Received this email from a friend? Sign up here.

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Missing white woman syndrome strikes again, Warner Bros. Discovery's stock jumps, CNN readies daytime lineup announcement, Twitter reinstates election deniers, the Golden Globes return to NBC's air, AMC Network's content chief says there are "too many shows," and journalists remember Blake Hounshell. But first, the A1.

THE A1

Controlling the Cameras

CNN Photo Illustration/Andrew Harnik/AP

C-SPAN isn't packing up its cameras quietly.

The public affairs network on Tuesday sent a letter to new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy asking for permission to operate its own independent cameras in the House chamber. "Allow C-SPAN to cover House floor proceedings on behalf of our network and all Congressionally-accredited news organizations," co-chief executive Susan Swain wrote McCarthy.

Typically, the video feed viewers see on television of the House conducting its normal day-to-day business is one provided by the government to the press from government-controlled cameras. That's because the House normally forbids independent media coverage of proceedings. But during special events, such as last week during the election of the House speaker, independent cameras from outlets like C-SPAN are permitted.

Independent coverage translates to more cameras in the House chamber which translates to more scenes, such as the moment a physical altercation nearly occurred on the floor last week, being captured and broadcast in real-time to the public.

"During last week's Speaker election, C-SPAN was permitted to bring its own cameras into the chamber. The public, press, and Member reaction to C-SPAN's coverage — along with the 'transparency' themes in your new rules package — have encouraged us to resubmit a request we have made to your predecessors without success," Swain wrote in her letter to McCarthy.

"We do not propose replacing the existing House Recording System or its output. Instead, we request to install a few additional cameras in the House chamber," Swain added. "When mixed with the existing House production, shots from our cameras would allow us to create a second, journalistic product, just as we did last week."

A spokesperson for McCarthy did not respond to requests for comment and a representative for C-SPAN told me Tuesday evening that the network had not heard back from his office. A spokesperson for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also didn't respond to requests for comment.

But other members of Congress have expressed openness or outright support for letting C-SPAN cameras into the chamber.

When asked by CNN's Manu Raju on Tuesday evening about the matter, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise replied, "I think that'd be great. I think it's great that the public's going to be able to see more about the way the government works."

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who certainly has benefited during his career from exposure to the camera, also filed a measure on Tuesday that would allow for C-SPAN cameras to be in the House chamber at all times. "Our fellow Americans deserve to know when we are frustrated with one another, kind to one another, present, or absent. The current pool view of the Congress is antiquated and boomer-fied," he said in a statement to CNN's Jake Tapper.

Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan also said he will introduce a similar measure. "Last week's [C-SPAN] coverage was worthy of an Oscar," Pocan tweeted. "That's why I'm introducing legislation requiring House cameras to continue to capture the full Chamber & not just what the Speaker wants."

C-SPAN has long called on Congress and other bodies of government to grant it access so that it can offer the public a front-row seat to the work officials are doing on their behalf. In fact, the network has an entire webpage in which letters requesting such access are posted. Ben O'Connell, director of C-SPAN's editorial operations, told me last week that independent coverage should be permitted — if only for a matter of principle.

"I think it is really important for journalists to be behind the cameras rather than the government be behind the cameras," O'Connell said. "We, during a typical legislative day, have a government entity covering the government. And I think it would be invaluable to have journalists behind the camera instead."

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

Cohasset Police

Missing While White: The case of Ana Walshe is reviving the conversation about whether news outlets devote too much time to covering the disappearances of white women, a term the late Gwen Ifill dubbed "missing white woman syndrome." California State University, Sacramento professor Danielle Slakoff, who studies how the media covers crime, believes that to be at play. Slakoff told me that Walshe's case is saturating media coverage, while similar stories of other missing people, often those of color, do not. "What we continue to see ... is that certain victims get more media attention than others," Slakoff said, adding that several studies, including her own, "have shown racial differences."

Martin G. Reynolds, co-executive director of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, agreed. "When looking at this case, it has all the makings of a story national and local news media are going to jump all over," Reynolds told me, noting Walsh is white and "also attractive and appears to live in a community where there isn't an expectation that such a disappearance would occur." Reynolds added that the "disappearances of indigenous and Black women and children" also deserve equal coverage from news organizations. "Journalists are making value judgements and articulating through coverage who is important and whose life has value," Reynolds said. "That is very powerful."

THE BUSINESS

CNN Photo Illustration/Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

WBD's Wall Street Win: David Zaslav must have been all smiles on Tuesday. Shares in Warner Bros. Discovery ended the day up more than 8% after Goldman Sachs analyst Brett Feldman described the company as his "favorite media stock" of 2023, the latest boost that has sent shares soaring 38% in the last week. Separately, Bank of America analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich reiterated her Buy rating and $21 price target, explaining, "We continue to remain bullish on the long term potential of WBD and view the current risk/reward as highly attractive." THR's Georg Szalai has details.

RIP Blake Hounshell : Staffers at The New York Times, POLITICO, and the broader news industry were rocked on Tuesday after the sudden death of Blake Hounshell. The NYT Executive Editor Joe Kahn and Managing Editor Carolyn Ryan sent a note to staffers in the afternoon announcing that the politics reporter had died. "We've just lost a valuable colleague and this is a heartbreaking loss for our team," Kahn and Ryan wrote. "Please take the time you need to process this news and grieve his loss."

At POLITICO, where Hounshell spent nearly a decade of his career, Editor-In-Chief Matt Kaminski described the loss as "heartbreaking" for the outlet and profession. The notes from POLITICO and The NYT both included a statement from Hounshell's family that said, "It is with great sorrow that we have to inform you that Blake has suddenly died this morning after a long and courageous battle with depression. His wife, Sandy, and two children are in our thoughts and prayers, and ask for respect and privacy at this time."

The Press' State of Play: The annual report on the state of journalism from the Reuters Institute and University of Oxford was published on Tuesday, outlining the challenges the news media faces as an industry. You can read the full report, authored by Nic Newman, right here. But some highlights include:

► "Publishers are much less confident about their business prospects than this time last year. Less than half (44%) of our sample of editors, CEOs, and digital leaders say they are confident about the year ahead, with around a fifth (19%) expressing low confidence."

► "More publishers are investing in subscription and membership in 2023, with the majority of those surveyed (80%) saying this will be one of their most important revenue priorities, ahead of both display and native advertising."

► "Publishers say they'll be paying much less attention to Facebook (-30 net score) and Twitter (-28) this year and will instead put much more effort into TikTok (+63), Instagram (+50), and YouTube (+47), all networks that are popular with younger people."

► "Media companies are quietly integrating AI into their products as a way of delivering more personalised experiences. Almost three in ten (28%) say this is now a regular part of their activities."

IN THE INDUSTRY

CNN is readying to announce an overhaul of its dayside lineup, which will include a "new, kinetic on-air format that will take many of its personnel out of the usual position of sitting behind desks," Brian Steinberg reports. Network chief Chris Licht told Steinberg that "the goal" is to present information "in an authentic way." (Variety)
POLITICO and Eric Geller have parted ways after the reporter tweeted that the late Pope Benedict XVI was a "homophobic pedophile protector and Hitler Youth alumnus," Justin Baragona reports. (Daily Beast)
Some NBC News staffers are upset the network hired former Johnny Depp lawyer Camille Vasquez, Max Tani reports. (Semafor)
Last night we wrote about royal burnout, mentioning that preliminary ratings for "60 Minutes" indicated the show's interview with Prince Harry didn't boost it to its top-rated episode of the season. But those numbers weren't complete. The final ratings released Tuesday indicate it was the show's best audience this season, with 11.2M viewers. (CBS News)
Clarissa Ward spoke to People about what it has been like being pregnant with her third child while reporting from Ukraine: "It can still be quite challenging with the long drives and severe cold and you have to be vigilant about self-care, but I remind myself that thousands of Ukrainian women are living this experience every day." (People)

MEDIA MOVES

G/O Media has hired Merrill Brown as its editorial director, overseeing its various sites such as Gizmodo, Deadspin, and Jezebel. (Variety)
NewsNation has tapped Elizabeth Vargas to anchor its 6pm hour. (Deadline)
WaPo has hired Evan Hill for its investigative unit. (WaPo)
BuzzFeed News has named Joseph Longo as its entertainment editor. (Twitter)
CNN has hired Alli Rosenbloom to cover entertainment. (Twitter)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Meta's Maneuver: Meta on Tuesday announced that it will make changes impacting how advertisers can use the company's data to target teenagers on its platforms. In a blog post, the company said it will remove gender as an option that advertisers could use to target teenagers. In addition, the company said a teenager's user engagement will not impact what advertisements they are served. "We recognize that teens aren't necessarily as equipped as adults to make decisions about how their online data is used for advertising," Meta said. The Verge's Mia Sato has details here.

TOO MANY TABS

Will Parler survive? Makena Kelly reports that its parent company has laid off the majority of its staff. (The Verge)
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is on a European charm tour, Jillian Deutsch reports. (Bloomberg)
Meanwhile, back in the US: Two House lawmakers want ESPN to drop TikTok as a sponsor for NCAA halftime shows. (The Hill)
Following an NBC News investigation, Twitter has blocked searches for keywords used to promote child sex abuse material. (NBC News)
Google believes that the growth of Android in the all-important market of India will stall due to an antitrust order. (Reuters)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/Win McNamee/Getty Images

Back From The Ban: Twitter is reinstating the accounts of prominent election deniers as Elon Musk's platform continues to permit those who were previously banned back on the social media website. Over the course of the last 48 hours or so, the accounts of prominent conspiracy theorist Ron Watkins and "Stop the Steal" organizer Ali Alexander have gone back online. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan has more here.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Far right internet troll "Baked Alaska" has been sentenced to two months in prison for his involvement in the 1/6 insurrection. (CNN)
Pro-Trump entertainer Lynette Hardaway, more commonly known as Diamond from the Diamond & Silk duo, has died. (NYT)
One America News is "wading deeper into the authoritarian waters of white Christian nationalism," Emma Mae Weber reports. (MMFA)
Alex Griffing argues that Tucker Carlson has shown he's "willing to fully embrace violence against police in service of his preferred leaders." (Mediaite)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Michael Tran/AFP/Getty Images

Still Golden?: The Golden Globes were back on NBC on Tuesday — and host Jerrod Carmichael didn't waste time addressing the scandal that resulted in the annual awards show being off the air last year. "I'll tell you why I'm here: I'm here 'cause I'm Black," Carmichael said. Carmichael then joked about how he was asked to host the show. "One minute you're making mint tea at home, the next minute you're invited to be the Black face of an embattled organization," he said. "Life comes at you pretty fast, you know?" THR's James Hibberd has more here.

Peak Content?: AMC Networks content chief Dan McDermott spoke on Tuesday at the TCA press tour and addressed the company's decision to ax some of its content. McDermott said the industry "is experiencing an unrivaled period of reflection and correction," citing "too many shows" as one factor impacting it. McDermott also cited factors such as the weakened ad market and "streaming metrics that don't necessarily deliver profitability." Deadline's Peter White has more here.

OFF STAGE

Disney is rolling back unpopular price hikes at its theme parks that were made under former CEO Bob Chapek. (Insider)
Another RTO mandate: Lionsgate has also informed staffers they must return to the office four days a week, starting next week. (Deadline)
Alex Weprin reports on how the spectacular collapse of FTX is impacting Hollywood. (THR)
Andy Lewis talks to "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey" director Rhys Frake-Waterfield about public domain IP: "I've got a goal to ruin all 7 billion childhood memories," Frake-Waterfield jokes. (The Optionist)
Danny Masterson will have to stand trial for rape charges a second time. The trial is set to start March 27. (Deadline)
"Fear the Walking Dead" will conclude after its 8th season. (Variety)
Tom Hanks says he has no desire to retire: "I'm not working for the sake of working. I'm in a very lucky position." (Variety)
The trailer for "Beau is Afraid," starring Joaquin Phoenix as a paranoid man on "an epic odyssey," is out. (YouTube)

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 tomorrow around this time.