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Wednesday, May 10, 2023

What a night it has been! Disney's earnings, the British Mirror's apology, Fox's latest legal problem, Smartmatic's subpoena of the Trump campaign, Google's "supercharging" of search with A.I., and the Directors Guild's negotiations begin. But first, the A1.

THE A1

Trump and the Town Hall

CNN Photo Illustration/Will Lanzoni/CNN

It's hard to see how America was served by the spectacle of lies that aired on CNN Wednesday evening.

Kaitlan Collins is as tough and knowledgable of an interviewer as they come. She fact-checked Trump throughout the 70-minute town hall. Over and over and over again, she told him that the election was not stolen. That it was not rigged. That there was no evidence for the lies he was disseminating on stage.

"The election was not rigged, Mr. President," Collins told Trump at one point during the event. "You cannot keep saying that all night long."

Yet, he did. Trump frequently ignored or spoke over Collins throughout the evening as he unleashed a firehose of disinformation upon the country, which a sizable swath of the GOP continues to believe. A professional lie machine, Trump fired off falsehoods at a rapid clip while using his bluster to overwhelm Collins, stealing command of the stage at some points of the town hall.

Trump lied about the 2020 election. He took no responsibility for the January 6 insurrection that those very lies incited. And he mocked E. Jean Carroll's allegations of sexual assault, which a jury found him liable for on Tuesday.

And CNN aired it all. On and on it went. It felt like 2016 all over again. It was Trump's unhinged social media feed brought to life on stage. And Collins was put in an uncomfortable position, given the town hall was conducted in front of a Republican audience that applauded Trump, giving a sense of unintended endorsement to his shameful antics.

Yes, some news was made. The town hall spotlighted his insistence on continuing to peddle 2020 election lies. Additionally, he said the US should default on its debt if the White House does not agree to Republican spending cuts, refused to say whether he wants Ukraine or Russia to win the war, and declined to give a straight answer on abortion.

But for most of the night, the nation's eyes were transfixed on Trump's abuse of the platform that he was given. At one point, he even insulted Collins, calling her a "nasty person," to which the crowd of New Hampshire Republican primary voters broke out in cheers.

"We don't have enough time to fact-check every lie he told," anchor Jake Tapper candidly said after the event wrapped up.

Trump's team was, naturally, delighted with the result, according to reports. "Advisers to Trump are thrilled at how this is going so far for him," The NYT's Jonathan Swan reported. "They can't believe he is getting an hour on CNN with an audience that cheers his every line and laughs at his every joke."

Neither could anyone else.

While Collins is largely receiving praise for her relentless fact-checking of the former president, she was facing an impossible task. CNN and new network boss Chris Licht are facing a fury of criticism — both internally and externally over the event.

How Licht and other CNN executives address the criticism in the coming days and weeks will be crucial. Will they defend what transpired at Saint Anselm College? Or will they express some regret?

For now, CNN is defending itself.

"Tonight Kaitlan Collins exemplified what it means to be a world-class journalist. She asked tough, fair and revealing questions," a network spokesperson said. "And she followed up and fact-checked President Trump in real time to arm voters with crucial information about his positions as he enters the 2024 election as the Republican frontrunner."

"That is CNN's role and responsibility: to get answers and hold the powerful to account."

THE SIDEBAR

"The predictably disastrous [CNN] town hall was indeed disastrous," television news vet Mark Lukasiewicz tweeted. "Proving again: Live lying works. A friendly MAGA crowd consistently laughs, claps at Trump's punch lines - including re sex assault and Jan 6 - and the moderator cannot begin to keep up with the AR-15 pace of lies." (Twitter)
"This thing was madness, total madness," Bill Carter said. "Like giving a microphone to Drunk Uncle and saying: go for it!" (Twitter)
"This is CNN's lowest moment as an organization," James Fallows argued. (Twitter)
"THIS is the 2024 Republican presidential primary," Brian Stelter wrote. "Look away if you choose, but this is what it's going to be like. Should news outlets sanitize it or stare it in the face?" (Twitter)
To that point: "I have complaints, but I don't really blame CNN for having a townhall with the GOP front runner," Sarah Longwell argued. "It's good to know what we're facing. We can't hide from the fight in front of us. Trump is probably going to be the nominee and we need to be clear-eyed about what we're dealing with." (Twitter)
"This was a preview of what American journalism can expect from a 2024 campaign featuring Mr. Trump, who despite his ubiquity in political life has rarely appeared on mainstream TV outside of Fox News since leaving office," Michael Grynbaum wrote. (NYT)
Justin Baragona said CNN was walking away from the town hall "with a lot of egg" on its face. "At the same time, I feel like Kaitlan Collins is doing as good as she can in this situation," he added. (Twitter)
"Chris Licht said he wouldn't allow anyone on his network that said it's raining when it's not," Alex Sherman pointed out. "But he's let someone on now who says it's raining when it's not, and he added hundreds of people to applaud when he does it." (Twitter)
"Trump seemed to have a significant home field advantage over Collins," Jeremy Barr wrote. (WaPo)
"Props to [Collins] who was in an impossible position but did a heroic job of fact-checking Trump throughout the town hall," Peter Baker tweeted. "No easy task given how many factually untrue things he said in such a short time." (Twitter)
"Even in a world where [Collins] was correcting every Trump lie as they spewed forth — and we are pretty far from that world — the braying crowd would make Trump look like the victor," contended Jonathan Chait. (Twitter)
"This was not Kaitlin Collins' fault," Charlie Sykes said. "The format was impossible and CNN's bosses should have known that." (Twitter)
"This format programmed her — and the country — for failure," echoed Tom Nichols. (Twitter)
"This isn't [Collins'] fault (she is doing the best one can), but this is a gushing geyser of disinformation that is cannot be fact-checked in real time," added Dan Pfeiffer. (Twitter)
Democratic politicians were livid: "CNN should be ashamed of themselves," Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said. (Twitter)
Seung Min Kim reported that the televisions on Air Force One, which "are always" tuned to CNN, were changed to show MSNBC during the town hall. (Twitter)

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

Collins' Calling: Viewers of CNN should get used to seeing Kaitlan Collins in prime time. Collins is poised to take over the network's 9pm time slot, a person familiar with the matter told me Wednesday. CNN and Collins have come to terms on a multi-year deal and, barring any last-minute hiccup, the deal should be announced soon. Puck's Dylan Byers was first to report the news. A CNN spokesperson would only tell me that the network has "no news to share at this time."

🔎 Zooming in: The moment is a big one for Collins and CNN. Collins' meteoric rise has been remarkable to watch. She has ascended within CNN from a White House reporter in 2017 to "CNN This Morning" co-anchor and chief correspondent, and is the first permanent host in the coveted time slot since Chris Cuomo was fired in 2021.

THE BUSINESS

CNN Photo Illustration/Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

A Whole New World: Disney on Wednesday reported its quarterly earnings, narrowing its losses on streaming and offering a peek at future plans for the media juggernaut. Chief executive Bob Iger announced the company plans to fold Hulu into the Disney+ app by the end of the year to create a "one-app" experience. Standalone options for all of its platforms, including ESPN+, will also remain, he said. But plans are afoot to raise subscription prices and drop some of the platforms' content. Iger said the company will be taking a $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion charge related to the removal. "Going forward we intend to produce lower volumes of content," he said.

Iger also addressed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' attacks on the company after it took a stand on the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" law. Iger hammered the governor over moves he called "plainly a matter of retaliation" and suggested the company could withdraw some of its investment in the state where it employs some 75,000 workers. CNN's Chris Isidore has more here.

🔎 Zooming in: "The streaming wars are over, and it's time for media to figure out what's next," CNBC's Alex Sherman argues.

IN THE INDUSTRY

The NYT gained 190,000 digital subscribers in Q1, but also said it is grappling with the poor advertising market. Shares in the company ended ⬇️ nearly 8%. (WSJ)
Publishers for the British Mirror newspaper apologized to Prince Harry for illegally gathering information on the royal. The apology comes at the outset of a trial in which Harry is but one plaintiff claiming Mirror Group Newspapers allegedly hacked their phones. (BBC)
The first day of the trial also brought allegations against Piers Morgan that he "must have known" about illegal phone hacking taking place at the British Mirror newspaper during his time as its editor. Morgan responded by saying he is "not going to take lectures on privacy invasion from Prince Harry." (Deadline)
BBC News "has lost 1M viewers in the UK after it was merged with BBC World News as part of the corporation's efforts to slash costs," Jake Kanter reports. (Deadline)
Bron Maher talks to Lynn Anderson Clark, the chief executive of The Know, a newsletter "fighting news avoidance." (Press Gazette)

MEDIA MOVES

Vox Media promoted Bryan Walsh to editorial director responsible for Future Perfect, tech, climate, and world teams; Adam Clark Estes was promoted to senior editor managing tech and climate coverage. (Vox)
The NYT tapped Krista Mahr as its deputy international editor of opinion. (NYT)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/Leonardo Munoz/VIEWpress/Getty Images

Standing Up For What's Right: A prominent disinformation researcher who became the target of Fox News last year filed a defamation lawsuit against the right-wing network on Wednesday, accusing the channel of a "malicious campaign of destruction" and adding to its growing legal problems. The researcher, Nina Jankowicz, briefly served in the Biden administration as head of the now-defunct Disinformation Governance Board. The lawsuit accused Fox News of mentioning Jankowicz more than 300 times, repeatedly lying about her. "None of Fox's false claims about Jankowicz were the product of honest mistakes in its reporting," the lawsuit said. "Rather, Fox intentionally trafficked in malicious falsehoods to pad its profits at the expense of Jankowicz's safety, reputation, and well-being." Here's my story.

🔎 Zooming in: Jankowicz spoke with The NYT's Jim Rutenberg and Steven Lee Myers, the duo that first reported the lawsuit: "It shouldn't be something we just accept," she said, "that the most powerful cable network in the world can attack individuals willy-nilly and not face any consequences after they ruin their lives."

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Smartmatic has subpoenaed the Trump campaign as part of its $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News. The subpoena, which was made public in a court filing this week, requires the Trump campaign to turn over documents related to Smartmatic, Fox News, and the allegations of election fraud. Here's my full story. (CNN)
Philip Bump's latest: "Tucker Carlson makes a big bet on his own power." (WaPo)
"Carlson is daring Fox to stop him from doing a show on Twitter," Brian Stelter writes. "Will the network bite?" A source close to Carlson said that his camp "will not let Fox drag this out for a year." (Vanity Fair)
Hason Chowdhury reports that Carlson's Twitter show "could spell doom" for Musk, with the billionaire facing "a real risk that a growing number of Twitter users" could flee the platform. (Insider)
Veteran ad executive Lou Paskalis to Maxwell Tani and Ben Smith: "This is yet another example of Elon Musk's Twitter being purposely tone deaf when it comes to advertisers' concerns about content moderation under the guise of free speech and to his financial detriment." (Semafor)

THE VALLEY

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

Google Goes Big on A.I.: Google on Wednesday showed off the future of its biggest products, infusing them with artificial intelligence. At the much-anticipated annual I/O developer conference, the Silicon Valley titan most notably demonstrated how it will be "supercharging" search with generative A.I. "With this powerful new technology, we can unlock entirely new types of questions you never thought Search could answer, and transform the way information is organized, to help you sort through and make sense of what's out there," Google VP of search Elizabeth Reid wrote in a blog post after the I/O demonstration. Google showed off how users will be able to ask the search engine a question and get a custom tailored response that pulls from various sources on the web. The Verge's David Pierce put it like this in a headline: "The A.I. takeover of Google Search starts now."

🔎 Zooming in: Google's use of generative A.I. in search raises a multitude of questions. Google said it will take a "responsible approach" to implementing the technology into its products, stressing the features will first roll out as an experiment in Search Labs. But, once fully rolled out, the technology will have significant implications, including for news publishers that will surely want to be paid for supplying information to the company.

TOO MANY TABS

ByteDance has delayed opening a shopping platform on TikTok in the U.S. "as concerns over the video-sharing app's future deter merchants from joining," Raffaele Huang reports. (WSJ)
Elon Musk claimed that Twitter will "soon" allow encrypted messaging and calls. (Reuters)
A British man has pleaded guilty in New York to a massive 2020 social media hack in which more than 130 major accounts, including those belonging to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, were compromised. He could face decades in prison. (BBC)

CURTAIN CALL

Demands From the Directors: The Directors Guild of America on Wednesday started its contract negotiations with the major studios, which are represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The discussions come at an important time in the industry, with the Writers Guild of America West on strike and streaming continuing to upend the industry. The DGA, which represents more than 19,000 members, is looking during its negotiations to secure raises that address inflation and residuals that account for how content is distributed across platforms today. The DGA's current contract expires June 30, which leaves some time to negotiate. "This year's negotiations are about more than bargaining a strong contract for the next three years – they're about setting the course for the future," the DGA said in a notification to members this week. "Make no mistake – the industry understands that DGA is united and prepared, ready to fight hard and committed to win a strong contract." The AMPTP declined to comment Wednesday. THR's Katie Kilkenny has more here.

OFF STAGE

Apple TV+ dropped the trailer for "The Crowded Room," the drama starring Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried. (YouTube)
Netflix released the trailer for its highly anticipated "Arnold" documentary series. (YouTube)
"Book Club: The Next Chapter" is heading into its opening weekend and is eyeing a $7-Million-to-$10-Million domestic debut. (Variety)
Most of Marilyn Manson's defamation lawsuit against Evan Rachel Wood was tossed out by a California judge. (Deadline)
Tony Gilroy, the showrunner for Disney+'s "Andor," dismissed accusations he had continued to work on the show, violating the writers' strike. (The Wrap)
CBS unveiled its Fall 2023 schedule. (Variety)

Thank you for reading! This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino and produced with the assistance of Liam Reilly. Have feedback? Send us an email here. We will see you back in your inbox tomorrow.