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Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! A quick housekeeping note: We are off on Thursday for the holiday, which means the next time you will see us in your inbox will be Monday. But we do have a jam-packed newsletter ahead of your Turkey dinner!

In this edition: Fox News makes a major error after explosion at the border, several major brands excuse Elon Musk's bad behavior, OpenAI welcomes Sam Altman back as CEO, and Napoleon storms into theaters. But first, the A1.

THE A1

Giving Thanks

CNN Photo Illustration/Maren Caruso/Getty Images

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

It's been a year filled with extraordinary challenges and triumphs across the news industry. Ahead of the holiday, we reached out to members of the journalism community with a simple question: What are you most thankful for this year? Here are some of their responses:

► David Remnick: "I'm grateful for my friends and colleagues and family, of course; grateful to Harold Ross for inventing The New Yorker; and grateful that we've switched this year from turkey to brisket. My wife is the master of brisket."

► Kevin Merida: "I am thankful that journalism continues to demonstrate its value — revealing truths that otherwise wouldn't be known, enlightening the world and making it better. Story by story."

► Nicholas Carlson: "I'm of course grateful to the journalists at BI and beyond, but I'm also especially grateful to the sources who speak to our reporters and others. It's hard and brave to do what they do, but without we'd be stuck with official accounts and little sense of the truth."

► Kaitlan Collins: "I'm on the ground in Israel, covering the agreement negotiated by Israel and Hamas for the release of hostages in exchange for a temporary pause in the fighting. This is the first Thanksgiving I've spent outside of the U.S. And yet being far from home has only made me more grateful for the tradition of gathering with family and friends, especially as we are covering the stories of those who have been without their loved ones for several excruciating weeks. I'm grateful for my colleagues who are giving up time with their families to tell the stories of these families and all those affected by this war."

► Charlie D'Agata: "Considering what we do, I never take it for granted, but this year, more than most, I am thankful for each hug I share with my daughters. I hold them just that little bit longer."

► Ramy Inocencio: "Simply, I'm thankful to be alive. Our team just returned from Israel after the last three weeks. On our last day two Hamas rockets were launched toward our filming location in Sderot less than a mile from the Israel-Gaza border. Israel's Iron Dome intercepted them over our heads. We had no time to find shelter so we all hit the deck and hoped. I'm thankful I'm home, able to hug my husband and our two sons and tell them I love them."

► Norah O'Donnell: "This Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for the talented and dedicated crew that brings the 'CBS Evening News' to life every night!!"

► Kara Swisher: "I am thankful for Barbie, Taylor Swift, and Beyoncé as they have helped drown out fatuous popinjays of tech, politics, and media."

► Nilay Patel: "I am thankful that everywhere I go media people are focused on building and serving their own audiences again, instead of chasing other people's algorithms. It feels like we're coming out of a long dark period and trying to build a new kind of web again."

► Betsy Reed: "I'm thankful to be part of a values-driven, global newsroom at a moment when the news from abroad feels closer than ever."

► Olivia Nuzzi: "I am thankful for the First Amendment, for the memelords making deep fakes of presidential candidates, for New York Magazine's beautiful subscribers, and for Julia Fox, amen."

► Abby Philip: "I'm thankful for the constant of my family — with all the joy, quirks and frustrations that come with it. No matter what happens in my professional life that's still the most important thing. This year, we've been blessed with life and good health. I can't ask for more. I'm also grateful for my work family — my 'NewsNight' team — who have been extraordinary in a year of a lot of change in this industry!"

► Vlad Duthiers: "This is the first Thanksgiving my wife Marian and I are celebrating with our 9-month-old daughter Céline. I'm thankful for them and their love. I'm also thankful for our families who are all in good health and thriving. Finally, I'm thankful I have a career that I love and that I get to work every day with some of the best journalists in the world - many who are often in harm's way. It's a dream come true."

► Michael Luo: "For more than two years, I've been working on a book—in my early mornings, late evenings, and on weekends—about the history of Chinese exclusion in America. I've written far too many words, but I really do believe that, this Thanksgiving weekend, I will finish the last chapter. So I'm thankful that I can at least see the end. There's still a lot of work to do, but it's there, the finish line."

► Katie Notopoulos: "I'm thankful for OpenAI for giving the tech press a perfect story to write about that wraps up just before the holiday weekend."

► Chris Argentieri: "I'm grateful for the leadership of Senators Klobuchar and Kennedy, support from both sides of the aisle throughout Congress, and the tireless efforts of Assembly Member Buffy Wicks here in California in recognition of the existential threat the imbalance in market dynamics [between news publishers and platforms such as Google and Meta] creates for local news and, ultimately, our democracy. A special note of thanks to the News Media Alliance for their steady guidance in pursuing the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, legislation that would allow publishers to negotiate a fair deal with the platforms."

► Juju Chang: "I'm deeply grateful for all of my families: my work family, my chosen family and my extended family."

► Laura Coates: "I'm so thankful for the opportunity to have a platform where there's a chance that the stories I tell will change my children's lives for the better."

► Sara Yasin: "Thanksgiving itself is a great reminder of how stories are told and whose version of events is accepted. I'm grateful for the role that we, as journalists, have in uncovering the facts and prioritizing the public's right to know. This year, like most years, I'm giving thanks for local journalism and to all of the reporters, around the world, who risk their lives to do their jobs."

► Steve Sachs: "I'm grateful that more people than ever are willing to voluntarily donate to news organizations, which has helped the Guardian and so many nonprofit news orgs grow and thrive in the US."

► Dana Jacobson: "I've got a great deal to be thankful for, including laughter provided by movies, standup, books, friends and family (2 and 4 legged). It's not always easy in today's world, but what a difference it makes to smile, laugh and find a moment of joy."

► Linsey Davis: "So grateful for God's grace and mercy, for continued health of my family and friends. Feeling blessed to be able to be a blessing!"

► Emily Weinstein: "I'm thankful for my family, especially my children, who keep me laughing. I'm thankful for my amazing colleagues at The New York Times and the brilliance of the NYT Cooking team. And I'm thankful for all the readers and home cooks in our orbit — your curiosity fuels our work, and your love of cooking delights me to no end."

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Derek Gee/The Buffalo News/AP

Fox's Reporting Fail: On one of the busiest travel days of the year, with the country in a heightened security stance as millions hit the road and air ahead of Thanksgiving, Fox News recklessly smashed the panic button and stoked fear from coast-to-coast. In the early afternoon, the right-wing network went live with a dramatic report from correspondent Alexis McAdams. McAdams declared that there had just been an "attempted terrorist attack" at the international bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada in Niagara Falls, breathlessly reporting that a "car full of explosives" had exploded at a border checkpoint. That report was placed atop Fox News' highly trafficked website and sent as a push alert to millions of phones via its app. The network went all in on it, even baselessly speculating on air about Islamic terrorist groups. It was careless — and it was wrong.

As it turns out, there was no car full of explosives. And there was no attempted terrorist attack. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said there had been "no indication" of any such thing. Fox News had made a massive error. The type of error that should have given network brass and the reporters involved a giant pit in their stomach. But unlike respected news organizations that acknowledge when mistakes are made, Fox News has refused to issue a correction. Instead, the network stealth edited its online story, with no editors' note of any sort. And McAdams went on air, blaming her sources for bad initial information while refusing to accept any responsibility herself for the significant error.

Of course, while McAdams should have acted more responsibly, the entire episode underscores the lack of basic editorial standards at Fox News. Correspondents at news networks are not permitted to run to air with high-stakes reporting based on anonymous sourcing without vetting from senior personnel. And if the inaccurate reporting did somehow slip through the cracks, the network would immediately move to correct it. It was bad that Fox News screamed terrorism in a case where none had occurred. But the network did have an opportunity to own its mistake and be transparent with its audience. It failed on that too.

THE INDUSTRY

THE FOURTH ESTATE

To support investigative journalism nationwide, ProPublica will sometimes lend its staff to newsrooms, including that of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. But now, ProPublica writers worry that by coming to the aid of the Post-Gazette, whose writers are currently striking, they'll be helping management weather the storm, Will Sommer reports. (WaPo)
Lucy Frazer, the U.K.'s culture minister, intends to order a probe into RedBird IMI's attempted acquisition of The Telegraph given the media group is backed by Abu Dhabi, Daniel Thomas and Stephen Morris reported. Citing a source, the duo additionally reported, "Redbird IMI is now planning to offer further assurances to ministers to ensure the independence of the newspaper group, potentially including a legally separate structure and other strengthened governance measures." (FT)
"Proposed E.U. laws aimed at stopping governments hacking journalists' phones and at protecting the independence and plurality of the press are in serious jeopardy," Lisa O'Carroll reports. (Guardian)
Some good news! MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace has welcomed her second child, Isabella Sloane Schmidt, with The NYT's Michael S. Schmidt. Welcome to our crazy world, Isabella! (TV Newser)

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

At least 53 journalists have now lost their lives since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. (CPJ)
"There is no safe place": Gaza-based photojournalist Fadel Mghari spoke to Diana Falzone about the "painful nightmare" Palestinians are living through. (Mediaite)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration

Xcusing Bad Behavior: By now, you've read about all of the brands that have dropped X, given owner Elon Musk's unhinged behavior and recent endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory. But you don't read as much about the companies that continue to send him advertising dollars, turning a blind eye to his shameful behavior. Luckily for you, we've compiled them. The NFL, Walmart, State Farm, Wendy's, Office Depot, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, USAA, Formula 1, and Mondelēz International, the maker of Oreo cookies and Ritz Crackers, are among the most recognizable companies that have maintained their relationship with the embattled social media platform amid the recent swell of controversy. CNN's Liam Reilly and I have the full story here.

🔎 Zooming in: All of the brands have stated company values that would indicate they oppose hate. But outside the NFL, none of the companies responded to our requests for comment. As we reported yesterday, the NFL denounced hate speech and said it had voiced concerns to Musk. Of course, no serious person can actually imagine that voicing concerns will change Musk's behavior. And it goes without saying that actions speak a lot louder than words.

X MARKS THE HATE

Clare Duffy has the dozen big brands that have dropped X. (CNN)
Rebecca Kern has a great story about how, despite their sharp criticisms of Elon Musk, Democrats "can't quit" X. A spokesperson for Rep. Dan Goldman told Kern that members of Congress "have an obligation to speak to constituents" on the platform. I guess I missed that part of the U.S. Constitution? (POLITICO)
On a similar note, journalists and newsrooms should probably look in the mirror. On one hand, they're reporting on how unglued and hateful Musk's behavior is, while also asking others if they will abandon his social media platform. On the other hand, most of these journalists are providing Musk a veneer of credibility by providing him an endless stream of free content. How can you have this both ways? Members of the news community should think long and hard about that.

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Closing the OpenAI Loop: Well, that was a wild ride! After days of uncertainty about the fate of Sam Altman, he has finally ended up right where he started: as chief executive of OpenAI. The only difference now? He likely has more institutional power than ever before. "We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board," OpenAI said in a Wednesday morning announcement, adding that the board will be chaired by Bret Taylor. The board added that the parties were still "collaborating to figure out the details." Altman said in his own post — which was on X and characteristically included only lowercase letters (c'mon, Sam!) — that he is "looking forward to returning" to the company and "building on our strong relationship" with Microsoft. CNN's Clare Duffy and David Goldman have more here.

TOO MANY TABS

🚨 "Ahead of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's four days in exile, several staff researchers sent the board of directors a letter warning of a powerful artificial intelligence discovery that they said could threaten humanity," Anna Tong, Jeffrey Dastin, and Krystal Hu report. (Reuters)
Ezra Klein's latest is a must-read: "Science fiction writers and artificial intelligence researchers have long feared the machine you can't turn off. The story goes something like this: A powerful A.I. is developed. Its designers are thrilled, then unsettled, then terrified. They go to pull the plug, only to learn the A.I. has copied its code elsewhere, perhaps everywhere." (NYT)
Bard is getting smarter. The Google A.I. bot can now watch specific YouTube videos for you and summarize key parts for users. (The Verge)
"The upcoming few days will be a test of TikTok's recent, aggressive effort to expand into e-commerce," Margaux MacColl notes. (The Info)
Elon Musk claimed to X's Premium+ subscribers that they would once again have access to xAI's chatbot Grok. (TechCrunch)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Apple TV+

Napoleon Conquers: If there is one thing Napoleon knows how to do, it's conquer. The Ridley Scott-directed biopic of the legendary French military commander, aptly titled "Napoleon," took home $3 million in Tuesday night previews, compared to $2.3 million for Disney's "Wish." But Napoleon should prepare to be dethroned as king of the box office. Given the family heavy holiday weekend, "Wish" is tracking with $45-50 million at the box office this weekend, compared to $22 million for Napoleon. Deadline's Anthony D'Alessandro has more.

OFF STAGE

No, Christopher Nolan won't be directing the next James Bond movie — and the team here at Reliable is thoroughly gutted. (THR)
👀 Jenna Ortega will not be back for "Scream VII" over schedule conflicts with the second season of "Wednesday." News that she has pulled out of the project comes a day after co-star, Melissa Barrera, was dropped from it over comments made about Israel and Palestine. (Variety)
"Toy Story 5" is in the hands of the "writer of one of the best ones," Tim Allen said. (The Wrap)
The dual Hollywood strikes catalyzed a 22% decrease in combined ad spending for films, TV series, and streaming services, per data from MediaRadar. (The Wrap)
Comedian Matt Rife's new Netflix special — which has sparked controversy over a domestic violence joke — debuted as the streamer's second most-watched TV program, with 7.4 million views. (The Wrap)
National Book Award winner Ibram X. Kendi's book, "Stamped From the Beginning," was banned in schools. Now, the author is working on a documentary that bears the same name with Netflix. (Rolling Stone)
Daryl Hall is suing John Oates in a sealed lawsuit that involves "contract/debt." (Pitchfork)
Hall also secured a restraining order against Oates. (THR)

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. You can follow us on Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn. We will see you back in your inbox next week.