| | | | | Exec summary: Rudy Giuliani gave a gobsmacking interview to Sean Hannity... Michael Caputo advised President Trump through the TV... Hulu hit another milestone... Bloomberg announced a pay wall. And at the very bottom of the letter: Today in Kanye... | | Thursday is World Press Freedom Day | | With newsrooms still mourning the deaths of 10 journalists in Afghanistan earlier this week, the UN and other organizations will mark the annual World Press Freedom Day on Thursday. Americans benefit from a vigorous free press with robust legal protections. But the picture is much bleaker in many other parts of the world...
-- CPJ exec director Joel Simon penned this piece about the history of World Press Freedom Day. It includes a warning: "At the moment when information is being weaponized, the historic defenders of press freedom, the US and Europe, are failing to step up..." | | "Censorship" of press freedom panel | | I was slated to speak on a World Press Freedom Day panel with five other journalists at the UN on Thursday. It was organized by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) in collaboration with the News Literacy Project (NLP). But on Wednesday it was abruptly "postponed." The official reason, according to the UNAOC, is that it conflicted with another press freedom day event. But everyone knew that weeks ago. The real reason, according to NLP's Alan Miller, is because the UNAOC wanted him to "remove references in our presentation to several countries where press freedom is limited."
The video presentation spoke of "severe restrictions on press freedom in Turkey, Mexico and Egypt and comments by Russian and Pakistani journalists describing the challenges they face." You see, the UNAOC is co-sponsored by Turkey, and it wanted the Turkey reference deleted. "I could not permit this censorship," Miller said Wednesday night. Turkey has severely curtailed press freedom in recent years.
I'm trying to get the panelists together for a podcast taping instead... Details to come. To be clear, UNAOC is a separate initiative, not part of UNESCO... That's important to note before the next item... | | On Thursday, 33 news outlets, ranging from the NYT to The Economist to National Review to CNN to NPR to Rappler, are running ads promoting quality journalism.
The effort, known as the World Press Freedom Day campaign, has been spearheaded by UNESCO and the creative agency Droga5. "Don't just read The New York Times," the NYT's print ad says, listing off 20+ of its rivals. The point? There's strength in numbers.
| | NYT Co. COO Meredith Kopit Levien has been championing the campaign. "The more time you spend with rigorous, fair sources of journalism, the more sustainable those news organizations become," Levien wrote in this Medium post. "Hand-wringing and bellyaching doesn't protect great newspapers — or our democracy. Your eyeballs and dollars do."
Levien added: "The news organizations joining this campaign are united in their commitment to excellence, but they're diverse in many other respects. They're based in different cities and countries, publish in different languages, express themselves in different formats, specialize in different beats. And while we all share common values, we often give our readers, viewers and listeners different perspectives on the same issues. That diversity is critical at a time when people are retreating to echo chambers that confirm biases and reinforce preconceived notions..." | | Ty Cobb is out. Emmet Flood is in. Wednesday's developments again disproved Trump's mid-March denial about an impending shakeup of his legal team.
The WashPost's Thursday headline: "Trump embraces combative approach to Mueller..." | | Presidential adviser Sean Hannity interviewed one of the president's new lawyers, Rudy Giuliani, on Wednesday night. For the hour. By the end of the hour, CNN and MSNBC were scrambling to rework their lineups for the rest of the night. Here's why:
-- Giuliani, seemingly contradicting Trump, said Trump reimbursed Michael Cohen for Cohen's $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. So Trump and his aides misled the public...?
-- He said the DOJ should end Mueller's probe "in the interest of justice..."
-- He also said James Comey "should be prosecuted for leaking..."
-- He referred to the FBI agents who raided Cohen's office as "stormtroopers." On MSNBC afterward, Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell brought up the Nazi history of that term... | | Jon Ralston tweeted: "This Rudy self-destruction on live TV reinforces one of my oldest truisms about politics: It's not the tough interviewers that get you in trouble; it's when you are with the friendlies (Sean Softballs here) that you screw up because you feel too comfortable..."
--> More: James Poniewozik tweeted: "I thought Hannity aired with a five-second delay in case somebody accidentally made news" | | | FROM EARLIER IN THE DAY... | | Shep Smith to his guest Jeff Mason on Fox Wednesday afternoon: "There appears to be a concerted effort -- tell me if you disagree, just an observation -- to put a bunch of people on television and to say into the television, like this channel, 'Don't do it, Mr. President. Don't do it. Don't go up there, don't do it. We know you want to. Don't do it, can't do it.'" (Via Contemptor)
While Smith was speaking, former Trump campaign aide Michael Caputo was being interviewed by the special counsel's office. Afterward, he talked about the experience... | | | Is Caputo also trying to warn Trump through his TV interviews? Caputo told CNN's Manu Raju that "it's clear they are still really focused on Russia collusion." And: "They know more about the Trump campaign than anyone who ever worked there." Later in the evening he told Anderson Cooper that Trump should stay away from being interviewed... | | Avenatti says it again... | | As I'm sending out this newsletter, Michael Avenatti is on CNN with Don Lemon, reacting to Rudy's stunning revelation.
"I said it weeks ago. I'm going to say it again. Mr. Trump will not serve his term. No way, no how. He will be forced to ultimately resign," Avenatti just told Lemon... | | | Hey, does Avenatti have a TV future in mind? Here's what he told VF's Joe Pompeo for this story: "I've been approached by a number of networks who have explored the possibility of me possibly having my own show once the case is resolved, but I'm not seriously entertaining any of those ideas because right now, I'm focused on the task at hand. The interest of me having a career in television is very flattering. Who knows, I may consider it, but I'm not going to worry about it or pursue it right now because my main priority is finishing this case." | | Gabe Sherman is writing a Trump movie script | | | Megan Thomas emails: Gabe Sherman is writing a screenplay for "The Apprentice" the movie, which will look at Trump's "unlikely path to become President of the United States." Per Deadline's Patrick Hipes, "Amy Baer is producing the feature film through her company Gidden Media. Sherman, currently a correspondent for Vanity Fair, will also be an executive producer..." | | -- Reminder: Post-trial briefs are due in U.S. vs. AT&T on Thursday evening...
-- Cambridge Analytica says it is shutting down... We'll see whether it reemerges in some new form with a new name... (CNN)
-- Subrata De is the new EP and showrunner of the weekly "Vice" series on HBO... (TVNewser)
-- Katie Couric (rightly) believes it would be "challenging" for Matt Lauer to return to TV... (CNN) | | Spotify hits 75 million paid subscribers; Wall Street unimpressed | | | ☝ That's the headline on Seth Fiegerman's recap of Spotify's Q1. While the company added 4 million paid subs in the quarter, up "45% from the year before," investors wanted more... | | Via CNNMoney's Jill Disis: At Wednesday's NewFront, Hulu announced "that it has topped 20 million US subscribers." It also revealed "a slate of new shows and features -- including an option to download episodes and watch them offline." Details here...
--> CEO Randy Freer's line: "In the race for premium entertainment, Hulu has the creativity and the resources to go head-to-head with anyone and win..."
--> "The Handmaid's Tale" has been renewed for a third season, An Phung writes... | | | During her turn on Hulu's stage Wednesday morning, comedian Mindy Kaling took jabs at Netflix and Amazon Prime Video: "Hulu doesn't just drown you with 12 episodes of a show all at once, and then an Adam Sandler movie every other week." Hulu "also isn't an add on to the website where you buy tampons and garden hoses." | | Bloomberg's two-tiered pay wall | | Along with a redesign (see above), Bloomberg announced "the start of a metered paywall that charges users for access to Bloomberg.com and the company's consumer news apps," the WSJ's Ben Mullin reports.
The first tier, $35 a month, is right in line with the WSJ and FT's monthly fees. The $40 a month tier also includes a "print and digital subscription to Bloomberg Businessweek and access to some BloombergLIVE events." Details... | | -- Julia Waldow emails: For World Press Freedom Day, send a digital postcard to a jailed journalist in China, Egypt, Turkey, and beyond through CPJ's #FreeThePress campaign... (CPJ)
-- David Klein emails: We're the problem in the information war, Virginia Heffernan writes... (Wired)
-- "A man who says he's the great-grandson of Three Stooges star Moe Howard has brought a shocking lawsuit that accuses late Paramount chief Brad Grey of raping him." The suit is against Viacom... (THR) | | The Weinstein Co. goes to... | | "After no serious bids emerged ahead of the Monday deadline to submit for the company's bankruptcy auction, the Dallas firm Lantern Entertainment is poised to buy the assets of the company for $310 million," CNNMoney's Chris Isidore writes. An auction had been scheduled for Friday, but it's been cancelled...
But wait: Deadline says a rival bidder, Howard Kagan's Inclusion Media, "has increased its offer to $325 million... Bankruptcy experts say the judge could re-open the bidding process if she feels that would maximize the value of the estate..." | | Harvey Weinstein's toughest fight is looming | | | Megan Thomas emails: CNN producer Jason Kravarik spoke with one of Weinstein's accusers -- and some of his defenders -- about the status of potential criminal charges against him in Los Angeles... | | | For the record, part three | | | -- Jeff Zeleny tweeted: "The 'Teacher of the Year' was awarded today at the White House, but you wouldn't have seen her comments. WH didn't allow coverage of her speech..."
-- Harry Enten writes: "Don't trust the polls? You should. They've been fairly accurate so far this election cycle..."
-- +1 to this by Chris Cillizza: "4 reasons Donald Trump faking a doctor's note matters..." | | Sun Sentinel's regret: Gun ad next to gun violence coverage | | Julia Waldow emails: Sun Sentinel publisher Nancy Meyer says the paper "deeply regrets" placing an advertisement for $1 off admission to a gun show on its front page Wednesday morning, under a story about the Fort Lauderdale airport shooter, an image of the unveiling of a Parkland victim's headstone, and news of a fundraising campaign to benefit Stoneman Douglas High School.
"We understand how the juxtaposition of certain ads and news stories can appear extremely insensitive, and we failed to prevent such a juxtaposition today," Meyer wrote in a statement. Her comments came about an hour after the father of a Stoneman Douglas victim tweeted out his criticism of the paper: "Looks like the Sun Sentinel editor on the page failed. A story on the victims of gun violence and they put a gun coupon on the page. WTF!!!"
-- The Tronc-owned publication now has "a moratorium" on gun ads, Meyer says.
-- How did this happen? EIC Julie Anderson told the Miami New Times' Tim Elfrink that the paper's layout systems don't allow editorial staffers to see ads, just stories, on the front page... | | "Apprentice" tapes subpoenaed in Summer Zervos case | | "Summer Zervos, a former contestant on 'The Apprentice' who accused President Trump of sexual assault, is seeking records to prove that he defamed her by calling her a liar," the NYT's Niraj Chokshi reports.
Key graf: "In the subpoena issued Wednesday, Ms. Wang asked M.G.M. to turn over all documents, video or audio that feature Ms. Zervos or Mr. Trump talking about Ms. Zervos. The subpoena also seeks any recording in which Mr. Trump speaks of women 'in any sexual or inappropriate manner...'" | | How it feels to be a W.H. correspondent | | | NBC's Kristen Welker to The Everygirl: "One of the biggest changes since the Obama administration is the news cycle has gotten much faster. Under the Obama administration, we often focused on one or two stories every day. Now it is not unusual to cover five or six!" | | Why Hannity deleted this tweet and story... | | | Oliver Darcy emails: Sean Hannity deleted a tone-deaf tweet and story from his website on Wednesday. In the morning, Hannity tweeted about a Page Six report that said some female employees felt pressured to sign a letter in support of Tom Brokaw, who is facing accusations of sexual misconduct. Hannity (perhaps unaware that he works at Fox News and previously defended the late Roger Ailes in the face of sexual harassment charges?) called it a "NEW LOW at 30 Rock." Hours later, the tweet had been removed in addition to the article on his site about the matter. You can see the cached version here though... | | Facebook trying to appease conservatives and liberals... | | ...With this pair of announcements.
Julia Waldow emails: Facebook has agreed to a "civil rights audit" and a "conservative bias advising partnership" to address allegations that the company discriminates against underrepresented communities and censors conservative opinions, Axios's Sara Fischer reported Wednesday. The former will fall under Laura Murphy, "a national civil liberties and civil rights leader," Fischer writes, while the latter will be led by the former Republican Sen. Jon Kyl and his team at a Washington law firm.
-- Indira Lakshmanan asked on Twitter: "Why is Facebook only investigating alleged anti-conservative bias despite evidence of viral spread of right-wing propaganda/disinformation on FB??"
-- ThinkProgress's Ryan Koronowski called it "a bias study with one side represented..." | | Brian Lowry emails: Ruth Bader Ginsburg has become a cultural icon, and the Supreme Court Justice gets a documentary worthy of that status in "RBG." It's a CNN Films presentation receiving a theatrical release this month. The film works on multiple levels, including as a buddy comedy in her relationship with Antonin Scalia and a love story, dealing with her devoted husband, Marty.
Here's the full review... | | The Outline raises $5 million | | | The Outline just closed a $5.15 million fundraising round. The Series B round was relatively modest by design, Josh Topolsky told Ben Mullin: "You see the industry; you see what's happening. We did not want to be another casualty in the world of media brands that have been overvalued and over-invested in..." | | YouTube Red's revival of "The Karate Kid" | | | Brian Lowry emails: While Hulu celebrates its expanded profile, YouTube Red has taken a step toward putting itself on the map with "Cobra Kai," a better-than-expected revival of "The Karate Kid" that shrewdly reunites key original characters while building out its own cast... More... | | "Roseanne" ratings update | | | More from Brian Lowry: CBS had been heavily promoting the exit of a long-running character on "NCIS," which likely contributed to "Roseanne's" 20%-plus decline in viewers (10.3 million) and key demos on Tuesday. But even in that context, the ABC show has cooled considerably... | | | Citing Kanye West's newfound popularity among Republicans, Benjy Sarlin tweeted, "it's amazing how far and fast this story traveled to average GOP voters -- this is the same conservative complex around celebrities that helped elect Trump." | | He's been kinda quiet today | | | West did not tweet much on Wednesday. Alex Jones claimed that West was coming on Infowars, but nope. So what now? Lisa Respers France wrote about the slavery controversy here... | | "Speaking truth to Kanye" | | "Speaking truth to power has long been central to how Kanye West navigates his art and his business... But in the last couple of weeks, as Mr. West has begun his return to public life after a quiet year, the roles have switched: He is the power, and speaking truth to Kanye West has become the norm," Jon Caramanica writes.
More: "From the absurd notions about slavery to what feels like parroting other people's talking points," West "has left fans to parse what difference if any there is between aligning with hateful ideology and merely speaking without much forethought..." | | | Email your feedback and thoughts to brian.stelter@turner.com... the feedback helps us improve this newsletter every day... Thanks! | | | | | | |
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