Wednesday, November 2, 2022

You're over the hump! Musk's reported plans for Friday layoffs at Twitter, explosive revelations about the LAPD and Moonves, looming cuts at Paramount, The NYT's growth, Tapper to exit prime time, WaPo's new "Election Model," Comcast and Charter's Roku fighter, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's injunction, and more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

America's Info Crisis

CNN Photo Illustration/Andrew Harnik/AP

President Joe Biden, just days before the crucial midterm elections, stood before the country on Wednesday from Washington's Union Station and delivered a dire warning.

"As I stand here today, there are candidates running for every level of office in America, for governor, Congress, attorney general, secretary of state, who won't commit, they will not commit to accepting the results of the elections that they're running in," Biden said. "This is the path to chaos in America. It's unprecedented. It's unlawful. And it's un-American."

The line in the speech — which was televised by cable news, but snubbed by the more-watched broadcast networks — is not a matter of opinion. It doesn't include any political spin. It's a tragic raw fact.

Only 41% of Republicans have confidence that US elections reflect the will of the people, a CNN poll conducted by SSRS and published Wednesday found. A staggering 66% of Republicans continue to say that they do not believe Biden was the legitimate winner of the 2020 elections.

It's impossible to understand why so many Americans no longer trust US elections without understanding the information universe in which they reside. Bad-faith television hosts, radio personalities, podcasters, and websites that now unquestionably dominate the right-wing media landscape have poisoned the information well with lies and conspiracy theories about the elections process.

Take Tucker Carlson for example. After Biden's speech, the right-wing talk show host not only gave permission for his massive audience to question election results, but actually egged them on to do so. "In a functioning democracy, you're not simply allowed to raise questions about elections, you're encouraged to," Carlson ranted as the on-screen banner alerted viewers to the fact he was reacting "to the mannequin's angry speech."

"There is no such thing as election denying in a free society. It's called free speech. You're allowed to say it if you think it, period," Carlson said. "And yet our media, which exists to defend free speech, is doing its best, day after day, to shut it down. How dare you raise any questions about next week's midterms. Why are they telling you that? It's ominous."

It's easy to dismiss Carlson's rhetoric as fringe. To say that he is a radical cable news talker who does not reflect the larger right-wing media universe in which Republicans largely — often exclusively — get their news.

And it is understandable why some people choose to ignore it. It's hard to come to terms with the fact that so many Americans — neighbors, friends, family members — are being radicalized by extreme voices who are wrestling for control of the Republican Party.

But doing so would be to ignore the forces allowing a cancer to grow in our society. And for news organizations, ignoring the toxicity that defines the right-wing media universe leaves readers and viewers without a complete picture of what is happening in the country.

"As I stand here tonight, equality and democracy are under assault," Biden said Wednesday evening. "We do ourselves no favor to pretend otherwise."

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CNN Photo Illustration/Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Moonves Shocker: New York Attorney General Letitia James said in an explosive press release Wednesday that she had secured $24.5 million for shareholders after her office's investigation found that CBS executives knew about sexual assault allegations against former company chief Les Moonves and concealed it from investors for months. As part of the settlement, Moonves will have to pay $2.5 million. The report also found that an unidentified LAPD captain had tipped off CBS the same day a confidential criminal sexual assault allegation was made.

"The LAPD captain shared an unredacted police report with the executive, who shared it with Mr. Moonves and other executives at CBS," the NY AG's office said. "Each of the executives then went to work to deal with the impending crisis." The AG's office added that the LAPD captain, over a period of months, secretly provided Moonves and CBS "with status updates on the LAPD's investigation." The LAPD said it is cooperating with both the NY AG and California AG and has "also initiated an internal investigation." CNN's Frank Pallotta has more here.

THE BUSINESS

CNN Photo Illustration/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images

Looming Cuts at Paramount: It was an unsparing day on Wall Street for Paramount Global, which ended Wednesday down 12%. The company, which missed on Q3 earnings, said it is planning "meaningful and sizable" cuts in the months ahead. CEO Bob Bakish told analysts that the company is doing its best to navigate a "complex environment and economic period" and will take "aggressive, precise actions" to position it to do well. Deadline's Dade Hayes and Jesse Whittock have more here.

Grey Lady's Good News: Shares in The NYT Co. ended the day up 7% after the media company reported better-than-expected Q3 earnings. The company increased its profit forecast from $65.1 million to $69 million as a result of digital growth, which included 180,000 new online subscribers. The Athletic, however, continued to lose money, with a quarterly loss of $9.6 million. NYT's Katie Robertson has more here.

Tapper Turns Back: CNN's Jake Tapper is exiting prime time after the midterm elections, heading back to his usual 4-6pm show, Semafor's Max Tani scooped Wednesday, citing sources. A CNN spokesperson confirmed the news: "As part of a special lineup, Jake agreed to anchor the 9p hour through the midterm elections. At the completion of that schedule, he'll be returning to his award-winning program The Lead. We will announce post-election plans for that time slot in the coming days." Tani has details.

Fits In Pitt: The situation is getting heated in Pittsburgh. The Post-Gazette and Butler Eagle have won an injunction after accusing labor unions and supporters on strike of engaging in violent behavior, such as throwing projectiles at vehicles and slashing tires. Newspaper Guild leader Zach Tanner told me, however, that the injunction "is narrow" and only applies to the printer facility, not the newsroom where union journalists have been picketing. "No guild members engaged in any level of violence, threats, or intimidation on or off the picket lines," Tanner said. Some union members have crossed picket lines and continue to work publishing the paper.

IN THE INDUSTRY

The debut of "CNN This Morning" didn't see a big ratings boost from previous weeks of "New Day," averaging 387K total viewers and 71K viewers in the key 25-54 demo. For comparison, MSNBC's "Morning Joe" averaged 793K total viewers on Monday and 114K viewers in the demo. (Twitter)
Altice USA missed on earnings, sending shares in the company down nearly 7%. (MarketWatch)
Anderson Cooper talks to Marc Malkin about losing a parent and his podcast "All There Is." (Variety)
CW layoffs appear to have impacted some senior executives. (Deadline)

MEDIA MOVES

The CW has named Brad Schwartz as president. (Deadline)
CNN Digital has appointed Matt Wells as its new executive editor for Europe, Middle East and Africa. (CNN)
Vanity Fair is bringing on Molly Jong-Fast as a special correspondent, where she will write about the "turbulent times in politics and American culture." (Twitter)
CBS News has promoted Hugo Rojo to executive director of comms in Washington. (Twitter)
NYT has named Dagny Salas as deputy Metro editor. (NYT)
The Society of Professional Journalists has elected its new board of directors. (SPJ)

THE MIDTERMS

First in Reliable: WaPo is set to debut its "Election Model" on Tuesday, the first time the tool will be deployed during a midterms race. The tool, which the paper says it has "been refining and advancing for three years," will give readers advanced data on House, Senate and governor races. "Our readers will soon have the kind of data that only insiders do," Jeremy Bowers, WaPo's engineering director, told me, adding, "Readers will see and feel the difference the moment they visit The Washington Post on election night."

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Patrick Pleul/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Elon Readies The Axe: Less than one week into his takeover at Twitter, Elon Musk plans to layoff nearly half of the company's staff this Friday, cutting roughly 3,700 jobs, Bloomberg's Kurt Wagner and Ed Ludlow reported late Wednesday. The duo said Musk also plans to end the company's remote work policy, and begin charging for verification as soon as next week. Wagner and Ludlow have more here.

🔎 Zooming in: Musk's big layoffs plan is part of his effort to slash costs at the company and comes as he simultaneously attempts to force users to pay to remain verified on the platform. The moves reflect his efforts to increase cash after overpaying for Twitter in a deal he relentlessly attempted to abandon.

TOO MANY TABS

It doesn't look like Trump will be allowed back on Twitter before the midterms. Musk says banned users won't be reinstated for weeks. (CNBC)
Substack CEO Hamish McKenzie says it's time for a "real alternative" to Twitter, plans to roll out new features for writers to "hang out." (Substack)
Meta is moving back to having algorithms curate its "Top Stories" section on Facebook. (Gizmodo)
TikTok is "spelling out to its European users that their data can be accessed by employees outside the continent, including in China," Dan Milmo reports. (Guardian)
Daniel Howley has the big picture: "Social media as we know it is over." (Yahoo!)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/DEA

Tricks Over Treats: It's become an annual tradition. Every year, stories of potential threats lurking in Halloween candy emerge in the news media, warning parents and kids to beware of the dangers hiding in the treat bag. This year, a big new fear emerged: "rainbow fentanyl" — the multi-colored pills, powders and blocks that look similar to candy or sidewalk chalk — could make its way to kids' treat bags. The scare started with a DEA news release, and exploded onto Fox News and local media.

As WaPo's Paul Farhi pointed out, there were more than 1,500 news stories about "rainbow fentanyl" in the two months leading up to Halloween. In one notable appearance on Fox News, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel declared, "Every mom in the country is worried, what if this gets into my kid's Halloween basket?" And other Fox commentators suggested parents should consider not letting their children go trick-or-treating this year.

But as Halloween came and went, it became clear the fears of sinister dealers sneaking drugs to kids were as real as the ghosts and goblins of Halloween itself. As of Wednesday evening, there have been no published reports of suspected rainbow fentanyl poisonings in children anywhere in the US. Still, misinformation and rumors about the drug have swirled online. In Buffalo, New York, the police department debunked rumors on Twitter: "Important message: Social media posts claiming that fentanyl laced candy has led to deaths of young people in the City of Buffalo are not accurate."

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

The White House deleted a tweet crediting Biden with a boost in Social Security benefits after Twitter added a "context" note. (USA Today)
Ben Shapiro says that if Candace Owens "had said what Kanye had said she wouldn't be working at The Daily Wire," adding that Owens' defense of West is "pretty wrong" from a moral and logical standpoint. (Mediaite)
Remember when Joe Rogan inflamed the internet with a story about a litter box in a school? Now he says there really wasn't any evidence of that. Oops! (Mediaite)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Xumo

Cablers Unite: Comcast and Charter are gearing up to take on the likes of Roku. The cable giants announced Wednesday the name of their anticipated streaming hardware system: Xumo. "Much like the streaming setups offered by Apple, Roku, Google, and Amazon, the Xumo platform will live inside Comcast's hardware and should let viewers access a network of apps, including the Comcast-owned Peacock and Xumo Play," The Verge's Emma Roth wrote. More here.

OFF STAGE

The official trailer for "Avatar: The Way of Water" dropped on Wednesday. (Deadline)
The Russo brothers are on the latest cover of Variety. The siblings tell Adam B. Vary that they will not be ready to "do anything with Marvel until the end of the decade." (Variety)
Jennifer Lawrence says she will no longer star as Elizabeth Holmes in "Bad Blood" after Amanda Seyfried's performance. (Collider)
Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO plan to release "Game of Thrones" NFTs. (AdWeek)
Spike Lee will executive produce the short "Hallelujah." (Variety)
Troubles in Hollywood: The beloved Vincenti Ristorante, frequented by stars, has shuttered. (THR)

Thank you for reading! This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino. Have feedback? Send Oliver an email here. We will be back in your inbox tomorrow.