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Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Russia detains RFE/RL reporter, Netflix's stock jumps after earnings report, Sean Hannity signals it may be time to move on from Jim Jordan, Semafor celebrates one year anniversary, Google News undergoes layoffs, Hollywood's biggest actors meet with SAG-AFTRA leadership, and more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

The Trauma of War

CNN Photo Illustration/Abed Khaled/AP

Burned babies. Children wearing bloodied clothes. People crying out in agony.

Journalists reporting on the Israel-Hamas war from outside the immediate region are also being confronted each day with graphic imagery that they cannot look away from as they work to verify reports on the expanding conflict online and deliver the facts to the public.

While the challenges are dwarfed by the myriad of horrendous troubles afflicting those residing in the Middle East, they are without question leaving many reporters working in the digital battlefield scarred, with awful scenes forever imprinted into their memories.

The task is taking a particular toll on journalists whose specific roles are tasked with surfacing video and images from the war and subsequent humanitarian disaster, and authenticating the imagery for use in reporting.

"The challenges our journalists face pale in comparison to what people in the region are experiencing. However, viewing this graphic footage does have an impact on our team," James Law, the editor-in-chief of Storyful, told me Wednesday.

Storyful is a news organization that sifts through the vast ocean of content posted on social media. The company then verifies — or in many cases debunks — that information for other newsrooms, which saves them valuable time and resources.

"As a result, it is our duty to look closely at the most confronting content posted online," Law said.

Law told me that his reporters have "been viewing extremely graphic footage as part of their daily work since the initial attack." Such video and photographs, he explained, have included "violence, dead bodies, [and] the worst imaginable images."

"Our journalists have risen to the challenge of this incredibly difficult story, but we're very conscious of acknowledging the toll this can take on our team members' welfare," Law said.

The work the Storyful team is doing is happening across the news industry right now, with scores of reporters assigned the responsibility of analyzing the horror posted online and then helping their newsrooms make sense of it. Often times, viral images circulated on social media platforms turn out not to be from the current Israel-Hamas conflict, making their work crucial in separating fact from fiction.

Newsrooms have recognized the mental toll that the work is taking on their journalists, with many offering support resources to their staffs. But, even with such resources, it's difficult to unsee the realities of war.

"Our journalists know what they do is critical, which gives them a sense of purpose in these situations," Law said, "and proves an effective way of dealing with such confronting material."

ISRAEL AT WAR

With at least 19 journalists reported dead since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined more than 200 organizations in calling for a humanitarian ceasefire. (CPJ)
"An apology to our readers": The Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board said it "regrets the publication of an editorial cartoon that reinforced antisemitic tropes." (Inquirer)
"More than five dozen daily newspapers owned by investment firm Alden Global Capital ran an editorial on Wednesday urging the news media to describe Hamas as a terrorist organization," Sara Fisher reported. (Axios)
"This really is an operation in which we've mobilized the entire newsroom," The WaPo's international editor Douglas Jehl told Peter Kafka. (Apple Podcasts)
A "disinformation surge" is threatening to "fuel" the conflict, Stephanie Burnett, Stephen Farrell, and Hardik Vyas reported. (Reuters)
"The Israel-Hamas war shows how social media has given up on facts," Kali Hays argued. (Insider)
Stuart Thompson and Mike Isaac reported on how Hamas is "exploiting the challenge social media companies face in striking the right balance on moderation." (NYT)
Hamas has been using the internet "as a tool for terror and antisemitism, building on a playbook pioneered by the Islamic State with the aim of instilling fear, winning attention and marshaling support for potentially more attacks to come," Drew Harwell and Elizabeth Dwoskin wrote. (WaPo)
"Death in the desert": Alexei Barrionuevo and Natalie Korach took an in-depth look at the Israeli rave attacked by Hamas terrorists. The piece features unseen photography from the festival itself by Ido Derby and Liav Franko. (TheWrap)
Noah Lanard sat down with Haggai Matar — who famously declined to serve in the IDF and later became a journalist for Haaretz and other Israeli outlets — to discuss the nightmarish reality of war. (Mother Jones)
The Golden Globes donated $75,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists, expressing its "commitment to support the courageous journalists who take tremendous personal risks to shed light on events and keep the world informed." (THR)
Quentin Tarantino visited troops in Israel to "boost morale." (THR)
The Cairo Film Festival was canceled due to the war. (Variety)

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

From RFE/RL

Russia Detains Reporter: Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tatar-Bashkir Service, was detained by authorities on Wednesday in Kazan, Russia, the news outlet said. RFE/RL said that Kurmasheva, who is a dual U.S. and Russian citizen and lives with her family in the Czech Republic, has been charged with failure to register as a foreign agent, and if convicted could face up to five years in prison. "Alsu is a highly respected colleague, devoted wife, and dedicated mother to two children," RFE/RL acting President Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin said in a statement. "She needs to be released so she can return to her family immediately."

► The Committee to Protect Journalists also expressed alarm at Kurmasheva's detention in its own separate statement, denouncing the "spurious criminal charges" and calling on Russian authorities to "release her immediately and drop all charges against her." Gulnoza Said, CPJ's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, said "journalism is not a crime and Kurmasheva's detention is yet more proof that Russia is determined to stifle independent reporting."

THE INDUSTRY

CNN Photo Illustration/Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images

Netflix's Blockbuster Quarter: Netflix shares have hopped aboard a rocket ship Wednesday evening. The streamer's stock popped more than 12% in after hours trading after delivering a blockbuster earnings report and announcing a price hike. The company reported adding 8.8 million subscribers in Q3, bringing the total number of global subscribers to 247 million. And it said it will increase the price of its premium ad-free plan by $3 a month, and its basic plan to $11.99 in the U.S. CNN's Samantha Delouya has more here.

► On sports: "We are in the sports business, but we're in the part that we bring the most value to, which is the drama of sport," Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos told investors.

► On cash flow: The streamer upped its free cash flow estimate to $6.5 billion for the year, citing "lower-than-planned cash content spend" due to the dual writers' and actors' strikes.

IN THE MARKET

Amol Sharma and Isabella Simonetti take a look at "how the NBA plans to remake TV deals." The duo reports that ESPN and TNT "are exploring signing up for smaller packages." That would allow the league to sell some games to Amazon and Apple, both of which they said have expressed interest, Sharma and Simonetti added. (WSJ)
"Just how profitable is ESPN to The Walt Disney Co.? For the first time, there's a clear answer, and it shows just how lucrative the sports business is for the company," Alex Weprin writes, citing an SEC doc to report that the division "had revenue of $16 billion and profits of $2.9 billion in 2022 — more than Disney's entire entertainment business that year." (THR)
Claire Atkinson reports from Mipcom in Cannes, where she notes, "The center of gravity of the global content business, once commanded by the busy studio lots of California, continues to shift overseas." (The Ankler)

THE FOURTH ESTATE

One year after its launch, Semafor — the online news organization co-founded by Ben Smith and Justin B. Smith — said it has amassed 500,000 newsletter subscribers and 3 million monthly readers. (Semafor)
Nebraska Journalism Trust head Matt Wynn fired back at Gov. Jim Pillen after his racist attack on reporter Yanqi Xu: "As an employer, that infuriates me. As a believer in democracy and a free press, it saddens me. As a Nebraskan, it embarrasses me." (Flatwater Free Press)
Xu spoke to Kimmy Yam about the governor's attack: "As a woman of color, if the other person who made such a comment about you is the most powerful person in the state, how do you respond? But I think for me, I found myself coming back to this point of: If I don't do it, who would?" (NBC News)
For the first time since March 2020, NBC's "Nightly News with Lester Holt" topped ABC News' "World News Tonight With David Muir" in the key 25 to 54 demographic for the full week. (Forbes)
Graydon Carter's Air Mail will launch a style vertical edited by former Vanity Fair creative director Jessica Diehl. (WWD)
"Only in Dade" has blossomed from covering alligator sightings to a go-to news source on Instagram for Floridians, Elahe Izadi writes. (WaPo)

MEDIA MOVES

New York magazine promoted Genevieve Smith to executive editor and Gazelle Emami to editorial director. (NY Mag)
The NYT promoted Anjali Singhvi to senior staff editor and named Noreen Malone a Sunday Business editor. (NYT/NYT)
Paramount named Elita Fielder Adjei as vice president of communications for CBS Stations. (Paramount)
Disney promoted Matt Kalavsky to senior vice president and general sales manager of domestic theatrical distribution. (Deadline)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty Images

The Debate Dilemma: It seems it wasn't just NBC News willing to partner for a GOP primary debate with Salem Radio Network and Rumble, two right-wing media companies that have a history peddling and profiting off extremist rhetoric. In an apparent attempt to embarrass CNN, Republican National Committee spokesman Keith Schipper told The Spectator on Wednesday that the network "has and continues to pitch the RNC on doing a debate with Salem, and agreed to have Rumble as the livestream partner." When reached for comment Wednesday evening, a CNN spokesperson declined to comment to me on the matter. The revelation from the RNC came after we pointed out earlier this week that NBC News' partnership with the two companies was striking, given Salem and Rumble's history of legitimizing and empowering radical voices. And it would be striking if CNN wanted to link arms with those two companies as well. In fact, it would be a terrible look.

🔎 Zooming in: As we noted Monday, the matter shines a spotlight on the challenge news organizations are facing as they attempt to work with the GOP to host primary debates this cycle. Most conservative media outlets are not what they were pre-2016. Just like the Republican Party, they have been remade in Donald Trump's image, embracing conspiratorial thinking and rhetoric often detached from reality. News organizations will need to grapple with this uncomfortable reality as they navigate the 2024 waters. Do they really want to associate themselves with and — as a result — help elevate companies that are in the business of pushing extremism to the American public?

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Jim Jordan lost another vote for House Speaker and one of his top supporters, Sean Hannity, is signaling it might be time to move on: "I'd like it to be Jim Jordan, but if you guys pick someone else, that's up to you guys," Hannity said on his radio show. (MMFA)
Jake Tapper is also over the drama: "It's not normal. And frankly, it's not even particularly interesting." (Mediaite)
"In many ways, Congress has become more like Fox since the rise of Trump: An institution stocked with podcast-hosting pundits who show up for TV hits more eagerly than votes," Colby Hall noted. (Mediaite)
Brian Kilmeade on Wednesday addressed calling a House Republican a "dumbass" on a hot mic for not voting for Jim Jordan: "I did not know my mic was open." (The Hill)
After joining Donald Trump's Truth Social platform on Monday, Joe Biden's campaign account was promoted by the platform — and now has more followers than Trump's. (CNBC)
NBCU "filed its own request to televise Donald Trump's election conspiracy trial, citing the extraordinary circumstances of a former president facing criminal charges," Ted Johnson reported. (Deadline)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Alex Kraus/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Google News Nicked: The tech layoffs just will not end. Google this week laid off Google News staffers, The Info's Jon Victor reported. The search titan stressed that "news is a part" of its "long term investment," but confirmed that it had "made some internal changes" that led to cuts. "A small number of employees were impacted," a Google spokesperson said, without providing specifics. The spokesperson added, "We're supporting everyone with a transition period, outplacement services, and severance as they look for new opportunities at Google and beyond."

TOO MANY TABS

Yikes! A cybersecurity researcher exploited a loophole on Elon Musk's X to access the CIA's informant channel on Telegram. (BBC)
The Peter Kafka-hosted "Land of the Giants" podcast is returning: This time to cover "The Twitter Fantasy" on the one-year anniversary mark of Musk's chaotic takeover. It debuts October 25. (Apple Podcasts)
YouTube launched its new watch page on mobile devices. The page promotes "authoritative sources." (The Verge)
A new feature rolled out to YouTube creators is likely to spur more product placements and ads in videos, Jay Peters points out. (The Verge)
TikTok is partnering with several companies "to expand its advertising opportunities for brands," Lauren Forristal reports. (TechCrunch)
Meta is introducing broadcast channels to Facebook and Messenger. (TechCrunch)
Republican lawmakers want schools to make a choice: ban social media platforms or lose internet funding, Cristiano Lima reports. (WaPo)
Tech leaders discussed how A.I. will upend the world at The WSJ's Tech Live 2023 conference. (WSJ)
Content creators are using A.I. to create videos of deceased individuals — sometimes without their consent, Megan Morrone reports. (Axios)
Clearview AI — a company that uses A.I. to match faces to billions of photos contained in a database that are no longer on the internet — won its appeal against the UK's Information Commissioner's Office. (BBC)
Amit Katwala profiled Sims Witherspoon, DeepMind's climate action lead, who champions A.I. as a way to meet the climate crisis. (Wired)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

Assembling the Actors: Some of the biggest stars in Hollywood met this week with the leaders of the SAG-AFTRA union. According to Deadline's Dominic Patten and Anthony D'Alessandro, who broke the story, George Clooney, Emma Stone, Ben Affleck, Tyler Perry, and Scarlett Johansson were part of a larger group that met with guild president Fran Drescher and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. The actors touched base over Zoom, with the aim of "finding a way forward" to end the strike, a person familiar with the matter told CNN's Marianne Garvey. Garvey has more details here.

HOLLYWOOD HELL

Netflix reiterated to investors that it is "committed to resolving" the SAG-AFTRA strike "as quickly as possible." (Deadline)
Americans are still siding with guild members three months into SAG-AFTRA's strike, Christi Carras reports. (LAT)
Meghan McCarron reports on how "the Hollywood cliché of performers working as servers in restaurants is back." (NYT)

OFF STAGE

Netflix and the American Cinematheque will reopen Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre in November, three years after commencing renovations. (THR)
Ridley Scott says he watched Fede Álvarez's new "Alien" film, tentatively titled "Alien: Romulus," and offered a glowing review, saying "it's f—ing great." (Variety)
MGM dropped the official trailer for George Clooney's "Boys in the Boat," which stars Joel Edgerton and Callum Turner. (YouTube)
The official trailer for "Kevin Hart & Chris Rock: Headliners Only" has also dropped. (YouTube)
The BBC canceled its "Doctors TV" series after 23 years. (BBC)
The reviews are out for Nintendo's "Super Mario Bros. Wonder," the video game, not a movie, and they're overwhelmingly positive. (The Verge)
Season eight of Netflix's "Elite" will be the show's last. (The Wrap)
Peter Gabriel's first album in 21 years, titled "I/O," will drop on December 1. (Pitchfork)

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.