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Tuesday, October 17, 2023

The death toll of journalists covering the Israel-Hamas war rises, Jim Jordan fails first speakership vote despite right-wing media pressure campaign, X says it will test pilot charging users to post on the platform, New Mexico prosecutors say new evidence has emerged in the "Rust" shooting that could implicate Alec Baldwin, and so much more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

A Crossfire of Claims

CNN Photo Illustration/Mohammed Al-Masri/Reuters

Hundreds of civilians killed in an airstrike on a Gaza City hospital. Israel did it. No, Islamic Jihad did it.

A series of high-stakes claims emerged Tuesday amid the roiling Israel-Hamas war, presenting one of the thorniest challenges yet to newsrooms trying to make sense of the chaos and provide clarity to the world as it watches the deadly conflict unfold.

In the immediate aftermath of the deadly hospital explosion, some of the world's biggest and most reputable news organizations uncritically echoed claims from the Hamas-run Palestinian government, which assigned fault for the carnage on Israel. Some news organizations even definitively stated that Israel was responsible in their first reports.

But, soon after those reports, a more complex picture emerged. The Israel Defense Forces flatly denied having struck the hospital and causing the devastating civilian casualties. Instead, the IDF laid blame for the tragic incident squarely at the feet on a rival Islamist group in Gaza, which it said had struck the hospital with an errant rocket.

News organizations quickly moved to reflect the IDF's statement — and the sudden ambiguity — in coverage. Cable news chyrons were tweaked. Ledes rewritten. Headlines changed.

The turnabout prompted the IDF to scold the press.

"Media outlets around the globe were quick to run Hamas' headlines—without fact checking," the IDF said on social media.

And in an appearance on the BBC, an IDF spokesperson scolded the network for its reporting on the blast, saying the network is "taking Hamas information and displaying that as the truth."

But, even in the wake of Israel's vigorous denial, news organizations are still unable to definitively say what transpired, putting them in a difficult position and leaving audiences confused.

War sows chaos all around, including for the journalists tasked with covering its calamities. In the heat of a battle, and in the rush to quickly get information out to the public during rapidly developing situations, mistakes can be made. The first draft of history is not always perfect. The fog of war is very real.

At the same time, there is little room for error. Reports on serious matters involving civilian deaths carry enormous weight, often resulting in immediate consequence. In this case, not long after reports claimed Israel had bombed the Gaza hospital, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas canceled his meeting with President Joe Biden. And protests were ignited across the Middle East.

There is no perfect solution. And hindsight is always 20/20. But it is worth repeating that it is of paramount importance for news organizations to remain in a heightened state of vigilance — especially during moments of breaking news when the stakes could not be higher and the situation remains fluid.

Failing to do so runs the risk of confusing and actively misinforming the public, with warring factions retreating even deeper into their respective corners, pointing fingers at one another with civilians caught in the middle.

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Bashar Taleb/AFP/Getty Images

Casualties Climb: At least 17 journalists have been killed since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. 13 of the killed were Palestinian, three were Israeli, and one was Lebanese, the CPJ added. "CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties," Sherif Mansour, CPJ's Middle East program coordinator, said in a statement. "Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heartbreaking conflict. All parties must take steps to ensure their safety."

Former CPJ editor Lauren Wolfe expressed dismay over the body count. "Never seen a toll like this in my decades of journalism or in my years at CPJ."

CNN's Liam Reilly has details here.

ISRAEL AT WAR

Jon Allsop takes a look at the war's "toll on the press." (CJR)
CNN correspondent Ben Wedeman talks to David Rind about the dangers of reporting from the region: "I've been covering this story for decades, and I can tell you it's a dangerous story to cover. ... In a big story like this, you want to be a part of it. But it's risky. And the risks are very high in this conflict." (CNN Audio)
Condé Nast reminded staffers about the companies social media policies, per a memo from Semafor's Max Tani. (Threads)
Senate Democrats have asked big tech companies to send information detailing their respective efforts to address the proliferation of misinformation that has flourished amid the Israel-Hamas war. (The Hill)
Hamas has hacked their hostages' social media accounts in an attempt to sow terror online. (NYT)
Israel has "pushed dozens of online ads, including graphic videos, to millions of people to drum up support for its actions," Liv Martin, Clothilde Goujard, and Hailey Fuchs report. (POLITICO)
Israel said it is in talks with SpaceX to establish a Starlink wartime backup. (Bloomberg)
Tilda Swinton, Steve Coogan, Maxine Peake, and Charles Dance signed a petition seeking an end to Israel's bombing of Gaza. (Deadline)
Both Gigi and Bella Hadid have received death threats over their outspoken support of Palestinians. (TMZ)

THE INDUSTRY

THE FOURTH ESTATE

Layoffs at Bloomberg News? Laura Litvan announced on social media Tuesday that she had been laid off after 24 years at the outlet. When reached on Tuesday evening, a spokesperson for Bloomberg News declined to comment.
Erik Wemple reports on a book from a former aide to ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo that alleges inappropriate behavior by a reporter for The NYT. The outlet said that an "independent, external investigation did not substantiate" the claims. (WaPo)
The NewsGuild "is seeking to compel a journalist to give up his communications with his sources, as well as his correspondence with a former New York Times columnist," Angela Fu reports. (Poynter)
Chris LaPlaca, ESPN's longtime communications chief, will retire at the end of 2023 after 43 years at the company. (SBJ)

IN THE MARKET

Activist investor Starboard is demanding change at News Corp., seeking to separate the real estate division from the rest of Rupert Murdoch's publishing company. (CNBC)
Paramount boss Bob Bakish said he's "optimistic" about a SAG-AFTRA deal in the "near term." (THR)
Netflix is growing its advertising business with new options for companies seeking to market their brands/products on the streaming platform. (THR)
Meanwhile: "As Amazon gears up to run ads on its Prime Video streaming service early next year, company executives are asking advertisers to commit to spending significant amounts of money on the service in 2024," Sahil Patel reports, saying one ad firm had been asked for a commitment of more than $100 million. (The Info)

MEDIA MOVES

LAT hired Rebecca Plevin as a reporter for its equity initiative. (LAT)
MRC hired Jordan Sheehan to head TV development. (Deadline)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Jordan in a Jam: Will he be able to lock the votes for Wednesday's vote? Jim Jordan failed on Tuesday to secure the support necessary to win the Speaker's gavel, with 20 Republicans defecting, despite a sustained pressure campaign from his allies in the right-wing media. Sean Hannity again reiterated his support for Jordan, a regular guest on his Fox News program. And other right-wing media figures supportive of him lashed out. Steve Bannon described the state of affairs as a "spiritual war" that must be won. Whether these hardliners will ultimately emerge victorious remains to be seen. But the fact that Jordan is this close to the gavel signals how much power they have amassed in recent years.

► An aside: Many news organizations are failing to use plain terms to describe precisely who Jordan is to their audiences. Terms such as "conservative firebrand" simply do not cut it.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Sarah Ellison and Will Sommer report on how right-wing media "helped to fuel the GOP speaker chaos." (WaPo)
On a hot mic, Brian Kilmeade called a House Republican who did not vote for Jim Jordan a "dumbass." (Mediaite)
Republican Rep. Ken Buck candidly acknowledged to Jake Tapper that his appearances on CNN will hurt him among his constituents. (Mediaite)
Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel's new media company received an investment from 1789 Capital, Omeed Malik's that brands itself as anti-woke. (WSJ)
Brooke Singman is the most powerful reporter at Fox News you've never heard of, Justin Baragona and Jake Lahut argue. (Daily Beast)
The Biden campaign created an account on Truth Social in a bid to troll Donald Trump on his own social platform. (AP)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Cost of X: New X users in New Zealand and the Philippines will have to pony up $1 for an annual subscription if they want to post or share others on the platform. X said that the charge, which will not impact current users, is a "test" to boost its current efforts to reduce spam. "It is not a profit driver," the company stated. The move marks the first time a mainstream social media platform has charged users to access basic features. Fortune's Kylie Robison has more here.

TOO MANY TABS

YouTube unveiled a design overhaul and a series of new features. (The Verge)
X's traffic and active users have declined one year since Elon Musk took over in chaotic fashion, a report from SimlarWeb shows. (TechCrunch)
Threads boss Adam Mosseri said that, after a temporary block, the platform will in the coming weeks/months allow users to search for terms such as "Covid." (TechCrunch)
Tired of Instagram following you across the web? Meta will now let you restrict the app from tracking you. (The Verge)
Several Big Tech companies are being probed by South Africa as the nation seeks to determine whether their A.I. models are hampering news media outlets' respective abilities to make money. (Bloomberg)
Reddit is hitting delete on its blockchain-based Community Points. (TechCrunch)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Blaming Baldwin: Alec Baldwin is once again facing the possibility of criminal charges connected to the fatal shooting on the set of "Rust." New Mexico prosecutors said Tuesday that "after extensive investigation over the past several months, additional facts have come to light that we believe show Mr. Baldwin has criminal culpability in the death of Halyna Hutchins and the shooting of Joel Souza." The prosecutors said that a grand jury, whom they will present the case within the next two months, will decide whether Baldwin will face charges. The actor had initially been charged with involuntary manslaughter, but those charges were dropped earlier this year. CNN's Cheri Mossburg has more here.

OFF STAGE

Netflix gets into live sports with its own golf tournament, titled the "Netflix Cup," which will tee off on November 14. (Variety)
Meanwhile, Netflix has "pulled back on hard-hitting documentaries as streamers seek more true crime," Lucia Moses reports. (Insider)
The Season 49 premiere of "Saturday Night Live" on NBC brought in 4.8 million viewers, marking 19% audience growth compared to the prior season's premiere. (Deadline)
BTS's "Yet to Come" concert film will be released worldwide on November 9 — and exclusively on Prime Video. (TheWrap)
Kevin Spacey received a standing ovation following a lecture at the University of Oxford about cancel culture. (Daily Beast)
Francis Lawrence said he "totally regrets" dividing "Hunger Games: Mockingjay" into two films. (THR)
NBC renewed Jimmy Fallon's "That's My Jam" for a third season. (Deadline)
A24 released the trailer for Jonathan Glazer's "Zone of Interest." (YouTube)
Prime Video released the trailer for "Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story." (YouTube)

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. You can follow us on Instagram and Threads. We will see you back in your inbox tomorrow.