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Tuesday, June 6, 2023

CNN staffers are on edge, the National Press Club blasts the PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger, Oregon probes Fox Corporation, the Senate will hold sessions on A.I., reviews for "The Flash" are in, and more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

Tucker on Twitter

CNN Photo Illustration/Jason Koerner/Getty Images

Tucker Carlson is back — sort of.

Nearly a month after vowing a return to right-wing commentary through a show on Elon Musk's Twitter, the fired Fox News host made good on his promise Tuesday evening and posted a 10-minute monologue to the social media platform.

The commentary, which appeared next to a "Tucker on Twitter" logo at the corner of the screen, was in the same style as viewers have come to expect from Carlson, a conspiracy-peddling talk-show host who gave voice to some of the most extreme ideas in right-wing politics.

The NYT's Katie Robertson and Jeremy Peters summarized the first episode like this: "He expressed sympathy for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and mocked President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. He accused the mainstream media of lying. He wrapped up by declaring that U.F.O.s and extraterrestrial life are 'actually real.'"

"As of today, we've come to Twitter," Carlson said in the video. "We're told there are no gatekeepers here. If that turns out to be false, we'll leave."

The move by Carlson could inflame the behind-the-scenes negotiations with Fox News, given that Carlson remains under contract with the channel. Carlson has hired the powerhouse attorney Bryan Freedman to help him in such efforts, according to multiple reports.

Regardless, whether the Twitter show has the same influence and reach as Carlson's one-time Fox News time slot is far from certain. The prime time perch at Rupert Murdoch's right-wing network is uniquely powerful and unrivaled in the conservative media ecosystem. Carlson faces an uphill climb if he hopes to reclaim the power he once enjoyed through Twitter videos.

The first episode of "Tucker on Twitter" didn't help. The debut video looked like a meager shell of Carlson's former show. The production quality was bare bones, with the audio gently echoing in the background as Carlson used his spare hand to scroll through the teleprompter himself.

Supporters of Carlson, in addition to those who would like to believe Musk can use Twitter to destroy the mainstream press, asserted that Carlson's debut was a success, with more than 20 million views at the time of this publication. But what counts as a video view on Twitter is unclear. Musk himself said that "it simply counts if you saw the post on the X/Twitter app or via web browser, not how long you watched." In contrast, Nielsen, the gold standard of television ratings, provides data on the average number of concurrent viewers, not the cumulative number of views. The two sets of data are apples and oranges.

Nevertheless, Musk celebrated Carlson's embrace of his platform on Tuesday, retweeting the video to his 140 million followers: "Would be great to have shows from all parts of the political spectrum on this platform!"

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Anxiety in the Air: Staffers at CNN are on edge about what might come next. Newly installed chief operating officer David Leavy arrived in New York on Tuesday for meetings with the network's executive leadership and talent as he continues to assess the situation at the company and quickly get up to speed. Semafor's Max Tani reported Tuesday that among Leavy's first moves "will be to shore up the network's public relations operation," which I can confirm. But what moves are made outside of that, including the fate of chief executive Chris Licht, appear still up in the air, leading to a feeling of apprehension inside the global news network.

ON THE SCENE

"Chaos looms over CNN": Sara Fischer reports that the network is in a state of unease. She also reports that CNN is currently "valued at far less than it was worth in late 2020, when CNN's former boss Jeff Zucker tried to explore a deal to sell the network." (Axios)
"Some of CNN's highest-profile hosts are expressing concerns to management about Chris Licht's ability to keep leading the network," Isabella Simonetti and Joe Flint report. (WSJ)
Meanwhile, Licht has been calling top talent at the network as he continues to try to mend relationships, Alexandra Steigrad reports. (NY Post)
"CNN isn't easily remodeled": Brian Steinberg argues that "Warner Bros. Discovery's news giant is no fixer-upper, and probably shouldn't be treated as such." (Variety)

THE BUSINESS

LIVid Over Merger: The National Press Club is joining the 9/11 families in voicing outrage over the shocking PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger. The organization's executive director, Bill McCarren, provided me a no-holds-barred statement in which he said they were "not surprised that Saudi Arabia released their plan to 'sportswash' their human rights record through LIV Golf was not working." McCarren added, "We have not forgotten the state-ordered gruesome murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. We must monitor carefully and Americans should be prepared to take our dollars elsewhere if there are any attempts to use this merger as a way to deny accountability for their actions against a free press."

Jubilance at The NYT: After more than 800 days without a contract, The NYT Guild on Tuesday moved to ratify a five-year agreement with the paper, ending a standoff that gave way to pronounced tension at times. The Guild said that more than 99% of its members ultimately supported the deal, describing the measures as "life-changing" for those who comprise the union. "We hope they will ripple across the industry," The Guild said. "We stand in solidarity with other units across the country as they fight for their own fair contracts!"

IN THE INDUSTRY

Prince Harry "became the first senior British royal to give evidence on a witness stand in 132 years, as his bitter fight against the U.K.'s tabloid press came to a head in tense courtroom showdown on Tuesday," Rob Picheta reports. (CNN)
"In his hacking lawsuit being heard in a British court, Prince Harry aims to land another blow against a tabloid industry that has long been accused of widespread privacy abuses but that has been forced in recent years to rein in its excesses," Stephen Castle reports. (NYT)
✂️ Cuts, cuts, cuts: Bustle Digital Group "laid off 21 full-time employees, roughly 5% of its total headcount," Mark Stenberg reports, citing a memo from the company's boss, Brian Goldberg. (AdWeek)
The NYT has appended a lengthy correction to a story after a defamation lawsuit, saying it "regrets the error in the initial report." (Mediaite)
CNN announced it will host a town hall with GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie. The event will be moderated by Anderson Cooper and air Monday, June 12. Two days later, the network will host a town hall with former VP Mike Pence. (The Wrap)
"What started as a string of vandalism incidents has mushroomed over the past year into a bare-knuckle legal brawl with important implications for the First Amendment," reports David Enrich about backlash local reporter Lauren Chooljian has faced over a story. (Boston Globe)
Netflix shareholders rejected the company's executive compensation by a margin of nearly 3-to-1, according to a Tuesday SEC filing. (Deadline)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/udo salters photography/Sipa USA/AP

Fox's Fiduciary Fail: The state of Oregon has opened an investigation into whether Fox Corporation's board breached its fiduciary duties by turning a blind eye to Fox News' airing of election lies in the wake of the 2020 election. Those lies have cost the company and, thus, shareholders $787 million+ to date. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said that she, along with State Treasurer Tobias Read, believed Fox's board "breached its fiduciary duties by allowing Fox News to broadcast false claims that Dominion and Smartmatic rigged the 2020 presidential election." The state owns more than a quarter-million shares in Fox through the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund. A spokesperson for Fox declined comment on Tuesday. CNN's Jordan Valinsky has more here.

🔎 Zooming in: The action being taken Oregon isn't particularly surprising. Experts in corporate governance have long told me to expect derivative lawsuits as a result of the financial damage caused by Fox News' election lies. Expect even more moving forward.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Bret Baier will interview Donald Trump on his Fox News program on June 19. The interview is a good sign for Fox, which is hoping Trump will participate in the first GOP debate it hosts later this summer. (Deadline)
Fox News is keeping Jeanine Pirro "on a tight leash as she promotes her new book, infuriating her publisher and some Christian conservative activists," Maxwell Tani reports. (Semafor)
Sean Hannity downplayed the crime of obstruction of justice, describing it on his radio show as an "obscure" law. (MMFA)
John Roberts offered an on-air apology to Chris Christie after making a milkshake joke about the governor's weight. (Mediaite)
Michael Lovito looks at PublicSQ, an app that "is designed to connect conservative shoppers to online and local retailers who pledge not to support causes and organizations that have drawn the ire of right-wing commentators and consumers." (The Righting)
In legal filings, Twitter's own lawyers refute Elon Musk's claim that the "Twitter Files" exposed U.S. government censorship. (CNN)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Catching Their A.I.: The U.S. Senate "will host three bipartisan, senators-only briefings on artificial intelligence in the coming weeks — including one first-ever classified briefing on the matter," Nancy Vu reported Tuesday. Vu said that information on the dates, times, and speakers at the events was not yet known. But the sessions were announced in a "Dear Colleague" letter signed by Chuck Schumer. "As A.I. transforms the world, the Senate must keep abreast of the extraordinary potential, and risks, A.I. presents," the letter said. Vu has more here.

TOO MANY TABS

Meghan Bobrowsky and Aaron Tilley report on the race between Apple and Meta to "make headsets the next big thing." (WSJ)
More reviews of Vision Pro are out: "It's rare to find a new technology that feels groundbreaking," Samantha Murphy Kelly writes. "But last night ... it felt like I'd seen the future — or at least an early and very pricey prototype of it." (CNN)
Tim Cook appeared on "GMA" and told Robin Roberts that the new hardware will dramatically change the tech landscape. (ABC News)
Cook also said that he uses ChatGPT and that Apple is looking into "unique applications" for generative A.I. (CNBC)
✂️ Cuts, cuts, cuts: Reddit is laying off nearly 100 staffers amid a restructuring. (WSJ)
TikTok is allowing more users to place exclusive content behind paywalls. (The Verge)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Warner Bros. Pictures

'The Flash' Flexes: The first reviews for "The Flash" started to roll in on Tuesday — and they're largely positive. The DC film is currently rocking a 72% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics consensus reading, "While it plays too much like a sizzle reel of DC's greatest hits to fully stand on its own two feet, 'The Flash' has enough heart and zip to maintain a confident stride." I checked in with CNN film critic Brian Lowry. Lowry, whose full review will publish later, told me, "For anyone weaned on the comics, run, don't walk, to see it (and no, that's not a term of my WBD employment)." The Wrap's Umberto Gonzalez has a round up here.

OFF STAGE

Rebecca Keegan writes about how an "existential fight" is on the horizon if SAG-AFTRA goes on strike with the WGA. (THR)
"Emily in Paris" has paused filming on season four amid the writers strike. (Variety)
Bryan Singer "is quietly plotting a comeback and has been pitching industryites on a slate of films," Tatiana Siegel reports. (Variety)
"Captain America 4" has received a new title: "Captain America: Brave New World." (IGN)
"Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse" is casting a wide web in the U.K. (Variety)
Is AppleTV+ going forward with a "Ted Lasso" spinoff? (Deadline)

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.