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Monday, November 20, 2023

CPJ reports a "grim milestone" in the Israel-Hamas war, an open revolt takes place at OpenAI, Jeff Zucker's RedBird IMI announces agreement to take over The Telegraph and Spectator, Lachlan Murdoch and Benjamin Hall meet with Volodymyr Zelensky, Peter Kafka heads to BI, the White House joins Threads, Taylor Swift expresses sorrow after fan dies, "Blue Bloods" comes to an end, and more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

Musk's Xtremism

CNN Photo Illustration/Kirsty Wigglesworth/Pool/Reuters

Elon Musk has an ever-deepening crisis on his hands.

Days after the billionaire conspiracy theorist endorsed an antisemitic post on his hate-drenched platform, X, there is mounting pressure for others to take additional action against the unhinged businessman.

Musk's attention, however, has not been focused on profusely apologizing to the public for his reprehensible remarks, nor has it been on ensuring his advertisers that he takes their complaints seriously. Instead, it has been on threatening and trying to exact revenge on critics.

It's a critical juncture for the Musk-owned company. Here are six questions about the calamity besieging X:

► What is Musk doing with his lawsuit against Media Matters? Musk on Monday made good on his threat to file a lawsuit against the progressive media watchdog after lashing out over a report the group published last week showing that X had placed advertisements directly adjacent to neo-Nazi content. But Musk has effectively confirmed that the Media Matters report was accurate and that X did run ads against hateful content, which seems to take the teeth out of his complaint. "This lawsuit is riddled with legal flaws, and it is highly ironic that a platform that touts itself as a beacon of free speech would file a bogus case like this that flatly contradicts basic First Amendment principles and targets free speech by a critic," First Amendment attorney Ted Boutrous told me. "And in some ways it's a dream come true for the people at Media Matters because it could allow them to use the litigation discovery process to force X to divulge all sorts of embarrassing, damaging private information that it would much rather keep secret." Angelo Carusone, the president of Media Matters, responded in a statement, "This is a frivolous lawsuit meant to bully X's critics into silence. Media Matters stands behind its reporting and looks forward to winning in court."

► Why is X still placing ads on the account of the internet's most notorious white supremacist account? In October, a Reliable Sources review found that X had placed ads for a cohort of major companies and organizations on the verified profile account of VDARE, an openly racist, white supremacist outlet that publishes some of the most vile content on the internet. Well over a month later, X is continuing to serve up ads on the account. In fact, after the Israel-Hamas war broke out, I even noticed X had placed an ad for the official @Israel account on VDARE, which pumps out some of the most reprehensible antisemitic poison on the internet. How is this acceptable while claiming to care about brand safety? I asked an X representative, but did not get an answer.

► Will Linda Yaccarino stay at X? Marketing industry veteran Lou Paskalis, the founder and chief executive of marketing consultancy AJL Advisory, confirmed to Clare Duffy and me on Monday that there has been a "groundswell" of advertising executives urging her to call it quits, in an effort to save her reputation. "She believes that she can mother Elon Musk into someone who could be respected by the advertising community, and that ship has definitely sailed," Paskalis told us. "But she's not going to come off the mechanical bull without all of us telling her, 'It's time to go.' And I believe that there has been a groundswell of a lot of people such as myself saying, 'save yourself.'" Yaccarino has indicated that, for now, she's not going anywhere. Will that change?

► How long will the NFL remain silent? The NFL is one of X's top advertisers and media partners. But the entertainment powerhouse has remained entirely silent amid the backlash against Musk over his antisemitic embrace. Earlier this year, the NFL expressed concern when a Media Matters report found its ads were appearing next to accounts belonging to racists. But it has not said a word since, even as X continued placing ads for NFL teams onto VDARE's account. I reached out to the NFL on Monday for comment, but have yet to hear back.

► Will news outlets pull ads? Several news organizations continue to send Musk ad dollars amid his antisemitic endorsement and appalling attacks on the free press. On Monday, I spotted ads for The Washington Post and the Financial Times on the platform. Neither outlet returned comment when I reached out. The institutions that are supposed to speak truth to power apparently have no interest in doing so here. But a couple hav taken action. Axios has paused advertising on X, a person familiar with the matter told me. And TechCrunch also paused a small spend, I'm told. It's unclear whether The New York Times is continuing to send ad dollars to X. Spokespeople for The NYT did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.

► When will newsrooms disassociate from X? It's astonishing that some news organizations are comfortable sending Musk advertising dollars as they simultaneously report on his shameful behavior and the hate ballooning on his platform. But it is also striking that so many journalists and newsrooms continue to serve as cogs in the Musk machine, providing him the veneer of credibility by posting a stream of endless free content on X. As Casey Newton told The WaPo, "This is not a place where you should be going to get news or to discuss news or to have a good time. It is just over. If you wouldn't join Gab, or Parler, or Truth Social, there's no reason you should be on X. I think it's time for journalists and publishers, in particular, to acknowledge the new reality and to get the heck off that website." Newton said that his publication, Platformer, will no longer post on X or link to content on the website. We made a similar decision, pulling the Reliable Sources brand off X in July and ceased linking to content on the platform in early October. The endorsement of hate speech, conspiracy theories, and anti-press sentiment flows from the very top. Why offer tacit support by engaging with and promoting the platform?

X MARKS THE HATE

Neil Young became the latest to ditch X: "We are stopping all use of X that we can control. For reasons that should be obvious to the richest man on Earth, we are taking this action against his company." (Billboard)
Elon Musk on Monday boosted the Pizzagate conspiracy, Clare Duffy reports. Yes, the same deranged conspiracy theory that prompted harassment against the restaurant's owner and led to an AR-15 wielding man firing shots at the D.C. pizzeria. (CNN)
The Musk mayhem doesn't end there. Donie O'Sullivan spoke to Ben Brody, a private citizen who was wrongly accused of being involved in a false flag operation earlier this year, about a defamation lawsuit he has filed against Musk. (CNN)
Meanwhile, Linda Yaccarino "has turned the service's Hail Mary bet on an imagined $100 million political advertising business over to someone she trusts: her son Matt Madrazo," Max Tani reported. (Semafor)
Kylie Robison looked at the "death of Twitter" and "birth of Elon Musk's X." (Fortune)
The White House has joined Threads, giving Meta's competitor to X a boost as people and organizations break up with Musk's platform. (CNN)
"Turns out, Meta's Threads is good for breaking news," Katie Notopoulos argued. (Business Insider)

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Stringer/Reuters

Killed In Conflict: At least 50 journalists and media workers have been killed since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday night, calling it a "grim milestone." CPJ said the second-deadliest day of the war occurred over the weekend, on Saturday, when the group recorded five journalists killed. The mounting toll, which has far surpassed the 15 journalists killed so far in Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine, underscores the extreme danger posed by the raging conflict in Israel and Gaza.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

The WaPo issued a correction on Sunday after reporting Saturday night that Israel had reached a tentative agreement with Hamas to exchange hostages in exchange for a five-day ceasefire. The correction, which came about 18 hours after the outlet quietly edited its story to walk back the big claim, happened only after the paper was asked about the stealth edit. (POLITICO)
Mona Chalabi, a contributor who won The NYT a Pulitzer in 2023, critiqued the Gray Lady's coverage of Gaza. (WaPo)
NBC News has cut ties with a Palestinian freelancer arrested in Israel. (New York Post)

THE INDUSTRY

CNN Photo Illustration/BG027/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images

Reeled In by RedBird: The Jeff Zucker led investment firm, RedBird IMI, said Monday it had agreed to a deal that — if approved — would give it control of the iconic U.K. publications, The Telegraph and the Spectator. The agreement would mean RedBird IMI would provide a loan to the Barclay family, the previous owners of the publications, which would allow it to bring the outlets out of receivership. "Under the terms of this agreement, RedBird IMI has an option to convert the loan secured against the Telegraph and Spectator into equity, and intends to exercise this option at an early opportunity," RedBird IMI said, adding that the deal would, of course, be subject to regulatory review. The Guardian's Alex Lawson, who reported that the proposal is already facing some scrutiny, has more.

First in Reliable | Catching Kafka: Peter Kafka is heading back to Business Insider. Back in 2007, Kafka was the first hire at Silicon Alley Insider, which later morphed into BI. Now the prodigal son will return. I'm told Kafka will depart Vox Media, where he has for years served as a senior correspondent, in December. He will then start his new role at BI in early January. Fans of Kafka's Recode Media podcast can also rest assured: The pod will continue under the Morning Brew banner.

► BI Editor-In-Chief Nicholas Carlson: "Back in the summer of 2007, Peter told me to come work for SAI – which eventually became Business Insider. By the time I did, he was off to other things. For years, people told me the site was great – but where did Peter go? Well…we finally got him back, and I couldn't be more thrilled!"

THE FOURTH ESTATE

Two potential buyers have "submitted seven-figure offers" to purchase Jezebel and ensure it lives on, Lachlan Cartwright reports. The news comes just weeks after the feminist outlet's parent, G/O Media, suspended operations at the website and laid off its staff. (Daily Beast)
CNN's new show, "King Charles," hosted by Gayle King and Charles Barkley, will premiere on November 29 at 10pm. (TheWrap)
Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall returned for the first time to Ukraine since the attack that left him severely injured and which killed photojournalist Pierre Zakrzewski and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova. He sat down with President Zelensky for an interview that will air Tuesday evening.
The trip, Fox News said, was organized after Zelensky invited Fox Corporation boss Lachlan Murdoch to visit the country. Notably, the visit come after Murdoch fired Tucker Carlson, one of the loudest voices on the right against U.S. aid to the country, earlier this year. That said, the right-wing channel is still rife full of anti-Ukraine narratives. A Fox spokesperson declined to comment on what the two discussed. But Ukraine's president said, "The interlocutors discussed further cooperation and exchanged views on Russian propaganda narratives used by opponents of support for Ukraine."

IN THE MARKET

Max has cut prices by 70% — to $2.99 a month for six months — during its Black Friday sale. (THR)
Audio giant Global signed podcast advertising and distribution deals with iHeart Media and The Athletic. (Press Gazette)

MEDIA MOVES

NPR named Jennifer Ferro as its board chair. (NPR)
The NYT hired Simbarashe Cha as a staff photographer and visual columnist focused on style and fashion. (NYT)
The LAT hired J. Clara Chan as an entertainment reporter. (LAT)

THE INFO WARS

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Michael Scherer reports that Univision is facing "growing backlash" for its recent interview with Donald Trump. (WaPo)
G. Capuano reports on how, since the interview, Univision has moved to "whitewash" his "anti-immigrant extremism." (MMFA)
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus wants a meeting with Univision boss Wade Davis, Hannah Wiley and Julia Wick report. (LAT)
Switching gears: "Several major print and broadcast news networks did not cover former President Donald Trump's amplification of a supporter's call to place the judge and prosecutor in one of his myriad trials under citizen's arrest," Matt Gertz points out. (MMFA)
Justin Baragona reports that Fox News has rehired Greg Wilson, an editor that played a key role in the right-wing outlet's Seth Rich debacle. (Daily Beast)
Candace Owens was lambasted by the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a conservative organization that helped launch her career, which said it is "so disappointed in what she has become" and adding that she "has become obsessed with her own fame." (Mediaite)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Open Revolt at OpenAI: What on Earth is going on at OpenAI? The only thing that seems certain is that the company is in complete turmoil after its board shockingly moved to fire its chief executive Sam Altman Friday. OpenAI on Monday named a new interim chief executive, former Twitch boss Emmett Shear, after Microsoft — a major OpenAI investor — announced it had hired Altman and former president Greg Brockman. Meanwhile, more than 500 OpenAI employees threatened to quit and called on the entire board to resign over Altman's firing. "Your actions have made it obvious that you are incapable of overseeing OpenAI," the employees wrote in a letter to the board. "We are unable to work for or with people that lack competence, judgement and care for our mission and employees." Whether Altman rejoins OpenAI remains to be seen. The Verge's Alex Heath and Nilay Patel reported Monday that Altman "is still trying to return." Read their story here.

► When Microsoft boss Satya Nadella appeared on CNBC Monday night, he called for governance changes at the company.

► Scott Galloway to Kaitlan Collins: "We should all hope that the board was wrong. And I think an interesting question would be: What was it that had them so alarmed here that they would unceremoniously fire a CEO who has built $90 billion in value. This is a big deal. I've never seen anything like it."

TOO MANY TABS

Meanwhile, Meta has disbanded its Responsible A.I. team. (The Verge)
Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney said in court that Google "exercises de facto control over the availability of apps on Android." (NYT)
YouTube has rolled out a test allowing premium subscribers to use A.I. to ask questions about videos. (Tom's Guide)
Venmo and Cash App have sued Apple, accusing it of abusing its market power. (Reuters)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/TAS2023/Getty Images

Swift's Sorrow: Taylor Swift on Monday night wrapped up the Rio de Janeiro leg of her "Eras" tour — a leg of her show struck by tragedy. Brazil officials said that a fan died after succumbing to extreme heat during Swift's Friday show. Swift delayed Saturday's show until Monday and remembered the fan on Sunday, playing "Bigger Than the Whole Sky" for fans. "I can't believe I'm writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show," Swift also wrote in a statement posted to Instagram, adding, "I can't even tell you how devastated I am by this." CNN's Alli Rosenbloom has more here.

OFF STAGE

"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" pulled in $44 million at the domestic box office during its pre-holiday opening weekend. (TheWrap)
Shakira settled her Spanish tax fraud case a day ahead of the trial's beginning. (Rolling Stone)
After singer Cassie filed an explosive sexual assault lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs, the two parties suddenly settled. (CNN)
John Oliver took aim at AppleTV+, calling it a place "where celebrities go to hide" after it parted ways with Jon Stewart. (TheWrap)
Season 14 of "Blue Bloods" will be the CBS show's last. (Variety)
Both "Law and Order" and "Chicago" franchises will return to NBC in January. (THR)
After posting that he was giving up smoking cannabis, pot, or weed, Snoop Dogg revealed that he is not, as it turns out, giving up The Chronic — he's just getting a smokeless fire pit for his backyard. (Rolling Stone)
RIP: Suzanne Shepherd, best known for her roles in "Goodfellas" and "The Sopranos," has died at 89. (LAT)

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 tomorrow.