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Thursday, March 28, 2024

A sneak peek at Friday's The WSJ front page spotlighting Evan Gershkovich's missing journalism, NBC News executive Rebecca Blumenstein visits Washington amid fallout from the Ronna McDaniel disaster, Josh Kushner and Karlie Kloss breathe new life into LIFE magazine, Ben Shapiro addresses Candace Owens' ouster from The Daily Wire, Michael Kassan sues Bryan Freedman, Reddit's stock stumbles, Beyoncé readies to release her first country album, and so much more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

Standing With Evan

CNN Photo Illustration/Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

Emma Tucker is hopeful that by next year Evan Gershkovich will be free.

The Wall Street Journal boss, who spoke with me by phone this week, said that she believes "there are enough pieces in place" and "enough goodwill for that to happen." Tucker, however, acknowledged that the U.S. is dealing with an unpredictable regime in Russia, making it difficult to offer a precise timeframe for when Gershkovich will be released.

"But my expectation and sincere hope is that this time next year, he will not be imprisoned in Russia," Tucker said.

Tucker's remarks come as Friday marks the one-year anniversary of Gershkovich being detained by the Vladimir Putin-led country. The accredited Journal reporter was arrested last March while reporting from the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, and has since been held at the notorious Lefortovo prison in Moscow. His imprisonment, which has been vociferously denounced by free press advocates across the world, has been repeatedly extended as he awaits trial.

While Gershkovich sits in a Russian cell, his colleagues at The Journal have done everything in their power to keep his story alive in the press. This week, the newspaper marked the one-year anniversary, raising awareness by holding a read-a-thon, "Swim for Evan" events, and several global runs. On Friday, it will lead a social media storm where people are encouraged to raise awareness of his case by posting online with the "#IStandWithEvan" hashtag.

"What people can do is keep Evan front of mind because that keeps the pressure up on the governments involved, that this is a situation that is completely outrageous and needs to be resolved," Tucker told me.

"But the other thing I would say is, I think that it is really important for all of us ... to remind people how important a free press is," Tucker added. "I think it's something that sometimes gets taken for granted."

Tucker said that Gershkovich's detention has not changed The Journal's editorial stance on Russia, given the paper's lengthy record of tough reporting on the country's oppressive government. But she said it has certainly influenced her and the newspaper in other ways.

"It's heightened the need to speak out not just about Evan and his particular plight, but the wider assault on the ability of journalists to be able to do their jobs," Tucker said. "It's also made us think very hard about, not that we weren't before, but you think about all your journalists in dangerous situations. Something like this does focus the mind."

While reality-dwelling free press advocates have condemned Putin for his crackdown on journalism, some popular right-wing media personalities like Tucker Carlson have praised the authoritarian state in recent months. Carlson, in particular, visited Russia earlier this year and sat for a chummy interview with Putin. While he did press the Russian authoritarian on Gershkovich's case, he left room for the possibility that The Journal reporter broke the law (it goes without saying that Carlson's remarks didn't play well in The Journal newsroom, given that reporting is not a crime). And Carlson recorded a series of propaganda-like videos in Moscow, glorifying the country.

Asked about the disturbing trend of right-wing media figures extolling Russia as something of a utopia, all while Gershkovich sits in a Russian cell for the crime of reporting from the country, Tucker acknowledged its "unusual" nature and said it underscored the need for accurate reporting from the region.

"What goes through my head is that it's our job at The Journal to double down on good reporting about what's actually happening there," Tucker told me, describing reporting from Putin's Russia as "really bloody hard these days" but as important as ever.

"That's where we have to put our energy," Tucker added. "We can't be worrying about what others are doing."

As Gershkovich awaits the day that he can walk out of prison and embrace his family and friends, Tucker told me he remains "resilient" and is doing his best to remain in positive spirits. But Tucker noted that she doesn't think "anyone after a year in a Moscow prison designed to hold political prisoners is going to be in a terribly good frame of mind."

"I think a lot of what you see, and his parents acknowledge this, he is protecting them," Tucker said. "He knows that this is a terrible ordeal for them."

"And when he puts on a good front, it's partly to make his parents feel better," Tucker added. "He knows that his mom and his dad are pouring over images of him ... and I think he knows that. And because he is the kind of person he is, he is trying to protect them."

FIRST IN RELIABLE

CNN Photo Illustration/The Wall Street Journal

EYES ON EVAN

The WSJ will make a big statement in its Friday print edition (see above), intentionally leaving blank a large section of the front page to represent the missing journalism from Evan Gershkovich. "A year in Russian prison. A year of stolen stories, stolen joys, stolen memories. The crime: journalism," the paper will state. Along side it, The Journal will feature dispatches on Gershkovich and spotlight the destructive consequences of authoritarian regimes.
U.S. envoy Roger D. Carstens told Christiane Amanpour that he is "hopeful" a deal can be ironed out within the next 90 days to free Gershkovich. (CNN)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talks for a deal to release Gershkovich "must be carried out in absolute silence." (Reuters)
"We want him home," Gershkovich's mother, Ella Milman, told Emma Burrows. (AP)
Norah O'Donnell, Abby Phillip, Lester Holt, Dana Perino, and others participated in The WSJ's Read-A-Thon. (Deadline)
Louise Radnofsky spotlighted the other Americans detained in Russia, including journalist Alsu Kurmasheva. (WSJ)
Fox News has started running a spot featuring its most prominent journalists declaring that they stand with Gershkovich.
Almar Latour, The WSJ's publisher, will appear on "Fox & Friends" Friday morning, along with two of Gershkovich's best friends, Jeremy Berke and Sam Silverman.
Fox Nation will feature a special called "Prisoner of Putin." (MPN)
The New York Post editorial board: "WSJ's Evan Gershkovich has been a Russian hostage for a full year: Get him freed NOW." (NY Post)
The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board: "Across the globe and here at home, a free press often comes at a steep cost." (Inquirer)

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Richard Drew/AP

Blumenstein Backs Budoff Brown: As questions swirl over whether someone will be held accountable over the Ronna McDaniel disaster, NBC News president of editorial Rebecca Blumenstein traveled to Washington on Thursday to meet with apprehensive staffers. While speculation had run rampant ahead of her visit that Blumenstein might be visiting the D.C. office to dismiss senior vice president of politics Carrie Budoff Brown, the opposite occurred. In her first group remarks to employees about the McDaniel mess, Blumenstein strongly stood by Budoff Brown, I'm told. In fact, Blumenstein indicated that she thought there had been an overreaction to the situation and urged staffers to focus on their work. Blumenstein is scheduled to meet next with members of the "Meet the Press" team on Friday. Meanwhile, as Blumenstein headed to Washington, Budoff Brown traveled to New York. The NBC News politics boss, I'm told, was in the Big Apple for sales meetings, alongside "MTP" host Kristen Welker and executive producer David Gelles. Luckily for the NBC executives looking to put the crisis in the rearview, the holiday weekend is just around the corner.

THE MCDANIEL MESS

"Two days after NBC News's decision to reverse its hiring of former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel, network staffers were coming to terms with the controversy — and placing bets on where the blame may lay," Sarah Ellison, Josh Dawsey, and Jeremy Barr reported. (WaPo)
Meanwhile, the RNC is now "weighing whether to restrict NBC's access to this summer's convention," Alex Isenstadt reported. (POLITICO)
MSNBC boss Rashida Jones told talent on a Thursday call to address what she called "nonsense, false reporting floating around" about her involvement in the scandal, Carlos Greer reported. (Page Six)
Is Cesar Conde still working remotely as he works to manage the fallout? His spokesperson, Stephen Labaton, did not respond when I asked again on Thursday. One would think that it would be an easy answer!
"What's the fallout for Cesar Conde?" Lucas Manfredi and Natalie Korach wondered, quoting an anonymous prominent executive who said, "Everyone is talking about what this means for Cesar and what will happen to him after this fiasco." (The Wrap)
Newsmax "is interested in pursuing Ronna McDaniel as a contributor," The WSJ's Isabella Simonetti reported on X.
Alex Weprin also reported that NewsNation could be interested in signing a deal with McDaniel. (THR)
"Ronna's out," Joan Walsh wrote, "But the folks who hired her remain at NBC News." (The Nation)
NBC News "must deal with the Ronna McDaniel fallout," Tom Jones wrote, adding that "questions linger about whether this could impact how viewers see" the network's politics coverage. (Poynter)
"This costly distraction created a major trust gap internally, and the network will have rebuild relations while also re-strategizing how to appeal to right-leaning viewers ahead of the election," Eleanor Hawkins wrote. (Axios)
Jack Shafer on what the disaster says about the news industry: "The bosses haven't lost control, but they're no longer completely in charge, and that is changing the way journalism gets done." (POLITICO)

THE INDUSTRY

CNN Photo Illustration/Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

A New LIFE: The iconic LIFE magazine is being revived by Josh Kushner and Karlie Kloss. The photo-focused publication, which ceased publication in 2000, will resume print production as part of a deal between the couple's Bedford Media and Dotdash Meredith, which owns the rights to the brand. Under the new deal, Bedford will publish the magazine, while Dotdash Meredith will continue to own its archives. "We see LIFE as an uplifting and unifying voice in a chaotic media landscape," Kloss said. Variety's Todd Spangler has more here.

🔎 Zooming in: "Kushner approached [Barry] Diller about resurrecting Life about eight months ago," Andrew Ross Sorkin and the Dealbook team reported. "His pitch was that the magazine could be resurrected in print and online — as well as in newer iterations like events and collaborations with brands and major studios."

Disappearance at the Daily Mail: Staffers at the Daily Mail have a question: What happened to their top editor? That's because Editor-In-Chief Gerard Greaves inexplicably went on leave earlier this month, with staffers left in the dark about the situation. "While the world was wondering where Princess Catherine was, the staff of the Daily Mail was wondering where Gerard Greaves is," an insider told me. The person added that "there's been no communication" to staff about the matter, leaving employees to speculate about what may have happened. A spokesperson for the Daily Mail told me Thursday that Greaves is on compassionate leave. But the spokesperson had no information on when Greaves might return and declined to say who has stepped in to fulfill the daily editorial duties.

THE FOURTH ESTATE

The Independent has taken control of both BuzzFeed U.K. and HuffPost U.K., Benoit Berthelot reports. (Bloomberg)
🙌 The Atlantic has passed the one-million-subscriber mark, reaching profitability. (The Wrap)
Alexandra Bruell reports on "how The Atlantic went from broke to profitable in three years." (WSJ)
Bryan Curtis, editor-at-large for The Ringer, speaks with Andrew Murfett about how he hosts, curates, and puts together his Spotify podcast, "The Press Box." (LinkedIn)
BDG executive Wes Bonner talks to Sara Guaglione about how the company publishes fewer stories "amid referral traffic declines." (DigiDay)
The BBC's deficit is expected to rise to $620 million in 2025, Max Goldbart reports. (Deadline)

IN THE MARKET

The lawsuits keep on piling up! MediaLink founder Michael Kassan is suing UTA's lawyer — none other than one Bryan Freedman — for $125 million! (The Wrap)
Freedman responds: "Facts are not defamation. Michael Kassan's continuous baseless filings and statements are nothing more than an attempt to create a false media narrative and divert attention from his fraudulent activities."
The New York City Retirement Systems are backing Disney's board in its fight with Nelson Peltz, Jill Goldsmith reports. (Deadline)
Universal Music Group has expanded its relationship with Spotify as it wars with TikTok. (Deadline)
Mets Owner Steve Cohen disclosed his firm owns $350 million in Fox Corporation shares, or about 5% of the company. (THR)
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chain is up for sale, Anthony D'Alessandro reports, citing sources. (Deadline)
It looks like most people (71%) who signed up for Peacock to watch the NFL Wildcard game it paid big bucks for remained subscribed to the streamer. (The Ankler)

MEDIA MOVES

The WaPo named Gitesh Gohel head of product and design. (WaPo)
The NYT hired Trish Daly as a book development editor. (NYT)
Sports Business Journal hired Mollie Cahillane. (TBN)
Reuters hired Nora Eckert to cover the automobile industry. (TBN)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/Rubin Report

Shapiro's Speech Stance: Ben Shapiro on Thursday addressed The Daily Wire's decision to oust Candace Owens. Speaking to Dave Rubin, the conservative media personality underscored that The Daily Wire has no obligation to offer a "direct subsidization of particular opinions." Shapiro said he supports free speech, and that he believes platforms "should have a very broad range of speech that it allows." But he argued that publishers are different and can enforce an Overton window of thought. "The Daily Wire would not have a host, would not pay a host, who was staunchly pro-abortion," Shapiro explained. The comments came as some of Shapiro's critics accused him of hypocrisy on the issue of free speech, given that his company moved to cut ties with Owens. Mediaite's Isaac Schorr, who has owned this story from the beginning, has more here.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

"While MSNBC and CNN dedicated hours to the high-stakes Supreme Court hearing on mifepristone access, Fox News covered it for just 20 minutes," Jasmine Geonzon reported. (MMFA)
An investigation by Miranda Green and David Folkenflik found that Chevron has been building a network of news websites. "Chevron's bid to control the public discourse comes as efforts to combat climate change threaten the fossil fuel industry," the duo noted. (NPR)
Donie O'Sullivan reported on "how the Baltimore bridge collapse spawned a torrent of instant conspiracy theories." (CNN)
Pretty, pretty, candid! Larry David ripped "little baby" and "sociopath" Donald Trump in an interview with Chris Wallace. (CNN)
That comment turned David into a bit of a target on the right, with Charlie Kirk claiming he was "not the brains" of "Seinfeld" and had "lost his fastball." (Mediaite)
Speaking of comedians under fire, Bushra Sultana reported on how right-wing media figures "want you to be mad that Jon Stewart sold his apartment." (MMFA)
Allison Morrow detailed how Trump Media "is a risky bet." (CNN)
Zack Beauchamp: "How MAGA broke the media." (Vox)
Elon Musk has been questioned in a defamation lawsuit that alleges the billionaire suggested on X that a California man was part of a right-wing extremist street fight in 2023. (Reuters)

THE VALLEY

TOO MANY TABS

Reddit's stock price has fallen nearly 25% in two days, meaning shares are trading below the first day's close, Jonathan Vanian reports. (CNBC)
"The slow death of Twitter is measured in disasters like the Baltimore bridge collapse," A.W. Ohlheiser points out. (Vox)
"Is Threads the good place?" wonders Pamela Paul. (NYT)
"A year after turning on monetization, YouTube Shorts isn't quite a TikTok killer, but it's given creators a new revenue stream," Amrita Khalid reports. (The Verge)
YouTube slapped Gan Jing World, a bizarre clone site tied to the Falun Gong, with a cease-and-desist letter, Emanuel Maiberg and Jason Koebler report. (404 Media)
Snap is giving staffers two months to decide whether they're coming back to the office as it revokes exemptions granted to some employees that allowed them to work remotely, Erin Woo reports. (The Information)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Parkwood/Columbia/Sony/AP

Countdown to the Hoedown: Are you ready for Beyoncé's first-ever country album? The music superstar is set to release her highly anticipated "Cowboy Carter" album on Friday, which was first teased back in February during the Super Bowl. For those who cannot wait until they wake up, the "Renaissance" sequel — Beyoncé's eight album, for those counting — is slated to post online at midnight. "This album has been over five years in the making," Beyoncé said. "It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn't." Business Insider's Callie Ahlgrim has more.

OFF STAGE

Christopher Nolan and his wife, film producer Emma Thomas, will receive a knighthood and damehood, respectively. (BBC)
Ted Sarandos will also be made an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire. (Deadline)
⚾ Thursday marked Opening Day across the MLB. (The Athletic)
Jagged Edge Productions confirmed there will be a third installment in its slasher "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey" IP. (Variety)
Olivia Coleman won't return for the third season of "Heartstopper." (THR)
Netflix dropped the trailer for "Unfrosted," starring Jerry Seinfeld and Melissa McCarthy. (YouTube)
Paramount+ released the trailer for the third season of "Mayor of Kingstown," which marks Jeremy Renner's return. (YouTube)
Max released the trailer for "The Sympathizer," which stars Robert Downey Jr. and Hoa Xuande. (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.

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