This is no way to run a country."
Todd continued, "Everybody in Washington knows this. Staff members at the White House knows this. Top officials inside the Republican Party know this." But, Todd concluded, Republicans won't say it aloud.
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
By Katie Pellico:
-- Jon Gabriel, the EIC of Ricochet who was behind a recent Greenland meme Trump picked up on Twitter, says it was not intended to be a "political commentary," and Trump's tweet came as a shock... (AZ Central)
-- GameStop laid off 120 corporate employees this week in the company's second round of layoffs this month. BI's Ben Gilbert reports the cuts "impacted nearly half of GameStop's widely-circulated publication, Game Informer..." (BI)
-- The new Nieman Reports Summer issue addresses issues in coverage of domestic violence. In the cover story, "Domestic Violence Is Not a 'Crime of Passion,'" Susan Stellin writes, "Reporters increasingly are covering abuse by intimate partners as an urgent social crisis, not a private family matter..." (Nieman Reports)
Trump won't like this Drudge Report front page
| | The Drudge Report put a spotlight on the negative economic indicators on Wednesday evening. The banner headline blared, "RECESSION WARNING: YIELD INVERTS AGAIN." The other related headlines featured on Matt Drudge's popular website were about the budget deal sending "deficit soaring" and Trump's "flip flops" on tax cuts.
>> Bigger picture: If Trump were to lose Drudge's support, it would be a big deal in the world of conservative news. Drudge still in many ways sets the agenda on the right, and he was supportive of Trump's bid for the White House in 2016. Losing that support in the run-up to 2020 would not be ideal for the president...
"Merely a hunch..."
Bernie Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir spoke with the Beast's Maxwell Tani and Gideon Resnick about the media's coverage of the Vermont senator. Faiz thinks reporters have a "personal bias" against Sanders. But his comments "don't appear derived from any direct conversations; merely a hunch about the ideological leanings of the political press corps..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
By Kerry Flynn:
-- BuzzFeed created a new site called MoodFeed, where people can find articles based on six different moods. The moods are curious, stressed, bored, nostalgic, joyful or hungry... (TechCrunch)
-- The Economist launched a new interactive (and paywall-free) site for the 2020 Democratic primary, which data journalist G. Elliot Morris described on Twitter... (Economist)
-- MLB's media arm Cut4, which has nearly 1 million followers on Twitter and 650k followers on Instagram, has launched a YouTube channel... (YouTube)
Bill Simmons promotes The Ringer's exec editor to EIC
Kerry Flynn emails: The Ringer has a new leader. CEO and founder Bill Simmons tweeted that Mallory Rubin, previously executive editor, has been promoted to EIC. Rubin was one of the founding editorial members of The Ringer after working at Simmons' previous site, Grantland. At The Ringer, she co-hosts the podcast "Binge Mode," known for deep dives into "Harry Potter" and "Game of Thrones."Simmons said the podcast will be unaffected. This leadership change, which Simmons said has been in the works for months, comes shortly after The Ringer's staff unionized with the Writers Guild. The company's management recognized the union on August 16.
FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR
By Katie Pellico:
-- Lewis Raven Wallace for NiemanLab: "How trans journalists are challenging -- and changing -- journalism..." (NiemanLab)
-- WaPo's Dave Jorgenson discussed his "'wholesome dad' approach" to the publication's TikTok account he runs. He says his videos have "sparked an interest in journalism among some of the followers..." (Journalism.co.uk)
-- ICYMI: Variety "has decided to make a donation to Planned Parenthood in lieu of hosting this year's annual Emmy Awards nominees..." (Variety)
Lowry reviews "American Factory"
Brian Lowry emails: The Obamas indicated a desire to do uplifting programming under their new deal with Netflix, seemingly reinforced by the name of their company, Higher Ground Productions. So their first project, the documentary "American Factory," is as notable for what it is as what it isn't — a nuanced, not-exactly-feel-good look at the plight of blue-collar workers going to work for a Chinese company that has taken up residence in an abandoned GM plant in Dayton, Ohio. Keep reading...
It's worth noting, too, that there's nothing especially partisan about the film, despite a Fox News piece whose headline states otherwise, which somewhat selectively quotes Ted Johnson's Politico column (whose headline is also pretty misleading) about the film, as well as a couple of conservative pundits who apparently hadn't seen it. Here's the Netflix link... | | "Bombshell"
The teaser trailer for Lionsgate's "Bombshell" dropped on Wednesday -- and it's safe to say that it had everyone talking. "Bombshell" is the newly-revealed title for Jay Roach's film about Roger Ailes' removal from Fox News. The film features Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly (as you can see from the photo above, Theron's transformation into Kelly is really remarkable), Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, and Margot Robbie as a fictional producer at the network. The film's release date is December 20... | |
Lilly Singh is here to take on late night TV
Frank Pallotta emails: As previewed in last night's newsletter, THR has a great cover story on Lilly Singh. Singh's show "A Little Late" premieres on September 16. The comedian, who will be the first openly bisexual woman of color to host a late night TV show, is a bit nervous but ready to take on the new role. "I'm going to do what I've always done, which is make something that I think is good, that is authentic to me," Singh told THR's Natalie Jarvey. "That's what has gotten me my success thus far."
FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE
By Lisa Respers France:
-- Larry King has filed for divorce after almost 22 years of marriage... This is his eighth marriage to seven women...
-- Britney Spears warns that "you never know who to trust..."
THR: "Disney's Streaming Push Adds Intrigue to Bob Iger Succession Race"
Brian Lowry emails: Disney+ is set to unveil some of its programming for fans at the D23 Expo on Friday, and THR's Paul Bond speculates about whether the digital service could give its chief, director-to-consumer chairman Kevin Mayer, the inside track on replacing Disney CEO Bob Iger -- if, that is (and it's a big "if"), Disney+ turns out to be a success. Of course, with the 68-year-old Iger having extended his tenure through 2021, there's a lot of game to be played, as it were, before a clear successor emerges.
| | | Thank you for reading. Email your feedback anytime -- the good, the bad, the ugly, etc. See you tomorrow! | | | |
