Received this email from a friend? Subscribe here.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Steve Bannon lauds the "hard eight" while Rupert Murdoch's media arms (largely) zing Matt Gaetz, GB News fires two hosts over misogynistic on-air comments, Elon Musk's chaotic X dumps article headlines, Adam Mosseri insists Threads isn't "anti-news," "SNL" announces its return, and the studio chiefs meet with the actors. But first, the A1.

THE A1

The Book of Baron

CNN Photo Illustration/Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Marty Baron, the renowned executive editor of The Washington Post who led the newspaper during eight tumultuous years in American politics and media, published his anticipated memoir this week, offering readers an "an urgent exploration of the nature of power in the 21st century."

In the book, titled "Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and THE WASHINGTON POST," Baron recounts his time — and challenges — leading the legendary newspaper under the ownership of billionaire Jeff Bezos and while under sustained assault from then-President Donald Trump.

Baron's book comes at a perilous moment for American democracy and the news media tasked with covering its erosion. On Wednesday, Baron participated in a Q&A with us on the consequential issues the industry faces. Below is our conversation, printed in full.

Do you believe that news organizations, broadly speaking, are meeting the moment in terms of covering the chaos that the Republican Party is inflicting on America?

I think the coverage of the latest chaos has been very good, based on what I've read. It portrays the Republican Party as Chaos Central, which it is. The party is proving to be ungovernable, and that is wreaking havoc on the country as a whole. The bigger issue is Trump. I'd like to see substantially more coverage of what a second Trump administration would do upon taking office. Who would be put in cabinet posts? Who would be put in charge of regulatory agencies?

No doubt Trump would embark on an immediate campaign of vengeance. Plans are already in the works. What would that mean for the FBI, DOJ, the courts, the press — really for all the institutional pillars of our democracy? Some stories have been produced, though not enough in my view. Those sorts of stories would serve the public better than yet-another interview with Trump himself. Look, the party that now levels evidence-free charges of "weaponization" of government openly boasts of how it would weaponize government against its perceived enemies.

Are newsrooms being clear-eyed enough with their audiences about the reality of the GOP in 2023? Or do you believe that language used in stories gets watered down and journalists still too often falling into the both sides trap in their efforts to appear neutral?

I wouldn't want to generalize. Some stories are admirably accurate, clear and forthright in their language. Others are not. The important thing, though, is that the stories make absolutely clear what's true and what's false, giving those proper weight, and that we show the public the evidence.

If news organizations believe Donald Trump is a threat to democracy and the country's framework of government, should they remain totally neutral in covering his candidacy?

There's evidence aplenty that Trump is an aspiring authoritarian. He has talked openly about suspending the Constitution. He has talked openly about using the military to suppress legitimate protests. He has suggested that someone like Mark Milley should be executed. He has called for prosecuting NBC for treason. He continues to use language that excuses, and is likely to incite, violence against his political opponents. He has called for shutting down the government as a way to end federal prosecutions directed at him. These are unmistakable signals of the sort of presidency he intends to have, and the coverage needs to make that clear. That's just being accurate, based on a mountain of evidence — which, again, we need to show in full.

How would you describe Fox News? Do you believe it should be treated as a serious news organization or a propaganda arm of the GOP?

Well, it's a media outlet, though diminishingly a "news" organization. There's certainly little serious news coverage. It has routinely spread baseless, even bizarre, conspiracy theories. I know you've argued for at least calling it "right-wing," and I'd say that's an entirely sound recommendation — or saying that it's tightly aligned with the Republican Party. The defamation suit by Dominion Voting certainly documented just how close the relationship is, even beyond what was already known.

What do you believe is the toughest challenge running a major newsroom in 2023?

Covering the nation's radioactive politics fairly, honestly, honorably and rigorously — but also aggressively and unflinchingly — without becoming partisans and engaging in performative outrage. The GOP is a mess, and Trump's agenda and that of his close allies and enablers is a threat to democracy. But the Democratic Party has its own issues, and there are plenty of Democratic politicians who deserve close scrutiny. Robert Menendez is the latest standout example.

How do you think news organizations should approach A.I.?

Generative AI poses huge risks but also offers some intriguing opportunities. I think we're all familiar with the risks, especially when AI pulls so-called information out of the ether. The result is what are typically called "hallucinations." More appropriately they should be called "fabrications."

But there are ways to introduce some efficiencies in newsroom operations with the careful use of generative AI. Reporters and editors are burdened with all sorts of tasks they didn't have to perform in a previous era: search- and social-friendly headlines, photo selection, metadata, alerts, multiple versions of stories throughout the day, and the list goes on. The use of AI that draws upon a news organization's own archival content — and fresh reporting by its own staff — can potentially help immensely in time management for reporters and editors.

Do you think that newsrooms and journalists should remain on Twitter/X, especially given that owner Elon Musk has smeared most major media outlets and made the website a haven for conspiracy theories and hate speech?

I'm not an active user, and I certainly wouldn't pay to be verified. And, as is well known, I feel journalists should exercise great care and restraint in their social media posts. I wouldn't advocate abandoning Twitter/X altogether. It can still be useful. But I think it's advisable for journalists to moderate their use of it for all sorts of reasons, with only one of them being the ever more odious drift in its content and leadership.

MORE FROM MARTY

Jake Tapper pressed Baron on suspending Felicia Sonmez over her Kobe Bryant tweet. "I can't think of anything more journalistic in the sense that we are the ones that are supposed to bring up the most uncomfortable truths to the public," Tapper said. Baron replied that obituaries should include a person's full record, but management didn't feel Sonmez "should have been involved in that story" and that such sensitive matters should be reported with proper oversight from editors. (CNN)
Baron to James Rainey: "What I hope other people take away from it is how one news organization actually works, how we really operate, as opposed to the conspiracy theories. There are really difficult decisions that have to be made. And a lot of care goes into those decisions." (LAT)
Baron to Brier Dudley: "I talk in the book about how we came up with (the slogan) 'Democracy Dies in Darkness.' As [Jeff Bezos] said, this is an idea people want to belong to, not a newspaper they want to subscribe to. The idea was shining light in dark corners, holding government to account, holding our representatives to high standards and all of that. People were willing to get behind that and help pay for it." (Seattle Times)
Jack Shafer writes that the "real service" of Baron's book "is the way it open-sources" his recipe for breaking news: "Obsess about getting the truth. Know your limits. Listen. Be fair. Report, report, report and report some more. Then do some more reporting." (POLITICO)

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Focusing on the Forest: The news media is, at times, missing the forest for the trees while covering the civil war playing out among House Republicans. Broadly speaking, the focus of late has been heavy on incremental process and political tea leaves. Of course, the procedural drama and political aspects of the story hold inherent news value. But stripped bare, as these stories often have been, the reporting lacks the important context that explains why what is transpiring inside the House GOP actually matters to a broad audience. I would suggest that the weighty, consequential story for the country is not about the process to elect a new speaker or the politics of the moment, but about the GOP's inability to function as a governing body and its real-world consequences for people at home, particularly as the clock ticks yet again for the House to pass a bill to fund the government.

CHAOS IN CONGRESS

Steve Bannon is lauding the "the hard eight" Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as heroes, saying he was "honored" to have a pair of them — Matt Gaetz and Nancy Mace — on his show. (MMFA)
But Rupert Murdoch's outlets flashed anger at Gaetz. The WSJ Editorial Board, for instance, argued that Republicans had "cut off their own heads." (WSJ)
On Fox News, Brian Kilmeade conducted a contentious interview with a GOP representative who voted to oust McCarthy: "Why are you smarter than Jim Jordan?" (WaEx)
Mark Levin was more blunt: "Gaetz is a POS demagogue who repeatedly lied during the House floor debate." (X)
Meanwhile, Sean Hannity endorsed Jim Jordan as the next Republican House Speaker. (MMFA)
Rich Lowry painted the big picture: "Republican backbenchers used to be people such as Jack Kemp and Paul Ryan, who became something by promoting ideas that they carefully developed, sincerely believed, and persuaded their colleagues to embrace. Now, the emphasis is on becoming a micro-celebrity via constant outrage." (National Review)
A signal as to what is next: A chorus of right-wing media figures have come out over the last 24 hours calling on the GOP to remove the rule that made it so easy for Gaetz to ultimately remove McCarthy as speaker.

THE INDUSTRY

THE FOURTH ESTATE

✂️ Cuts, cuts, cuts: The WSJ has "laid off staff in its Hong Kong bureau, and three company insiders said they were bracing for more cuts in the newsroom," Lucia Moses reports. (Insider)
Dylan Byers goes inside an intimate gathering on Manhattan's West Side attended by some of the biggest names in journalism, including Mark Thompson, Joe Kahn, David Remnick, and Cesar Conde. (Puck)
The Messenger has inked a deal with an A.I. company that will supposedly help the fledging outlet eliminate bias in reporting. (AdWeek)
GB News axed Laurence Fox and Calvin Robinson over misogynistic comments they made about journalist Ava Evans on live air. (BBC)
Delhi Police raided the homes of 46 journalists connected to a left-leaning outlet known for criticizing the Indian government, raising a mountain of press freedom concerns. (CNN)
"As the war in Ukraine rumbles on, debate has emerged at a U.S. government-funded broadcaster in former Soviet states over how to balance the celebration of Russian culture and traditions with hard news about Moscow's military actions," Eric Bazail-Emil, Daniel Lippman, Matt Berg, and Nahal Toosi report. (POLITICO)
The Philadelphia Police Department has ID'd a person of interest in the murder of Josh Kruger, a local journalist. (NBC News)

MEDIA MOVES

DC Fire & EMS hired Noah Gray from CNN as chief communications officer and director of the media and community relations division. (X)
CBS News hired Nidia Cavazos, Shawna Mizelle, Allison Novelo, Olivia Rinaldi, Jake Rosen, and Taurean Small as 2024 campaign reporters while also expanding roles for Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Aaron Navarro, Zak Hudak, and Cristina Corujo as key members of its political and campaign newsgathering efforts. (Paramount)
Disney named Jenna Boyd to lead scripted development for Disney Branded TV and supervise pilots for Disney+ and Disney Channel. (THR)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Nathan Laine/Bloomberg/Getty Images

X'ing Out the Headlines: RIP to article headlines shared on X. The Elon Musk-owned social media platform has all but ditched headlines on the platform, with Musk candidly saying the algorithm will favor other forms of posting (text, images, video, etc.) that keep users from leaving the platform. In fact, links barely surface in algorithmic home feeds anymore. And on mobile, Musk has even stripped article social cards of their headlines, with the links now appearing only as images with a tiny URL in the corner. It's yet another reason that the once indispensable platform for journalists is now, well, quite dispensable. The Wrap's Natalie Korach has more here.

TOO MANY TABS

Threads boss Adam Mosseri: "We're not anti-news, news is already on threads. We're simply trying to avoid over-promising and under-delivering to an incredibly powerful group, which is a mistake we've made as a company many times in the past." (Threads)
Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal have written a letter to TikTok-parent ByteDance demanding answers to questions raised by a recent article in The WSJ. (The Hill)
Google said it will integrate its A.I.-powered chatbot into its voice assistant on phones in the "next few months." (WaPo)
Meta announced that it will now allow all advertisers to access its suite of A.I.-backed generative tools. (Reuters)
Reddit announced it is adding a media tab for search results. (The Verge)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Rosalind O'Connor/NBC/Getty Images

Live in October: Get ready for the return of "Saturday Night Live." The late-night sketch comedy show is set to kick off its 49th season on October 14, after going dark in May due to the writers' strike. Pete Davidson is set to host the episode and Ice Spice will be the musical guest. Bad Bunny will host and perform as the musical guest on the following episode. Variety's Brian Steinberg has more here.

HOLLYWOOD HELL

"The Drew Barrymore Show" is planning on returning on October 16 — though a trio of her writers are now declining to return, Lacey Rose reports. (THR)
Meanwhile, audiences are embracing late-night, which has returned with fresh episodes after the conclusion of the writers strike. Peter White breaks down the ratings here. (Deadline)
The top studio chiefs met again on Wednesday with the actors as they work to hammer out a deal that will bring an end to the standstill in Hollywood. No word, at the time of this publication, how the talks are going.

OFF STAGE

The man arrested in Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder, Duane Keith Davis, appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday. (CNN)
Actress Julia Ormond sued Harvey Weinstein for sexual battery and also named the Creative Artists Agency, Disney, and Miramax in the suit. Weinstein, now a convicted rapist, has denied her allegations. The CAA, Disney, and Miramax have not yet commented on the suit. (Variety)
"The Golden Bachelor" hit 7.7 million viewers following three days of cross-platform viewing, the best of any "Bachelor" franchise. (The Wrap)
"They're overdoing it a little bit for sure," Travis Kelce said of the NFL's Taylor Swift coverage. (Variety)
A judge ruled that Lady Gaga does not need to pay a $500,000 reward to the woman who returned her dogs after they were kidnapped. (BBC)
Bhagavan "Doc" Antle, who appeared in Netflix's "Tiger King" series (which I still have not seen), received a suspended two-year sentence for trafficking wildlife in Virginia. (AP)
Paramount+ canceled its "iCarly" sequel after three seasons. (THR)
The trailer for AppleTV+'s adaptation of Edith Wharton's unfinished novel "The Buccaneers" has dropped. (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.