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Thursday, July 27, 2023

Variety reviews its story on CNN drama, NBCU shares pop on strong earnings report, News Emmy nominations are unveiled, Salem Radio goes silent after Charlie Kirk floats death penalty for President Biden, the Primetime Emmys get delayed, Gavin Newsom sits in the Hollywood negotiating wings, and so much more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

Fishing at Facebook

CNN Photo Illustration/Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Jim Jordan is shaking down Mark Zuckerberg.

The hyper-partisan Ohio Republican, still on an unsuccessful years-long journey to dishonestly portray Silicon Valley as unfairly censoring American conservatives, is now wielding the power of the federal government in his quest to besmirch Meta.

Jordan, who sits atop the powerful House Oversight Committee, has embarked on a fishing expedition at Facebook, demanding Zuckerberg turn over reams of internal documents that pertain to Meta's content moderation decisions. Jordan will then selectively post portions of those very documents on Elon Musk's rival platform, X, to advance a narrative that Facebook is a supposed anti-free speech social media network working in collusion with the Democrats and media elite to tilt the scales against the GOP.

In effect, Jordan is coercing Zuckerberg into turning over documents that will then be used to mendaciously smear the Meta chief's company. And if Zuckerberg fails to comply, Jordan has threatened to hold him in contempt of Congress — an action that could carry with it serious legal consequences.

Jordan had been set to hold a contempt vote on Thursday, but backed off when Meta provided his committee some of the sought after documents. Meta, for its part, had previously said it had already turned over thousands of pages of documents and was cooperating with the committee.

"Based on Facebook's newfound commitment to fully cooperate with the Committee's investigation, the Committee has decided to hold contempt in abeyance. For now," Jordan wrote on X. "To be clear, contempt is still on the table and WILL be used if Facebook fails to cooperate in FULL."

The documents that Jordan ultimately obtained and posted on Thursday were far from surprising. They showed that the White House in 2021 had applied pressure on Meta to keep its platforms clean of Covid vaccine disinformation — something that was already well-known given that the White House had staked a public position on such measures during the pandemic. In fact, President Joe Biden even went as far as to accuse Facebook of "killing people" in his efforts to press the social media company to do more to tackle dangerous vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories on its platforms.

Jordan, however, predictably hyped the documents in a much different light. Dubbing them the "Facebook Files" — a rip off of the Musk-orchestrated "Twitter Files," which also failed to provide any smoking gun evidence proving government collusion in the Hunter Biden case — Jordan tweeted X'd in all-caps that he had "SMOKING-GUN" evidence proving Facebook "CENSORED AMERICANS BECAUSE OF BIDEN WHITE HOUSE PRESSURE."

"These documents, AND OTHERS that were just produced to the Committee, prove that the Biden Admin abused its powers to coerce Facebook into censoring Americans, preventing free and open discourse on issues of critical public importance," Jordan claimed, teasing the release of more documents.

Most news organizations gave Jordan's "Facebook Files" entry little attention on Thursday. But, as you might expect, right-wing media outlets hyped the stunt. Fox News, for instance, featured a story on the documents' release as the top story on its website and Jordan was welcomed on the network's air to further promote his narrative without scrutiny. It was a helpful distraction on a day in which new charges against Donald Trump commanded the attention of the nation's biggest newsrooms.

We are about to live through the Twitter Files era all over again — except, this time around, Facebook and Instagram will be on center stage. Notably, the documents are not being made available to the public because of an erratic billionaire owner who purchased a company and legally acquired the material. In this case, the awesome powers of the federal government are being weaponized to threaten Zuckerberg into handing the information over.

Ironically, Jordan does this all from the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government — a committee ostensibly against wrongfully exploiting the powers of government for a political end.

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Florian Gaertner/Photothek/Getty Images

Conditioning Conservatives: While Jim Jordan is telling a story of Facebook censoring right-wing content, the opposite is actually true, according to a major study. "In general, [the study] concluded that conservative sources dominated Facebook's news ecosystem," NBC News reporter Brandy Zadrozny reported. "The study is one of four published Thursday, three in the journal Science and one in Nature. They were part of an unprecedented partnership between a group of prominent independent academic researchers and researchers at Meta with the aim of studying the impact Facebook and Instagram had on U.S. users during the 2020 elections." Read Zadrozny's full story.

THE INDUSTRY

First in Reliable | Vetting at Variety: It's been three days since Variety published its disputed 4,000-word story detailing behind-the-scenes CNN drama — and despite correction requests from Jeff Zucker, Tim Alberta, and Puck, the story remains in its original form online. That said, I am told that top brass at Variety are taking the matter very seriously. A person with knowledge of the situation told me on Thursday that the Hollywood trade publication's top editors are examining the article and reviewing the requests for a correction, while also maintaining support for the author, Tatiana Siegel. It's unclear if or when changes might be made to the story, but Variety editors, I'm told, understand the gravity of the matter.

THE FOURTH ESTATE

"Beyond the pale": Dylan Byers skewered the Variety story and reacted to the assertions made about his reporting in a conversation with Peter Hamby. (Apple Podcasts)
Charlotte Klein wrote about how the Variety feature has "set off a full-on media brawl." (Vanity Fair)
News & Documentary Emmy nominations are out. CNN leads the pack this year, with a network-record of 45 overall. ABC News and PBS lead the broadcasters with 26 nods each. And the now-canceled "Vice News Tonight" went out with a bang, snagging 28 nominations. (Variety)
A lawsuit brought by Prince Harry against The Sun, accusing the tabloid of unlawfully gathering information on his person, can proceed to trial, though Harry cannot include the phone hacking claims. (AP)
Former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant has filed a lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mississippi Today over welfare fraud comments. (MS Free Press)
ESPN is testing an all-female "SportsCenter" in a "bid to spotlight women's sports," Brian Steinberg reports. (Variety)
NewsNation "received some positive brand exposure during the ongoing congressional UFO hearings," Mark Mwachiro notes. (AdWeek)

THE MARKET

Shares in NBCU ended Thursday up nearly 6% after the company reported strong earnings, with the company's revenue boosted by the wild success of the "Super Mario Bros. Movie." (Variety)
Peacock added just 2 million subscribers as the streamer reported a loss of $651 million in Q2. (THR)
Comcast president Mike Cavanagh, NBCU's interim leader, dispelled the notion the company might become a strategic partner with Disney in ESPN. (Variety)
Shares in Roku popped nearly 9% in after-hours trading after beating on its Q2 earnings report. (Deadline)
"The advertising winter may finally be starting to thaw," Lara O'Reilly reports. (Insider)
Netflix is restructuring its advertising partnership with Microsoft and lowering ad prices in a bid to jump-start its ad-based tier, Suzanne Vranica, Jessica Toonkel, and Patience Haggin report. (WSJ)
Tom Kludt reports on Apple TV+'s bet on Major League Soccer, pointing out that the tech titan has made Lionel Messi "the centerpiece of its promotional campaign for the streaming service, in a bid to turn his legion of fans around the world into customers." (Vanity Fair)
Forgot this last night: Cox Enterprises "intends to invest around $100 million" in the Atlanta Journal Constitution in an attempt to transform the outlet into "the primary news and lifestyle brand of the American South," Dylan Byers reports. (Puck)

MEDIA MOVES

Adweek appointed Will Lee as chief executive. (Cision)
The NYT hired Simon Romero as a correspondent in Mexico City covering Latin America. (NYT)
Yahoo Sports hired Kendall Baker as a senior writer. (Sports Business Journal)
Hulu promoted Lauren Tempest to general manager. (Variety)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Salem's Silence: This week, Salem Radio host Charlie Kirk called for President Joe Biden to either be "put in prison" or given "the death penalty" for supposed "crimes against America." While right-wing talk radio hosts often employ extreme rhetoric on their shows, it's hard to recall an instance where a national figure like Kirk actually called for the outright death of an elected leader. That type of rhetoric is dangerous and could potentially lead to violence if one of Kirk's loyal listeners were to act on his words.

Alas, one would think that Kirk's employer, Salem, which positions itself as a Christian company, might have something to say about Kirk's remarks. But the company has been silent for days. Chief executive David Santrella has declined emails, texts, and phone calls asking for comment. Of course, it doesn't take much of an imagination to think up how Salem and its right-wing hosts would react if a prominent left-wing pundit were to have made similar comments about a Republican.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Reacting to the latest Trump indictment news, Fox News host Laura Ingraham claimed it was a "distraction" from Hunter Biden. Her guest, GOP Sen. Josh Hawley claimed the DOJ is now "charging random people" in response to the "Hunter debacle." (Matthew Gertz)
Florida schools approved the use of PragerU, the right-wing propaganda machine, as "supplemental curriculum." (Pensacola News Journal)
Texas authorities are investigating the firebombing of a Unitarian Universalist Church that occurred weeks after it was targeted in a video published by an anti-LGBTQ Christian YouTuber. (NBC News)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/Sipa USA

TikTok Theatre: TikTok has "served up a flood of ads from Chinese state propaganda outlets to millions of Europeans in recent months," Iain Martin and Emily Baker-White reported Thursday, citing a review of the company's ad library posted earlier this month. Baker-White and Martin found that more than 1,000 ads had run, "served to millions of users across Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom." A TikTok spokesperson told the duo that "the company did not consider state-controlled media to be government agencies so its rules on government, politician and political parties did not apply." Read the full story here.

TOO MANY TABS

Sen. Maria Cantwell said Thursday "she is drafting an alternative proposal to tackle national security concerns allegedly posed by foreign-linked apps like TikTok," Cristiano Lima reports. (WaPo)
"TikTok is doing something very un-TikTok": Caroline Mimbs Nyce writes about how the short-form video app is "making a clear pivot to shopping." (The Atlantic)
Meta's stock ended up Thursday more than 4% after its stronger-than-expected earnings report. (CNBC)
X owner Elon Musk is facing questions after having "reinstated the account of a right-wing influencer who had tweeted an image of a toddler being tortured." (WaPo)
Musk announced that X will bizarrely only offer dark mode because it's "better in every way." (The Verge)
X placed ads for several major companies on the verified account for an organization linked with neo-Nazis. (MMFA)
Meanwhile, Linda Yaccarino visited Hollywood to meet with talent agencies and entertainers to plead with them to remain on X. (FT)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Newsom the Negotiator: Could Gavin Newsom put an end to the dual strikes plaguing Hollywood? The California governor "is prepared to step in to try to broker a deal between the WGA, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP if there is no significant movement by the fall," Deadline's Dominic Patten and Ted Johnson reported Thursday evening. "He's the obvious choice to bring the parties together and bring down the temperature," the reporting duo quoted one industry insider as saying. Read the full story here.

HOLLYWOOD HELL

Developing | "Vendors for the 75th Primetime Emmys have been told that the ceremony will not air on September 18 — the first time that there has been official word that the date has been pushed," Elizabeth Wagmeister and Michael Schneider report. (Variety)
Stephen Battaglio reported it will be rescheduled for January. (LAT)
Studios have been going on "hiring sprees for A.I. specialist jobs amid picket line anxiety," Alex Weprin reports. (THR)
Sean Burch reports that the strikes "could spur a wave of streaming cancellations." (The Wrap)
Some actors are posting their not-so-big residual checks online as a way to draw more attention to the issue. (NPR)
Sen. John Fetterman has introduced legislations that would provide strikers access to food stamps. (Intercept)

OFF STAGE

London police have determined that Sinead O'Connor's death is not being treated as suspicious, though no cause has been announced. (CNN)
"Barbie" has passed $500 million worldwide and "Oppenheimer" is closing in on $300 million. (Deadline)
Both films have been such blockbusters that their impact is showing up in economic statistics. (CNN)
HBO renewed "The Righteous Gemstones" for a fourth season ahead of the third season's finale on Max. (The Wrap)
The teaser trailer for the third season of Apple TV+'s "The Morning Show" has dropped. (YouTube)
A24's "The Iron Claw," which stars Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White, will hit theaters on December 22. (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 next week.