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Tuesday, January 16, 2024

We're back! Sinclair boss David Smith's purchase of The Baltimore Sun raises concern, Disney rejects Nelson Peltz's board nominees, Newsmax renews major carriage deals, Barstool's one-time boss quits, Apple Vision Pro pre-reviews hit the web, Google lays off more staffers, the Emmys suffers record-low viewership, and more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

Lost At Sea

CNN Photo Illustration/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

There is a dangerous undercurrent dragging Americans who wade into the political waters out toward the extreme. But much of the national press, basking ashore on the sun-soaked beach, refuses to acknowledge it in a serious manner.

Instead, many journalists have grown comfortable glossing over the treacherous rip tide lurking beneath the surface of the water before their very eyes. They report that scores of swimmers have been dragged into the menacing waters of the deep sea, but never do they acknowledge the conditions that led them there.

It's as if identifying the cause of the calamity is too much to ask. It is, apparently, a bridge too far. The invisible, yet threatening, forces must remain invisible.

That's how reading and watching much of the coverage of the Iowa caucuses came across. Yes, the national political press pointed to an alarming entrance poll showing that an overwhelming majority — 66% — of GOP caucusgoers do not accept Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 election. And yes, the news media accurately noted that Donald Trump maintains a firm grip over the Republican Party, despite inciting an insurrection and being ensnared in a messy web of legal battles, among other things.

But crucial coverage of the grave undercurrent in GOP politics that propelled the caucusgoers far outside the Overton window — believing that the duly elected president is not actually the duly-elected president, despite countless fact-checks and court rulings — received little-to-no attention. While one might expect the poll to set off alarm bells and deep soul-searching about the fate of the nation's democracy, the press failed to interrogate the issue in a real way.

Embarrassingly, Ron DeSantis has done more in recent days than most in the press to call attention to the matter. The Florida governor accurately noted last week that Republican voters operate in a dishonest information environment in which Trump receives little criticism, but plenty of praise.

Of course, the observation from DeSantis, himself a culture warrior who has refrained from assailing Trump in a meaningful way while contributing generously to public distrust of the press, is rich. But that doesn't mean it isn't right on the mark.

On a daily basis, cable channels such as Fox News, a stable of national and local talk-radio hosts, an assortment of online influencers, and a network of online outlets such as Breitbart dump reams of toxic waste into the national discourse. That is not without consequence.

The propaganda machine supporting Trump has deceived the GOP, twisting the party into believing outright lies that have been publicly rebuked by the former president's one-time confidantes. But, instead of identifying the crux of the matter and vigorously calling it out, most major newsrooms demur when presented with repeated evidence of its corrosive and widespread effects.

It goes without saying that there are many reasons for this reality. For one, it is still perhaps uncomfortable to acknowledge the depths of dishonesty in which much of right-wing media now operates. More importantly, however, most news organizations are terrified of being perceived as biased — and delivering such a fact set to viewers could contribute to distrust among Republicans (though it's likely they already do distrust the press).

Whatever the reason, it should not translate into coverage of paramount importance failing to be transmitted to audiences. The news media's duty is to deliver the plain facts, regardless of fear or favor or anything else standing in its way. Choosing to back down and ignore the hazardous conditions offshore amounts to a dereliction of duty.

Unfortunately, that is precisely what so much of the press continues to do. The country is at risk of drowning — and the press watches from the shore, unwilling to sound the alarm about the insidious forces plunging Americans into the stormy seas.

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Andrew Harnik/AP

RAUCOUS CAUCUS

No surprise: Television ratings for coverage of the Iowa caucuses were down. During prime time on cable news, CNN averaged 688K total viewers with 194K in the 25-54 demo; MSNBC averaged 1.15M total viewers, with 143K in the demo. Over on Fox News, the right-wing channel averaged 2.8 million viewers, with 402K in the demo. (Deadline)
The caucuses renewed the debate over whether to take Trump live or not. On MSNBC, Rachel Maddow explained that the network would not air him: "It is not out of spite. It is not a decision that we relish. It is a decision that we regularly revisit honestly and earnestly. It is not an easy decision, but there is a cost to us as a news organization of knowingly broadcasting untrue things." (Mediaite)
CNN, on the other hand, teased the speech by airing an empty podium for an extended period along with the chyron, "TRUMP TO SPEAK MOMENTARILY." The network then took several minutes of Trump's remarks, before Jake Tapper cut in. "You can hear him repeating his anti-immigrant rhetoric," Tapper said as the network cut away. (Mediaite)
On Fox News Tuesday evening, Jesse Watters attacked MSNBC and CNN for engaging in what he dubbed a "mass censorship campaign."
Alyce McFadden and Nicholas Nehamas reported on how Ron DeSantis' camp was "mad and frustrated" with how quickly the news media accurately called the state for Trump. (NYT)
"The early call confused some Iowans, infuriated Mr. Trump's rivals and prompted a fresh round of hand-wringing about the news media's role in calling elections," Michael Grynbaum wrote. (NYT)
On CBS News, Tony Dokoupil leveled some criticism against networks, including his own, for making the call so early: "I have to say, there's got to be a better way to do it than that." (Mediaite)
Tapper, on the other hand, defended the practice, noting, "It's not unusual. This is how it's been done for a long time." (The Wrap)
No more debates? ABC News canceled its New Hampshire Republican debate after Nikki Haley said she would not participate unless Trump did as well. (NYT)

THE INDUSTRY

THE FOURTH ESTATE

The local media deal that has set off alarm bells: David D. Smith, chair of Sinclair Broadcast Group, has purchased the Baltimore Sun. (NYT)
Sinclair, which has previously inserted right-wing editorial segments into its local news broadcasts, said it had "no involvement with the transaction" and that Smith had purchased the local newspaper on his own. (Axios)
David Folkenflik has details on Smith's first meeting with staffers, reporting that the new boss said he had read the paper just four times, despite being from Baltimore. (Threads)
"The Wire" creator David Simon expressed dismay at the sale, wondering, "What is left to say about American newspapering?" (THR)
Sharon Waxman and Alexei Barrionuevo published a deep-dive explaining how The LAT's owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, "lost his star editor," Kevin Merida. (The Wrap)
Al Jazeera's Gaza boss Wael Dahdouh, who lost family in Israeli airstrikes, has left the Palestinian strip for medical treatment. (AFP)
Clare Malone wrote about how CNN's Clarissa Ward has navigated covering the Israel-Hamas war. (New Yorker)
Max Tani chronicled how Apple's tweak to podcast statistics is unnerving publishers. (Semafor)
Red Ventures is exploring selling CNET, Sara Fischer reported. (Axios)
Meanwhile, Fischer reported Bari Weiss' outlet, The Free Press, "plans to raise funds this year to jump-start growth." (Axios)
Thomson Reuters acquired World Business Media. (MarketWatch)

IN THE MARKET

Disney on Tuesday rejected Nelson Peltz's nominees for the board, discouraging shareholders from voting for the Trian Group picks. (THR)
Bob Iger's 2023 compensation came in at $31.6 million. (Variety)
Bob Chapek has a new gig as chief executive of Masimo, the medical device company going after Apple over technology in the Apple Watch. (Bloomberg)
Peacock's $100 million NFL bet, in which the streamer exclusively broadcast the Chiefs-Dolphins playoff game, netted the largest audience for a live-streamed event, averaging 23 million viewers. (The Athletic)
The stream did suffer some tech issues, but Richard Lawler noted it didn't totally crash either. (The Verge)
"On The Peacock Game, I hate to say it but: expect more," wrote Jason Gay. "Television, you may have read, is in decline, at least the old way of watching: the cable 'bundle' is dwindling, replaced by streamers like Amazon, Max, Peacock, Netflix etc. These companies need to grow, and it makes sense that they'd explore weaponizing the one thing on television everyone still watches: the NFL." (WSJ)
Meanwhile, the "Sunday Ticket" is set to be the subject of a looming $6.1 billion trial next month, Wilson Cho reported. (THR)

MEDIA MOVES

TechCrunch hired Matt Rosoff as its global managing editor. (TBN)
The Irish Sun named Fiona Wynne as editor, meaning that all three national versions of The Sun are led by women. (Press Gazette)
IMAX tapped Anne Globe as its chief marketing officer. (THR)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

New Deals for Newsmax: Right-wing television network Newsmax, which is facing a pair of mammoth lawsuits for repeatedly airing 2020 election lies, boasted Tuesday that it had renewed carriage distribution deals with "ALL major cable operators." The outlet directed people to a CableFax report that quoted the channel's boss, Chris Ruddy, saying renewal deals had been quietly struck with Comcast, Charter, DISH, and Verizon Fios. Ruddy didn't disclose the terms of the agreement, but said the network was "pleased with the result and we think the company will have financial success as a result of this." Read the CableFax story here.

🔎 Zooming in: Regardless of the financial terms, it's remarkable that major companies are willing to do business with the right-wing channel, which has a lengthy record of deceiving viewers who turn to it for news and information. After the insurrection, major companies took action to no longer fund those who had contributed to election denialism. But, with this move, businesses such as Comcast and Verizon are indicating they're happy to distribute Newsmax's dishonest coverage to the masses. And that says a lot about them.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

That didn't take long! Just months after Dave Portnoy regained control over Barstool, chief executive Erika Ayers Badan has announced her departure. (Variety)
Bryan Curtis wrote about ESPN's "year from hell," which is in no small part thanks to Pat McAfee and Aaron Rodgers. (The Ringer)
Jemele Hill argued that Rodgers "is lighting his football legacy on fire" with his vocal support of conspiracy theories. (The Atlantic)
Elon Musk "has become the world's biggest hypocrite on free speech," Trevor Timm argued in a blistering column. (The Guardian)
RTÉ's Dave Fanning launched a defamation case against Microsoft and BNN over the publication of his picture alongside an article stating an Irish broadcaster was on trial for alleged sexual misconduct. (Independent)
YouTube is profiting off a new form of climate denial, making millions of dollars annually off ads placed on channels that deploy novel tactics to bypass the platform's misinformation policies, according to a new report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate. (CNN)
Speaking of which: Public relations giant Edelman, which has made several climate declarations in recent years, was one of the highest-paid vendors of the Charles Koch Foundation, which often sows climate doubt, Dharna Noor pointed out. (The Guardian)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Apple

Seeing Vision Pro: A new batch of hands-on reviews of Apple's ambitious Vision Pro were released Tuesday — and all indications are that the headset is set to deliver breathtaking experiences. The Verge's Victoria Song noted that she "did, in fact, flinch when a T. Rex made eye contact" with her during a demonstration showing off the company's "Prehistoric Planet" series. And Engadget's Cherlynn Low and Dana Wollman noted that Disney+ has developed an experience that allows viewers to watch a "Star Wars" movie on Tattooine, or a Marvel flick from the Avengers Tower. In one demo, the duo said Alicia Keys performed "the most special of performances: just for us, in a living room." Which is all to say, it seems that the Vision Pro could help usher in an entirely new way of consuming content.

► One observation from Wollman stood out to me: "In a different series of videos — these meant to demonstrate spatial video — we saw the same family at mealtime, and a mother and daughter outside, playing with bubbles. As I watched these clips, particularly the family home videos that reminded me of my own toddler, I felt immersed, yes, but also excluded; no one in the videos sees you or interacts with you, obviously. You are a ghost. I imagined myself years from now, peering in from the future on bygone videos of my daughter, and felt verklempt. I did not expect to get teary-eyed during a routine Apple briefing."

TOO MANY TABS

⏰ Meanwhile, as Apple enters the A.R. space, a Meta executive said it will take a "good decade" to reach Mark Zuckerberg's "fully realized vision" of the Metaverse. (Business Insider)
Apple has a solution to gets its watches back on the market. (CNN)
✂️ More cuts at Google: Hugh Langley reported the Silicon Valley titan is laying off hundreds of employees in its advertising-sales team. (Business Insider)
OpenAI shared its rules on combatting election misinformation. (CNN)
The Sam Altman-led company is also working with the Pentagon on several projects, including cybersecurity capabilities — which the company previously said it wouldn't do. (Bloomberg)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Tiny Numbers for TV's Biggest Night: It looks like the Emmys fell victim to an oversaturated programming lineup on Monday night. The annual awards show, which competed for attention with the NFL playoffs and coverage of the Iowa caucuses, was watched by an average of only 4.3 million viewers on Fox — the lowest ratings on record. The awards ceremony had also been delayed from its typical September telecast due to the dual strikes in Hollywood. But it wasn't all bad news, comedian host Anthony Anderson received mostly positive reviews for his turn on the stage, honoring television history. THR's Rick Porter has more here.

EMMYS RECAP

HBO led the awards show with fan favorites "Succession" and "The Last of Us," despite big wins for Netflix and Disney with "Beef" and "The Bear." (THR)
Ali Wong became the first Asian woman to take home an Emmy for lead actress in a limited series or movie for her role in "Beef." (NBC News)
Lisa Respers France wrote about how "Beef" and "The Bear" are "enjoying the kind of awards season hot streak that so many shows wish they could cook up." (CNN)
"The evening stood out in several ways, including its diversity, with a number of Black and Asian winners," Brian Lowry noted. (CNN)
"Better Call Saul" fans were disappointed after the six-season TV series, which has been nominated 53 times, missed its last chance to take home an award. (TheWrap)
Elton John officially joined the EGOT club. (CNN)

OFF STAGE

Madison Square Garden chief James Dolan and Harvey Weinstein have been accused of sexually assaulting a massage therapist in 2013 in a newly filed lawsuit. Dolan and Weinstein denied the allegations. (CNN)
The musical adaptation of "Mean Girls" brought in $28 million at the domestic box office during the movie's holiday opening weekend. (NYT)
Nicole LaPorte, Peter Kiefer, and Elaine Low list the "big managers of the moment." (The Ankler)
"Stranger Things" star Noah Schnapp took to TikTok to address online criticism he's received after his "thoughts and beliefs" concerning the Israel-Gaza war were "misconstrued from anything even close to what I believe." (THR)
Netflix released a sneak peak at its upcoming TV series, "Ripley," an adaptation of 1999's "The Talented Mr Ripley," though this version stars Andrew Scott, not Matt Damon. (GQ)
Netflix also released the official trailer for "Spaceman," which stars Adam Sandler. (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. You can follow us on Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn. We will see you back in your inbox tomorrow.