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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

The Associated Press loses business from Gannett and McClatchy, "Zone of Interest" director Jonathan Glazer faces growing backlash, ESPN inks a deal to retain college football playoff rights, George Lucas backs Bob Iger, Donald Trump sues ABC News and George Stephanopoulos, TikTok's trouble thickens, Taylor Swift smashes the Disney+ concert film record, and more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

The Graves in Gaza

CNN Photo Illustration/Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

The Israeli military is evading questions and calls for accountability over the killing of journalists tasked with covering the country's brutal and protracted war with Hamas.

Since the October 7 terrorist attacks, at least 95 journalists — 90 of whom are Palestinian — have been killed in the region, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which has been tracking the mounting death toll. The non-profit said it is the deadliest conflict for journalists it has recorded since it started collecting data in 1992.

But Israel Defense Forces has rarely provided specific answers about the circumstances that have led to the killing of journalists. Instead, the IDF has issued vague statements that reiterate their forces do not intentionally target journalists or that the matter is under investigation.

However, with journalists facing extraordinary danger in the field as they attempt to bear witness to the ugly war on behalf of the world, such statements are insufficient. And, over the past week, a pair of new reports have raised significant questions for the IDF about two separate instances that led to the killing of journalists.

The United Nations finalized a report last week about the killing of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah in southern Lebanon, concluding that the attack was from an Israeli tank that had fired at a group of "clearly identifiable journalists," a violation of international law. CNN also reported, based on video from the scene, that the journalists were wearing body armor clearly labeled "PRESS."

In response to the U.N. report, the IDF said it "does not deliberately shoot at civilians, including journalists." And it reiterated its support for a free press. But Reuters editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni has demanded Israel more thoroughly explain its actions and hold those responsible accountable. So far, that has yet to occur.

On Tuesday, The Washington Post published a report raising serious questions about a separate attack, a January 7 missile strike that claimed the lives of two Al Jazeera journalists and two freelancers. The IDF initially said that it "identified and struck a terrorist who operated an aircraft that posed a threat to IDF troops."

But the aircraft in question was a consumer-grade drone, The WaPo reported. And the newspaper obtained and reviewed the footage taken from the drone, which it posted in its entirety online, which revealed "no Israeli soldiers, aircraft or other military equipment" were visible. The WaPo, which spoke to 14 witnesses and colleagues of the slain journalists, also asked two analysts to review satellite imagery covering a 1.2 mile radius of the area, which was captured on the day of the attack. Neither expert saw evidence of military activity and it is unclear how the drone ever posed a "threat" to IDF personnel.

When The WaPo asked the IDF about its findings, however, a spokesperson would only say, "We have nothing more to add."

Outside such lethal incidents, the Israeli military has also come under increased scrutiny for its general treatment of journalists in the region.

Al Jazeera said Monday that IDF forces detained one of its correspondents, Ismail al-Ghoul, for 12 hours before releasing him. The Qatari-funded network said in a blistering statement that al-Ghoul was reporting from Al-Shifa Hospital when he was arrested by Israeli forces, "severely beaten" and detained with other journalists. When the reporter was released, he accused Israeli forces of destroying his broadcast equipment and subjecting other members of the press to appalling conditions.

"He said the journalists were stripped of their clothes and forced to lie on their stomachs as they were blindfolded and their hands tied," Al Jazeera reported. "Israeli soldiers would open fire to scare them if there was any movement, al-Ghoul said."

On Tuesday morning, after checking in with the IDF multiple times, I finally received a comment from a military spokesperson.

"We are not aware of the detention of a man named Ismail Al-Ghoul," the IDF spokesperson said.

When I asked the IDF spokesperson whether they would acknowledge having detained any journalists at the hospital, I received a statement that did not answer the question. I asked again if the IDF detained journalists, but received no reply.

Suffice to say that such responses don't reflect well on the Israeli military. Obviously, operating in a war zone is extraordinarily difficult. But, as press advocates and news organizations have repeatedly stressed, the targeting of journalists and mistreatment of those who risk their lives to report from the conflict is unacceptable.

"Attacks on journalists are also attacks on truth," underscored an open letter signed last month by three dozen news leaders, including the heads of CNN, the Associated Press, The New York Times, and BBC News.

Journalists are dying in record numbers covering the war. And with each death, the world sees a little less from the war-torn region. It is incumbent on Israel, which is responsible for the conduct of its military forces, to fully explain its actions when a member of the press is killed.

So far, however, the IDF has been less than forthcoming.

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Chris Pizzello/AP

Zone of Controversy: When will Jonathan Glazer break his silence? The "Zone of Interest" director is facing swelling backlash after his controversial acceptance speech at the Oscars. Glazer, who is Jewish, said that he stood onstage as a man who refutes his "Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people." Since delivering the speech, which did receive some applause at the Dolby Theatre, Glazer has faced criticism. "Zone of Interest" executive producer Danny Cohen said he "fundamentally disagree[s]" with Glazer's speech. And, more recently, hundreds of Hollywood actors, producers, and industry workers have signed a petition condemning his remarks. The NYT's Marc Tracy has more here.

THE INDUSTRY

CNN Photo Illustration/Chan Long Hei/SOPA Images/AP

The Disassociated Press: The two largest newspaper chains in the country are dramatically scaling back their relationship with the Associated Press, a pair of seismic moves that will impact how millions of people across the U.S. receive their news. Gannett, which operates USA Today and 200 other outlets, said Tuesday that it will stop using the AP's content next week, arguing it will give the company "the opportunity to redeploy more dollars toward our teams." Meanwhile, McClatchy said in an internal announcement that it will not publish AP content after March 31, resulting in the company "no longer pay millions for content that serves less than 1 percent of our readers." The NYT's Benjamin Mullin and Katie Robertson have details here.

► The AP told me that the loss of Gannett and McClatchy's business "would not have a material impact on our overall revenue." But, the spokesperson added, "We are disappointed in this news from Gannett and McClatchy, as conversations with both news organizations have been productive and are ongoing. We remain hopeful Gannett and McClatchy will continue to support the AP beyond the end of their membership terms. We appreciate that these are difficult decisions to make and deeply understand the challenges the news industry faces. At the same time, this would be a disservice to news consumers across the U.S. who would no longer see fact-based journalism from the AP."

THE FOURTH ESTATE

Dan Kois, Nitish Pahwa, and Luke Winkie interviewed over 30 sources for an oral story of Pitchfork. (Slate)
Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker's longtime satirist who was laid off in December, announced he will take his newsletter to Substack. (THR)
Peter Kafka argues that the big winner in Reddit's IPO is Condé Nast, whose parent company, Advance, owns one-third of the digital forum. (Business Insider)
Fast Company named 2024's top 10 most innovative companies in media, a list that included NBCU, Semafor, and SiriusXM. (Fast Company)
The NYT Audio App exceeded one million downloads. (Press Gazette)
The BBC is planning to sell ads for some of its podcasts as the broadcaster looks to generate additional revenue. (BBC)
"One way to help a journalism industry in crisis: Make J-school free," writes Graciela Mochkofsky, dean at CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. (NYT)

ELSEWHERE IN THE BIZ

ESPN inked a $7.8 billion, six-year extension to maintain the television rights for the NCAA's top football playoff tournament. (Axios)
George Lucas backed Bob Iger in the Disney proxy fight. (Variety)
Nielsen found that streaming hit a six-month high in February, accounting for the largest portion of TV usage. (The Wrap)
CAA oversaw a handful of layoffs. (Deadline)
Richard Rushfield: "I'm continually struck by this paradox in Hollywood: The people who run — and own — our studios are not morons. ... What's more, contrary to caricatures, they aren't evil people. ... So if we're run, by and large, by very intelligent people who love what Hollywood does, why collectively does it seem like they are determined to run this place into the ground?" (The Ankler)

MEDIA MOVES

NBCU Media Group promoted David Pietrycha to chief business officer. (The Wrap)
The Baltimore Banner hired Herman Wong as deputy managing editor and Julie Bykowicz as business and enterprise editor. (Axios)
The WaPo named Nick Baumann deputy politics editor. (WaPo)
Bloomberg hired Katherine Bell as an executive editor and named Bobby Ghosh as a senior editor. (TBN)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/Getty Images

Suing Stephanopoulos: He's done it again. Donald Trump filed yet another lawsuit against the news media late Monday, accusing ABC News and George Stephanopoulos of defamation over assertions the anchor made in a combative interview. In a "This Week" interview earlier this month, Stephanopoulos pressed Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, a rape survivor, over her continued support of Trump after a jury found he sexually abused E. Jean Carroll in 1996. Stephanopoulos asserted multiple times in the interview with Mace that Trump had "raped" Carroll. While a federal jury last year found that Trump had sexually abused Carroll, the jury did not find that she proved he had raped her. Dismissing a countersuit months later, however, the judge in the case concluded that the claim Trump raped Carroll was "substantially true." ABC News declined to comment on the lawsuit. That said, it goes without saying that Trump has a lengthy history filing meritless lawsuits against the press, which he regularly demonizes. Here's my full story.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

The Tampa Bay Times' top editor, Mark Katches, explained to readers why the outlet refers to Tim Burke as a former journalist. (Tampa Bay)
Kaitlan Collins spoke to the director of her Alabama hometown's public library who was fired from his job amid a book ban fight. The one-time library director said such fights are "unfortunately happening at libraries all over the state and all over the nation." (Threads)
Candace Owens double-down on her conspiracy theory that France's first lady, Brigitte Macron, is a trans woman. (MMFA)
A court ruled that YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit must face a lawsuit that the platforms contributed to the radicalization of the Buffalo grocery gunman. (CNN)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Lenin Nolly/Sipa USA

TikTok's Trouble Thickens: Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, the chair of the Senate Select Committee, continued to sound the alarm about TikTok, in an interview published Tuesday with NPR's Ari Shapiro. Shapiro asked Warner if there is any evidence to suggest China is meddling in TikTok, to which the senator replied, "I can tell you this: you don't get 352 votes in the House of Representatives unless you've got a convincing case." Warner also said that he wants to "make sure there's continuity of service" if legislation forcing a divesture is passed and that a deadline of six months might not be an immovable deadline. Check out the full interview here.

TOO MANY TABS

"Should the ban take effect, three of TikTok's competitors stand to benefit the most: Meta, Alphabet, and Snap," Lucas Manfredi notes. (The Wrap)
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden took aim at former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin over his ties to Middle Eastern money as he looks to pick up TikTok from ByteDance. (Semafor)
Sam Altman sat down with Lex Fridman for a two-hour interview in which he said the world "should be rooting for" Elon Musk, who is currently suing OpenAI. (Business Insider)
Reddit disclosed it received a letter from Nokia that claimed the IPO-bound company infringed on some of its patents. (Reuters)
"It's a pillar of the social web — but will it make a good investment?" asks Casey Newton. (Platformer)
Liz Reid took over as head of Google Search. (The Verge)
In the E.U., Meta offered to nearly halve its monthly subscription fees for Facebook and Instagram to appease regulators. (Reuters)
Threads rolled out trending topics to users in the U.S. (Threads)
Facebook quietly brought back the "Poke" button. (Business Insider)
Snapchat is experimenting with potentially letting users permanently save DMs. (Axios)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images

Swift's Streaming Success: Bob Iger's move to secure Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" as a Disney+ exclusive is driving eyeballs to the streamer. The debut of the concert film on Disney+ broke the record for the platform's most-watched music film ever. The hit-movie, which also smashed box office records for the genre, logged a staggering 4.6 million views and 16.2 million hours on Disney+, according to the streamer's numbers. The Wrap's Loree Seitz and Jose Alejandro Bastidas have more here.

OFF STAGE

Dan Schneider said he owed "some people a pretty strong apology" after watching "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," a docuseries that chronicled the toxic workplaces at Nickelodeon. (THR)
Jonathan Majors was sued by Grace Jabbari, his ex-girlfriend, for defamation, assault, and battery. Majors' attorney said the actor is "preparing counterclaims" against Jabbari. (Deadline)
Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary confirmed "Dune: Part Two" crossed $500 million at the box office. Meanwhile, the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise crossed $2 billion! (Deadline)
Meanwhile, Jeremy Strong's "An Enemy of the People" (which I am personally wanting to see), is performing well on Broadway. (Deadline)
"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" is eyeing a $45 million opening at the domestic box office. (Variety)
Barack and Michelle Obama's media company, Higher Ground, is adding a new podcast, "Ways to Win," to its portfolio. (THR)
Sundance set its dates for the 2025 festival: Jan. 23 to Feb. 2. (Deadline)
Travis Kelce is in talks to host a celebrity-focused reboot of the game show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" for Amazon Prime Video, Brian Steinberg reports. (Variety)
The next entry of Netflix's docuseries with the NFL will be "Receiver," which will follow wide receivers through the 2023 season. (THR)
Jeffrey Wright will star in Spike Lee's "High and Low" opposite Denzel Washington. (Deadline)
Netflix released the trailer for the journalism-centric drama, "Scoop," based on Prince Andrew's "Newsnight" interview. (YouTube)
Disney+ released the official trailer for "The Acolyte," the latest "Star Wars" spin-off. (YouTube)
Warner Bros. Pictures dropped the second official trailer for "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga." (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.

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