Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Congratulations, you made it through Monday! Here's the latest on what's new around here. Plus, depositions for Elon Musk and Parag Agrawal have been delayed, TikTok is "confident" it will strike a deal with the Biden admin, LA Times staffers are pushing back on RTO, trouble with CNBC's employee shuttle program, and so much more.

THE A1

Hey there. Welcome back to Reliable Sources! A lot has happened since we last emailed.

Over the last several weeks, we have read your messages, gathered important feedback, and reimagined how we deliver the day's media news to you. You may have already noticed our elegant new design.

But before we elaborate on the changes, let us emphasize: the journalism will continue in tradition with its past. We will continue to offer you a digest of stories and unvarnished analysis of the media industry, tackling issues relating to newsrooms, partisan media, social media platforms, podcasts, and streaming services. This publication will also pay close attention to the industry titans and larger-than-life figures reshaping our information economy.

It is our goal to take you behind the scenes, explaining in plain terms how the news and other forms of media are made and distributed; to examine the forces inside the various institutions that shape our information environment; and to interrogate power, without fear or favor.

And yes, that includes CNN. We will cover news about CNN (and parent Warner Bros. Discovery), good or bad, with the same rigor we would bring to any other outlet.

But we are also making some changes.

First, the frequency of this publication will be revised to four editions a week, arriving in your inbox Monday through Thursday, and on Fridays when news warrants. You can also expect to receive it earlier in the evening.

Reducing the number of editions will allow us to focus more on delivering both scoops and original reporting. To that end, we are introducing a new tips email inbox. If you have news to share, we want to hear from you.

We are also sharpening our focus. This has always been, first and foremost, a media newsletter. We've received all of your emails asking us to shorten this newsletter's overall length and the message has been heard loud and clear. (After this lengthy edition, because we've missed you!)

Finally, we've given this publication a visual overhaul and revised the way information is presented, organizing content by sections to make it easier for you to find what you're looking for. We hope you enjoy the new look as much as we do.

And with that housekeeping note out of the way, let's get back to the news...

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

NOAA/NASA

Preparing for Ian: As Hurricane Ian pushes toward Tampa, threatening the Florida city with its worst storm in a lifetime, staffers at the Tampa Bay Times are scrambling. Managing editor Carolyn Fox told me Monday evening that "plans changed pretty quickly" in the last 24 hours for the outlet when the forecasts showed Ian heading straight for the area. Editors have been dispatched to regions of the state that will likely maintain internet and power during the storm. And the paper has set up three go-teams, each staffed with photogs and reporters and given unusual equipment, such as SUVs and satellite phones.

🔎 Zooming in: Earlier this year, the Tampa Bay Times published a big series called Rising Threat, which examined the threat climate change poses to the area. "That reporting is informing not only us on the staff right now, but our readers as well," Fox told me.

Juggling Act: Meanwhile, national newsrooms are readying to perform a difficult balancing act on Wednesday. Hurricane Ian is expected to begin lashing Florida's west coast that day with historic winds and rain, the same day that a political hurricane is slated to ensnare Washington, DC, in the form of the final January 6 hearing. The good news for national newsrooms is that — for now — the worst of Ian's wrath is expected later Wednesday and Thursday, while the 1/6 hearing is set for 1 p.m. So expect to see cable networks take the hearing in full Wednesday afternoon and then quickly pivot to storm coverage. As one source at a major network told me, there would have to be "really insane hurricane images to knock it off the air."

OFF THE WIRE

Major news orgs are weaving climate change reporting with stories about Ian. Here are examples from CNN, The NYT, and NPR.
Officials are using the high volume of media coverage to convey the dire situation. The National Hurricane Center director told CNN the forecast is a "near worst-case scenario" for the Tampa area. (CNN)
As the storm barrels toward Florida, the Tampa Bay Times dropped its pay wall "as a public service," making its reporting free for all readers "as long as the region is threatened" (Tampa Bay Times)
Attention journalists in Florida: Here's CPJ's physical safety briefing for reporting during flash foods. (CPJ)

THE INFO WARS

Tucker's Trip: Tucker Carlson spoke at the funeral service of Hells Angels head Ralph "Sonny" Barger over the weekend, The Guardian's Martin Pengelly reported Monday. In a video of his remarks posted online, Carlson said he flew from Maine to California for the funeral. As Pengelly pointed out, the Justice Department considers the Hells Angels to be an outlaw motorcycle gang that poses a "serious national domestic threat" due in part to its "activity relating to drug-trafficking." Ironically, the DOJ says that "more specifically" the group is connected to "cross-border drug smuggling." Fox News spokespeople didn't respond to requests for comment.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Suzanne Smalley writes about how "China coup" tweets were widely shared over the weekend and "what it says about the rapid spread of disinformation." (CyberScoop)
On his podcast, Steve Bannon celebrated Giorgia Meloni's victory in Italy, becoming the country's most far-right prime minister since Benito Mussolini. Bannon said she doesn't "seem all that radical" and mocked the media for being in "meltdown" mode. (MMFA)

THE BUSINESS

Swisher Says: Kara Swisher is doing it again. On Monday, Swisher launched yet another new podcast, this one with Vox Media called "On With Kara Swisher." If you have lost track of how many podcasts Swisher has had over the years, you're not the only one. When I asked Swisher, she struggled to give me a precise number. But she promised that this one will be different because, as she said, "You don't want to do the same thing."

Swisher said that "On" will "have a looser tone," but will also be "more pointed." That is in accordance with how she has evolved as an interviewer over the years. Previously, Swisher said, she was "too inflexible." Now, she approaches interviews with a different mindset: "I don't care if I'm never going to interview this person again." Her next two guests will be Hillary Clinton and TikTok exec Vanessa Pappas.

► Swisher's first guest was Chris Cuomo, who spoke about his firing from CNN. Cuomo acknowledged that his interviews with his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, were "inherently" a conflict of interest. But he said there was "complete transparency" because viewers knew they were brothers. Asked if he had any thoughts on the recent changes at CNN, Cuomo said, "Not yet, I got to see what they are." Though he did voice some skepticism about the direction the network is headed under new management.

WFH Forever?: Staffers at the Los Angeles Times don't want to be forced to return to the office — ever. The LAT Guild's bargaining committee has sent a three-sentence proposal to management, which I obtained, that says: "Times employees may work remotely whenever their specific work duties aren't required to be completed in a specific location. No reasonable request to work remotely will be denied. Explanations for denials will be made in writing." In an email to members, the Guild, however, acknowledged LAT management will likely "spend a lot of time discussing amongst themselves" how to best respond and that the proposal "will be the first conversation of many." A spokesperson for LAT didn't provide a comment.

CNBC's Shuttle Woes: LAT'ers are not the only ones frustrated with RTO. I'm told some staffers at CNBC, who since Sept. 13 must be in the office a few times a week, are frustrated by the RTO mandate. That's largely because CNBC's campus is in New Jersey, which means that staffers — many who grew accustomed to working remotely — must now travel to the Garden State from NYC via shuttle bus. Those buses, arranged by CNBC for staffers, can be unreliable, I'm told. There have also been problems with the actual vehicles, which one senior employee described to me as "literal trash."

► A CNBC spokesperson acknowledged "experiencing a few growing pains," with the complimentary transportation, which the rep attributed to having "more shuttle riders" with RTO "in full force." The spokesperson added that CNBC is working to improve the situation "in a timely manner."

IN THE MARKET

AMC continues to not shy away from its Reddit fanbase. The company announced it will sell up to 425 million "APE" shares, or AMC Preferred Equity units. (THR)
Substack has introduced a new reader that will allow users to read all of their subscriptions in one place. (On Substack)
Netflix has settled a copyright lawsuit over "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical." (Variety)

MEDIA MOVES

WaPo has named Elahe Izadi co-host of its flagship podcast "Post Reports." Izadi, I'm told, will continue to also report on media. (WaPo)
The NYT says that Mike Schmidt — the director of features and design in video, not the reporter — will "take on a new role as social visuals editor" where he'll focus on expanding NYT's off-platform visual presence. (NYT)
Michael Derby has joined Reuters after 22 years at The WSJ. (Twitter)
Netflix has appointed former EA exec Marko Lastikka to lead its new in-house games studio. (Variety)

THE VALLEY

Patrick Pleul/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Depositions Delayed: Both Elon Musk and Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal were set to be deposed on Monday, but neither deposition ended up happening. It's not entirely clear what happened, and Twitter is declining to officially comment. But people involved in the process noted to CNN that dates on deposition filings aren't always the dates the parties end up agreeing on. Still, the delay is strange — especially given that Musk's lawyer had flown to San Francisco on Sunday, expecting to participate in Agrawal's deposition. It's now unclear when Musk and Agrawal will ultimately be deposed. But one source told CNN that Musk is still slated to be deposed this week.

TikTok's Path: The Biden administration and TikTok "have hammered out the foundations of a deal in which TikTok would make changes to its data security and governance without requiring its owner, the Chinese internet giant ByteDance, to sell it," The NYT's Lauren Hirsch, David McCabe, Katie Benner, and Glenn Thrush reported Monday. But, The Times reported, "the two sides are still wrangling over the potential agreement. The Justice Department is leading the negotiations with TikTok, and its No. 2 official, Lisa Monaco, has concerns that the terms are not tough enough on China."

► What TikTok told me: "We will not comment on the specifics of confidential discussions with the US government, but we are confident that we are on a path to fully satisfy all reasonable US national security concerns."

TOO MANY TABS

Apple TV+ and Oprah are breaking up. Puck's Matthew Belloni, who broke the news, reports that the two parties will still, however, work on a "project-by-project basis." (Puck)
Have a Fitbit? All users will be required to have a Google account by 2025, a move that comes after the internet giant's acquisition of the fitness company. (The Verge)
Meta on Monday said it is testing features to make it easier for users to switch between Facebook and Instagram accounts. (CNBC)
Meanwhile, Instagram is also now testing a home feed without a shopping tab. (The Verge)

CURTAIN CALL

David Richard/AP

Touchdown for Amazon: The second week of Amazon's "Thursday Night Football" averaged 11.03 million viewers. That bodes quite well for Prime, which of course snagged the rights for the weekly NFL showdown away from traditional linear TV. The ratings represent a sizable increase from last year's Week 3 game, which drew 7.96 million on the NFL Network. Deadline's Dade Hayes has more here.

OFF STAGE

Marvel boss Kevin Feige talks about the decision not to recast T'Challa after Chadwick Boseman's death: "Much too soon." (Empire)
Alex Sherman explains "how Bryan Lourd became one of the most powerful people in the history of Hollywood." (CNBC)
Chip & Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Network has renewed six and added seven new shows to its programming slate for its fall lineup. (Deadline)
HBO has released the teaser trailer for "The Last of Us." (YouTube)
"Big Brother" has been renewed for a season 25 at CBS. (Variety)