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Thursday, February 15, 2024

Before we get started, a housekeeping note: We are off for President's Day on Monday, so the next time you'll see us back in your inbox will be Tuesday. Now, to the news.

Cameras capture Georgia court drama, Debra OConnell meets with ABC News staffers, The Intercept and NowThis undergo layoffs, OpenAI showcases its new A.I. bot, Tucker Carlson continues disseminating embarrassing Russia propaganda, "Dune: Part Two" scores glowing early reactions, and so much more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

The Burisma Bust

Fox News/CNN Photo Illustration

"The Biden crime family."

It has been one of the most dominant narratives in right-wing media and the GOP, used endlessly to demonize President Joe Biden — but on Thursday, it imploded in spectacular fashion.

For some time now, Fox News and the broader right-wing media machine have accused Biden and his son Hunter of engaging in an illicit $10 million bribery scheme to enrich themselves and sell out America. The tale, as it goes, claimed that an executive at the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid for access to then-Vice President Biden to improperly wield his influence and help squash an investigation led by a Ukrainian prosecutor into the company.

Evidence of the bribery scheme has always been thin, at best, with most authoritative news outlets treating the claims with incredulity. But MAGA Media personalities like Sean Hannity quickly shifted into hyperdrive last year when a supposedly "highly credible" FBI informant claimed to have smoking gun evidence of the conspiracy.

The emergence of a confidential FBI informant coursed through right-wing media, where talking heads and outlets spotlighted the claims as damning evidence of criminal wrongdoing. It spawned scores of articles. Hundreds of Fox News segments. Republican lawmakers like James Comer and Jim Jordan, eager to bathe in the media spotlight, appeared on radio and television programs to stoke the conspiracy flames and demand investigations.

Hannity's program served as the primary vehicle for driving the narrative to the GOP base. On his Fox News program alone, the claims formed the basis for a staggering 85 segments in 2023 alone, according to data from the progressive watchdog Media Matters . Hannity indicated to his millions of nightly viewers that Biden had been "compromised," using the informant claims to declare the president was "very credibly accused of public corruption on a scale this country has never seen before."

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, Comer, who chairs the powerful House Oversight Committee , used the claims being extolled in right-wing media to accuse the FBI of engaging in a coverup and attempted to construct a corruption case against Biden. Those actions were then celebrated in right-wing media. And on and on the feedback loop went.

The problem? The informant, Alexander Smirnov, made the whole story up, federal authorities said Thursday, arresting the 43-year-old at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.

Special counsel David Weiss, who served as a Donald Trump -appointed U.S. attorney before assuming his current role, charged Smirnov with lying to the FBI and falsifying records. Smirnov, an indictment said, provided "false derogatory information" about Biden to the law enforcement agency. His "story to the FBI was a fabrication, an amalgam of otherwise unremarkable business meetings," it said.

"In short, the Defendant transformed his routine and unextraordinary business contacts with Burisma in 2017 and later into bribery allegations against [Joe Biden], the presumptive nominee of one of the two major political parties for President, after expressing bias against [Joe Biden] and his candidacy," the indictment continued.

The charges dealt a blow to the narrative Fox News had championed on its air and Republicans had pressed in Congress. But the same network that had hyped Smirnov's claims against "the big guy," suggesting they formed the basis of a monumental scandal that would overshadow Watergate in the history books, suddenly showed little interest in the story.

In the hours after the Weiss indictment, there was scant coverage of the development on Fox News. Most notably, Hannity didn't bother to mention to his loyal audience that the narrative he had been tirelessly peddling to them had fallen apart. Instead, like the rest of the right-wing network's dishonest stable of prime time talk hosts, he ignored the story.

The stunning demise of the claim is just the latest in a larger pattern from Fox News and the broader right-wing media ecosystem in which it operates. Time and time again, MAGA Media figures have hyped dishonest narratives and conspiracy theories to their sizable audiences, only to look away when they later collapse. Just last year, Fox News paid a record $787.5 million for its promotion of election lies. It never ran a retraction on its air and executives have maintained that they are proud of the network's 2020 coverage.

It's a record that plays on repeat. By the time the truth can catch up to the bogus claims spreading in right-wing media, the narrative has already been set and the outlets have moved on to the next supposed scandal.

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Pool

The Focus on Fani: It was a dramatic, made-for-TV day in court — and the public actually got to see it on television because cameras have been permitted inside the Fulton County courtroom in which the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump is playing out. The display of transparency was celebrated by those who have advocated for allowing cameras inside courtrooms. "Real-time audio-visual coverage is helping us make up our own minds about DA [Fani] Willis' potential conflicts, without needing to wait for the transcript or for a journalist or commentator to walk us through the testimony," Fix The Court's executive director, Gabe Roth, told me. Roth added, "Today's broadcast also reminds us just how behind the times the federal courts are, where cameras are almost never present and, barring an act of pick-your-deity, won't be rolling during the upcoming Trump trials."

THE INDUSTRY

CNN Photo Illustration/Paula Lobo/ABC/Getty Images

Debra's First Day: It's clear who is now really leading ABC News — and it's not president Kim Godwin. A day after being appointed to a new division that includes ABC News, Disney executive Debra OConnell got to work. Multiple sources texted me this morning to note that OConnell "showed up predawn" at "Good Morning America" to meet and chat with staff and the anchors — something they say Godwin rarely showed interest in doing. As one media exec put it to me, it was a "clear signal of hands-on leadership and engagement in the number one money earner for the network." Later, I'm told OConnell attended the network's daily morning editorial meeting, arriving before Godwin. While Godwin is playing nice with OConnell, it is clear that her power has been diminished at the network, and it's hard to find anyone inside or around ABC News who believes she'll be in her position for the long haul.

► The New York Post's Alexandra Steigrad reported that "top brass was worried about ratings slips at the marquee morning and evening shows, which have lost some ground to rivals NBC News and CBS News."

THE FOURTH ESTATE

The Kremlin said that Evan Gershkovich's fate "can only be resolved in silence." (WSJ)
✂️ Cuts, cuts, cuts: The Intercept laid off 15 staffers, including Editor-In-Chief Roger Hodge, Natalie Korach reports. In a memo, the outlet said the changes were necessary "to become sustainable," describing the layoffs as a "difficult and emotional" decision. (TheWrap)
Over at NowThis, the union said more than half of the editorial team had been laid off, Todd Spangler reports. (Variety)
Emily Smith reported on how CNN boss Mark Thompson will likely need to "slash budgets" on the television side of the company as he looks "to fund his digital-first transformation." (TheWrap)
Ankler Media is looking at $10 million in annual revenue next year, Janice Min tells Bron Maher, adding that the outlet is already "well into the seven figures" for revenue in 2024. (Press Gazette)
The Independent is in discussions to take control of both BuzzFeed and HuffPost in the U.K., Daniel Thomas reports. (FT)
Laura Wagner writes about how Ralph Nader "regularly peppers journalists with critiques and suggestions." (WaPo)

IN THE MARKET

The Justice Department "plans to scrutinize the new streaming service proposed by Disney, Fox Corp, and Warner Bros. Discovery over concerns it could harm consumers, media rivals and sports leagues," Leah Nylen and Todd Shields report, citing sources. (Bloomberg)
Meanwhile, Alex Sherman reports that "pay TV distributors may be planning their attack" against the venture. (CNBC)
Paramount shares ended the day down nearly 5% after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway slimmed its stake in the company. (THR)
TelevisaUnivision "said it narrowed its fourth quarter loss from the year-earlier period as increases in ad revenue in Mexico helped buoy the company despite a downturn in the same category in the U.S. and its continued investment in streaming," Brian Steinberg reports. (Variety)

MEDIA MOVES

NPR announced that Rachel Hubbard and Shawn Turner were elected to its board of directors. (NPR)
Fox News Media announced Trey Gargano as executive vice president of ad sales and Ryan Roelle as senior vice president of national ad sales. (Deadline)
Vox Media added Brené Brown to its podcast network. (Vox)
NBCU launched its Storytellers Program , which provides a pipeline for young journalists, hiring Iris Kim, Maya Brown, and Jay Valle as the associate reporters making up its inaugural cohort. (THR)
The NYT announced that Rob Romig joined the photo department as a print editor. (NYT)
Sony tapped Suzanne Prete as its game shows president. ( TheWrap)

THE INFO WARS

TuckerCarlson/CNN Photo Illustration

Putin's Propaganda Puppet: Tucker Carlson will not stop promoting Russia. First, the former Fox News star hosted the ruthless authoritarian Vladimir Putin for a friendly chat. Then he portrayed Moscow as a first-rate city. Now he has released a series of propaganda videos, showcasing how great Russia supposedly is. The videos posted Thursday featured Carlson gushing over Russia's subway system, a grocery store, and even the country's fast food. The series of videos was so ridiculous that Carlson was rebuked by some figures in conservative media, as Mediaite's Isaac Schorr pointed out.

It can't be overstated how much of a propaganda win this all is for Putin, who can now boast that an American media personality visited Russia and declared it to be in better shape than the U.S. Of course, that's nonsense. As Steven Pifer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former longtime Foreign Service Officer who focused during his State Department career on relations with the former Soviet Union, noted to me, Carlson only seemed to visit limited areas of Russia that were in good order — not the parts of the country without working plumbing. "It does not appear that Carlson had an opportunity to visit those areas, and perhaps no desire; he seems to want only to praise Russia," Pifer said. David Remnick, The New Yorker editor-in-chief who spent years in Moscow, was more blunt, telling me he believes Putin and his circle have viewed Carlson's "feckless interview as a birthday present."

► It's not just Carlson critics in U.S. media saying this. RT's chief, Margarita Simonyan , said as much in an interview, exclaiming, "This was the most successful, the most significant and a truly historic media event in journalism in the history of humanity!"

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Erik Wemple writes about "MSNBC's Biden memory hole," arguing that "fierce and disinterested coverage of the president — whatever its timing and circumstances — is one norm we can't let Trump ruin." (WaPo)
The SEC approved Donald Trump's Truth Social merger. (WaPo)
Candace Owens ranted against "D.C. jews," which is apparently perfectly fine with the folks over at the Daily Wire. ( MMFA)
Meanwhile, Ben Shapiro went after the House GOP for "incoherence and incompetence." (Mediaite)
Bethany Mandel , the right-wing commentator and home school advocate, is running for a school county board as a Democrat. (Rolling Stone)

THE VALLEY

OpenAI/CNN Photo Illustration

Seeing Sora: If you thought ChatGPT was frightening, just wait until you see OpenAI's latest product. The artificial intelligence developer unveiled Sora on Thursday, a bot that can transform text prompts into video that is difficult to distinguish from reality. The A.I. technology generates videos so realistic (examples here ) that OpenAI is pausing before releasing the product to the public. "Today, Sora is becoming available to red teamers to assess critical areas for harms or risks," the company said, adding that it will "be engaging policymakers, educators and artists around the world to understand their concerns and to identify positive use cases for this new technology." The NYT's Cade Metz has more here.

► The Verge's Tom Warren put it like this: "This could be the 'holy shit' moment of A.I."

TOO MANY TABS

OpenAI "has been developing a web search product that would bring the Microsoft-backed startup into more direct competition with Google," Aaron Holmes reports. (The Info)
Meanwhile, ChatGPT has been acting oddly of late, Tom Carter writes, adding that it's probably due to the A.I. bot's interactions with humans. (Business Insider)
After launching Gemini AI, Google is rolling out a new version of its A.I. bot, Gemini Pro 1.5. (WIRED)
When I asked Gemini Advanced about the upgrade, the A.I. bot told me "there isn't a static version" of it: "I'm always learning and being updated. I have access to real-time information and my responses are shaped by that data. There isn't a single static version of me." 🤔
In the world outside A.I., Meta is firing another shot at Apple , providing instructions to advertisers on how to get around the App Store's pesky 30% service charge. (WSJ)
Mathew Ingram wrote that users on Threads "can have political content" but have to "work for it." (CJR)
The Senate appears ready to pass an updated version of the Kids Online Safety Act. (WaPo)
TikTok launched its Vision Pro app. (The Verge)
YouTube, continuing its war on TikTok, is letting users integrate music videos into Shorts. (TechCrunch)

CURTAIN CALL

Credit: CNN Photo Illustration/Warner Bros./Everett Collection

The Roar of the Sandworms: The first reactions are in for "Dune: Part Two" — and critics are showering the sci-fi epic as a "jaw-dropping" masterpiece. "Denis Villeneuve has delivered his magnum opus directing one of the best sci-fi films for generations to come," remarked Variety's Jazz Tangcay. "[Dune: Part Two] is not only Denis's magnum opus; it's the definitive sci-fi epic of a generation," added FilmSpeak's Griffin Schiller. "A tragic tale of blind fanaticism & corruption. A spectacular, soulful, awe-inspiring masterclass of aesthetics & mood beautifully echoing Paul's turbulent journey. Left me speechless!" CinemaBlend's Eric Eisenberg described watching the movie as a "magical experience," calling the film a "breathtaking blockbuster." THR's James Hibberd has more of the first reactions.

OFF STAGE

Russell Simmons was sued by another former Def Jam Recordings executive who alleges he tried to undermine her allegations of sexual assault. Simmons has denied inappropriate behavior. (TheWrap)
The alleged drug use of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the embattled "Rust" armorer, in her off-hours can be introduced as evidence in her upcoming trial, a judge ruled. (LAT)
"Bob Marley: One Love" raked in a record-breaking $14 million on Valentine's Day, while "Madame Web" earned $6 million. (THR)
Ridley Scott's "Napoleon" will hit Apple TV+ on March 1. (Deadline)
Apple Music removed Kanye West's "Vultures 1" amid a dispute with music distributor FUGA. (Rolling Stone)
Shakira announced a new album, "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran," her first in seven years. (Pitchfork)
Meryl Streep will return to "Only Murders in the Building" for the show's fourth season. (THR)
Jon Hamm will star in Taylor Sheridan's "Landman" opposite Demi Moore and Billy Bob Thornton. (TheWrap)
The season three premiere of "Abbott Elementary" drew the show's biggest multiplatform debut. (TheWrap)
Netflix announced the fourth and final season of "The Umbrella Academy" will premiere Aug. 8. (Deadline)

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.

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