Thursday, January 5, 2023

We've almost made it through the week — and Kevin McCarthy still isn't House speaker. But Republicans are flocking to CNN, the NFL is making plans to honor Damar Hamlin, Vince McMahon is plotting is return to WWE, Joe Rogan is apologizing, and Jeremy Renner is joking about his "spa day" at the ICU. But first, the A1.

THE A1

Police and the Press

From Katelyn Parady via KNXV

The Wall Street Journal is demanding answers from the Phoenix Police Department after an officer detained and handcuffed one of its reporters outside a Chase Bank — an incident that press freedom advocates say raises First Amendment concerns and mirrors a larger, growing hostility from local law enforcement toward journalists across the country.

The incident between The Journal reporter Dion Rabouin and the Phoenix officer occurred in late November, but just became public this week after ABC affiliate KNXV reported on the matter. In a statement, The Journal said that it is "deeply concerned" with how its reporter was treated and has asked the Phoenix Police Department to conduct an investigation.

"No journalist should ever be detained simply for exercising their First Amendment rights," The Journal said.

In response, the Phoenix Police Department — which is being probed by the Department of Justice to determine whether its officers retaliate against people "for conduct protected by the First Amendment" — stressed to me that the incident occurred on private property, but that the department had nonetheless shared concerns raised by the paper with the Professional Standards Bureau and that an investigation is underway.

At the crux of this particular matter is a rather innocent act of journalism. While visiting family in Arizona for the Thanksgiving holiday, Rabouin attempted to interview passersby on a sidewalk outside a Chase branch for an ongoing story about savings accounts, he told the Phoenix affiliate. Representatives from the bank approached him and asked what he was doing and Rabouin said he identified himself as a journalist. Rabouin said he was never asked to leave, but an officer soon arrived on the scene.

Rabouin said he volunteered to simply stop reporting from the scene, but video captured by a bystander shows the responding officer handcuff him, put him in the back of a police vehicle, and even threaten to shove him in if he did not comply. The video shows Rabouin repeatedly identified himself as a reporter for The Journal, but the officer did not appear to care. The bystander who began recording the incident was also threatened with arrest.

Ultimately, after about 15 minutes, when other officers showed up, Rabouin was allowed to walk free. A representative for Chase told me Thursday that the bank did apologize to Rabouin over the incident. But the local police department has thus far refrained from doing so.

In a letter dated December 7 from Journal Editor-In-Chief Matt Murray to Phoenix Police Department Interim Chief Michael Sullivan, the editor described the officer's conduct as "offensive to civil liberties," and demanded to know what steps the department will take to "ensure that neither Mr. Rabouin nor any other journalist is again subjected to such conduct." The Journal told me Thursday that Murray has not received a response from Sullivan.

For press freedom advocates, the incident is representative of countless others that take place around the US each year. According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, at least 218 journalists have been arrested in the country since 2020.

Bruce Brown, the executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, told me in a statement that "the alarming number of incidents we've seen over the last several years where police have detained, arrested, or assaulted journalists who were doing their jobs threatens to chill this kind of essential newsgathering."

Brown added, "It's time for the law enforcement community to hold itself accountable for its actions. The Phoenix Police Department can start now."

The Committee to Protect Journalists has also sounded the alarm over the incident. Katherine Jacobsen, the organization's U.S. and Canada program director, told me the detention of Rabouin "highlights a very real threat faced by reporters-- especially local reporters-- across the country." Jacobsen went on to say that it is "disheartening to see acts of hostility toward journalists working in the United States."

Through a spokesperson, Rabouin declined to comment to me on Thursday. But he did post one tweet about the matter.

"Thanks to everyone who has reached out to offer support," Rabouin wrote. "We're hoping to hear back from the chief or someone at the department soon."

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration

Republicans Flock to CNN: It's been a while since so many Republicans have rushed to get on CNN's airwaves. According to the network, 42 current and former GOP representatives have appeared on the channel since Tuesday as Kevin McCarthy tries (and spectacularly fails) to capture the House speakership. CNN said that eight more are already booked for Friday, meaning that at least 50 will have appeared on the channel this week. It's quite remarkable given that over the last several years, most Republicans have shied from the news network's cameras. Now, they're rushing to appear on the network to get their messages out amid the chaos in their party.

► It hasn't all been smooth sailing. When GOP Rep. Troy Nehls appeared on CNN Thursday, he referred to anchor Erin Burnett as "young lady." When confronted for doing so, he claimed it was a compliment, joking it was his first time on the "Clinton News Network." Burnett replied, "That, I will say, was a bit rude, in my opinion. But I'm glad you're talking to me and I'll treat you with the respect you deserve." Mediaite's Kipp Jones has more.

► MSNBC is also inviting GOP reps on its air amid the disarray. Stephanie Ruhle hosted Lauren Boebert for a lengthy interview this week. "The 11th Hour" host told me that she wanted to invite the congresswoman on her program because she is at the center of "the most important news story" facing the country. "We wanted to understand why she is holding up the functioning of our government," Ruhle said. "Our audience, and all Americans, deserve to know what in the world their end game is."

THE SIDEBAR

The Drudge Report's big picture headline: "The End of MAGA? McCarthy Fails and Fails." (DRUDGE)
Making the same point we made last night, Jeremy Peters writes about how McCarthy's unprecedented leadership battle is being "mirrored in conservative media." (NYT)
To that point, Tucker Carlson on Thursday evening continued to argue the chaos in the House is actually a good thing: "Nothing we have seen in Washington recently ... qualifies as especially unusual or even bad. This is what democracy looks like when you get up close."
Meanwhile, Sean Hannity contended an hour later: "It's kind of time they start getting to work. This all should have all been done before January 3rd. ... I hope members will remember that they are supposed to be public servants. They are to serve you, the public, who put them in office, who gave them the opportunity to lead. At some point in the near future, House Republicans will need to put aside their differences and actually govern."
Separately, other elements of right-wing media are lashing out at Fox News for its coverage of the House chaos, Jacina Hollins-Borges and Justin Horowitz note. (MMFA)
In an op-ed in Friday's Boston Globe, Brian Stelter argues this week's C-SPAN coverage proves that independent TV cameras should be a permanent presence in the House. (Boston Globe)
Speaking of Capitol chaos: Friday is the two-year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection.

THE BUSINESS

CNN Photo Illustration/Aaron M. Sprecher/AP

First in Reliable | Honoring Hamlin : The NFL is working on plans to recognize Damar Hamlin ahead of every game this upcoming weekend, two people familiar with the matter tell me. The plans, however, have not yet been finalized to honor the Buffalo Bills safety after he suffered cardiac arrest during "Monday Night Football." And it's not entirely clear what form this will take. But it will (obviously) make for notable moments as the NFL resumes gameplay this weekend for the first time since the horrifying incident.

► The NFL announced on Thursday evening that it will not resume the Bills-Bengals game.

► Hamlin is still critically ill, but has shown "remarkable improvement," the Bills said Thursday. He is awake, though he has not yet spoken, which means he is communicating through writing, doctors said. His first question when he awoke, according to one doctor, was about who won the game.

Return of the McMahon: He's getting ready to rumble. WWE majority owner Vince McMahon, who exited the CEO position last year amid a sexual harassment scandal, "has told the company that he is electing himself and two former co-presidents and directors," The WSJ's Lauren Thomas reported Thursday, adding that he "expects he will be able to assume the role of executive chairman." This would, as Thomas pointed out, create a strange situation for his daughter, given that she assumed the role as chairman in 2022. But McMahon "believes the media landscape is evolving quickly and more companies are looking to own the intellectual property they use on their streaming platforms, making WWE an attractive takeover target," Thomas reported. Read her full story here.

IN THE INDUSTRY

A new California law has gone into effect, requiring employers to post salary ranges for new job openings. The law, similar to one that went into effect recently in New York, is offering a good window into how much certain media and tech jobs pay, as Kif Leswing reports. (CNBC)
The UK government on Thursday confirmed that it will not sell Channel 4. Network CEO Alex Mahon praised the "smart and sensible" UK culture secretary to Max Goldbart for moving to recommend against the privatization of the channel. (Deadline)
A.J. Katz has a roundup of the top shows of 2022: "The Five" was most-watched on Fox News, "The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell" was most-watched on MSNBC, and "The Lead With Jake Tapper" was most-watched on CNN. (TVNewser)
Chris Wallace chats with Stephen Battaglio about changes at CNN, Dominion Voting System's lawsuit against Fox News, Barbara Walters, and more. (LAT)
Live in Los Angeles? You'll notice that KCAL and CBS2 are rebranding newscasts as "KCAL News." (Variety)
Roku says it ended 2022 with north of 70 million accounts, up nearly 17% from 2021. (Variety)

MEDIA MOVES

Former CNN Digital Editor-In-Chief Meredith Artley has joined the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design as executive-in-residence and interim executive director. (Dorris Duke Foundation)
The Associated Press has named Indira Lakshmanan as its global enterprise editor. (AP)
The NYT has selected Maria Cramer as its police bureau chief. (NYT)
Axios has appointed Qian Gao as its chief people officer. (Axios)
AdAge has named Tim Nudd as creativity editor. (AdAge)
Emily Atkin has hired Arielle Samuelson as an enterprise reporter for her newsletter HEATED. (HEATED)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Meta's Mistake: When Meta moved to minimize the political content saturating newsfeeds on Facebook, the company didn't realize some of the consequences the action would have, The WSJ's Jeff Horowitz, Keach Hagey, and Emily Glazer reported Thursday. In a story drawing on both internal documents and company sources, the trio reported that in 2021, Mark Zuckerberg and the company board "chose the most drastic" option to scale back content touching on "sensitive" topics.

"It became apparent, though, that the plan to mute politics would have unintended consequences," Horowitz, Hagey, and Glazer reported. For instance, content from "high quality news publishers," including CNN, saw engagement fall at a higher rate than content from untrustworthy sources. Zuckerberg, The WSJ reported, ultimately decided to back off the most extreme plan, in favor of a more moderate approach. "Over the last several years, we tested various approaches, ultimately implementing changes that reduce politics, while giving people the experiences they want," a Meta spokesperson said. Read The WSJ's full story here.

TOO MANY TABS

Meta will appeal the $414 million fine it faces in Europe for forcing targeted ads on users. (Insider)
"New fines levied by European regulators against Meta and Apple are the latest reminder that Big Tech companies must now maneuver between two wildly different regimes in the U.S. and the EU," Ashley Gold points out. (Axios)
An experiment by the House January 6 committee found that TikTok "went from zero to Nazi in 75 minutes," Adam Rawnsley reports. (Rolling Stone)
Jessica Maddox argues that "banning TikTok hurts higher education." (WIRED)
TikTok is going to license IMDb data so that users can search for work attached to films and actors. (THR)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports/Reuters

Rogan's Regret: Joe Rogan is sorry — again — for promoting more Covid misinformation. The Spotify star read a fake tweet attributed to a real doctor that said, in part, "I will never regret the vaccine. Even if it turns out I injected actual poison and have only days to live. My heart and is was [sic] in the right place." Rogan mocked the tweet, which again was fake, resulting in harassment against the doctor. On Thursday, Rogan apologized. "I was informed last night that this tweet is fake. The show was already out, so we initially decided to post a notice saying we got tricked, then later thought it best to just delete it from the episode," Rogan tweeted. "My sincere apologies to everyone, especially the person who got hoaxed." Vice's Anna Merlan has more here.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Twitter verified a fake Sen. Ed Markey account created by Washington Post tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler, despite Elon Musk's claims that the platform is checking IDs. (WaPo)
Donavyn Coffey writes about how medical students are now learning how to fight misinformation. (Medscape)

CURTAIN CALL

From Jeremy Renner/Twitter

Jokes from Jeremy: Jeremy Renner is continuing to post updates about his condition on social media – and he seems in good spirits, judging from a video he uploaded to Twitter on Thursday. The "Hawkeye" actor posted a video of himself in the hospital getting a scalp massage from family, writing for the caption, "A 'not so great' ICU DAY turned to amazing spa day with my sis and mama." In the video, Renner also joked about how he hadn't showered in days, commenting, "Gross!"

OFF STAGE

Harvey Weinstein will be sentenced next week after having been found (again) guilty of sex crimes. (The Wrap)
"Avatar: The Way of Water" has swum past "Top Gun: Maverick" at the global box office. (THR)
Speaking of the global box office, it ballooned nearly 27% in 2022, according to an analytics firm. (Deadline)
Andy Cohen and Ryan Seacrest have poured cold water on the notion they're feuding: "We are not," Seacrest said on a pod with Cohen. (Variety)
Miley Cyrus has announced her next album, "Endless Summer Vacation," will debut March 10. (Variety)
Netflix has released the trailer for the star-studded comedy "You People," due out January 27. (YouTube)
Nicole Kidman will star in a Taylor Sheridan CIA drama. (THR)

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