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Thursday, May 16, 2024

The Disney-Fox-WBD sports streamer gets a name, Debra OConnell hosts a goodbye party for Kim Godwin, Tucker Carlson loses his longtime producer, ThreadDeck arrives, Reddit shares surge on news of OpenAI deal, "Megalopolis" gets savaged by reviewers after its Cannes Film Festival debut, Shōgun gets renewed, and more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

The Cohen Complication

CNN Photo Illustration/Andres Kudacki/AP

The Donald Trump hush money trial is dragging reporters into uncomfortable territory and laying bare the complicated relationships journalists often have with sources.

Michael Cohen, who continued to testify Thursday, invoked from the stand the names of several high-profile media figures, putting their relationships with the former Trump fixer in the spotlight.

Cohen named The New York Times' Maggie Haberman and MSNBC's Katy Tur as reporters which he had established relationships with. He alleged without evidence that ABC News' John Santucci had tried to pay for the rights to Stormy Daniels' story. And he spoke about having recorded dozens of phone calls with media figures, including former CNN boss Jeff Zucker.

To be clear, a reporter having working relationships with sources is not unethical — it's often a hallmark of being a strong journalist and it does not translate into taking orders or publishing unvetted information. Reputable news outlets like ABC News do not pay for interviews, but trying to secure a sit-down with a high-profile subject is anything but uncommon. And speaking on the phone with a source while the person on the other end of the line secretly records says a lot more about that individual than the journalist.

For now, much of what has been described by Cohen in court appears to be routine, run-of-the-mill behavior that occurs each and every day in journalism. But the general public does not work in a newsroom, and regular interactions with sources can be framed in such a way that removes key context and portrays a routine reporting process as nefarious.

That context is crucial. For example, Haberman has indisputably been one of the most authoritative reporters on Trump. For years, her byline has dogged the Queens-born developer-turned-politician, exposing corruption, revealing embarrassing secrets, and shedding light on his authoritarian impulses. In return, Trump has ranted and raged at her endlessly. The notion that Haberman is a commissioned stenographer for Trump is preposterous.

But for Haberman — or any reporter — to get information from Trump-world requires cultivating thorny relationships with sources, many of whom are slimy figures. It is neither unusual nor unethical for journalists to be cordial to the sources whom they get information from. That does not mean they print whatever these sources send them or function as their mouthpieces. It simply means that they have established a relationship that is conducive to the flow and exchange of information. And when the journalist deems that information to be newsworthy, they might then be able to publish it for the world to see.

It's also worth noting that many of the top journalists covering Trump world have complex histories with the key figures in the case. A witness like Cohen or an attorney like Todd Blanche might be motivated to cast various journalists in unflattering light.

In many ways, the Trump hush money trial has become something of a Rorschach test. People see what they want to see, ignoring evidence before their eyes that runs counter to their chosen narrative. And for the faction of the public that believes some members of the press are too cozy with Trump world, seeing Cohen discuss his relationships with the news media has only reinforced their views.

That reporters are playing a starring role in the trial is also a function of the Trump years. The former president, seeking to use the news media as a foil, cast the journalists covering him as characters in his unrelenting show. Through vile attacks, he moved the reporters from behind the scenes onto the front lines. And so now, amid his criminal trial, it is fitting that members of the press are once again finding themselves in the awkward position of being part of the very story they are covering.

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Venu

Venu Out of the Vault: It has a name! The joint Disney-Fox Corp.-Warner Bros. Discovery sports streamer revealed itself as Venu Sports on Thursday (pronunciation is just as you'd say "venue"). Variety's Todd Spangler has more here.

► The unveiling of Venu came at a less-than-ideal time for WBD. Hours after the name was announced, CNBC's Alex Sherman reported that "it's not likely" the NBA will opt to renew its broadcast rights with WBD. "The more probable path would be for the league to sign papers with NBCUniversal, formally securing its bid," Sherman wrote. "That would trigger a contractual option for Warner Bros. Discovery to match the offer." A spokesperson for WBD declined comment, though Sherman reported that they still continue to have discussions with the NBA. Read Sherman's full story here.

THE INDUSTRY

First in Reliable | Goodbye to Godwin: On Thursday evening, at a reception held on Manhattan's Upper West Side on the roof deck of the Empire Hotel, senior ABC News personnel gathered to officially bid adieu to Kim Godwin. Over cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, staffers wished their embattled one-time chief well on her future endeavors. The gathering was hosted by Debra OConnell, who delivered a toast to Godwin, a sign of grace after Disney brass quite clearly showed the ABC News president the door earlier this month. The question ABC'ers are still eager to have answered: Will members of Godwin's inner-circle lose their badges?

THE FOURTH ESTATE

A new editing layer being implemented at NPR has caused a stir in the newsroom, with "Morning Edition" host Michel Martin pressing chief content officer Edith Chapin for the identity of a mysterious donor funding it all, Benjamin Mullin reported. (NYT)
Mediaite published a large gallery of photos from its 15th anniversary party, including scenes showing Joe Scarborough with Steve Doocy, Chris Licht chatting with Shimon Prokupecz, Floyd Abrams posing with Megyn Kelly, Jim Acosta in conversation with Geraldo Rivera, and more. (Mediaite)
New York's $90 million local news tax break "leaves out TV and nonprofits," Jon Campbell reported. (Gothamist)
Newspaper giant Gannett has started adding A.I.-generated story summaries to the top of its articles, including at USA Today. (The Verge)
The Marshall Project said Susan Chira will step down as the non-profit's top editor in January. (Marshall Project)
It "takes a village": Paula Reid joined Brian Stelter to discuss how CNN is covering the Trump trial. (Vanity Fair)
NewsNation sent a letter to the Embassy of Israel demanding access to Gaza for journalists. (The Hill)
Tom Jones spoke with Trey Yingst about being a foreign correspondent covering two wars: "There are no winners in war. Death, destruction, and suffering are objectively horrible." (Poynter)

OFF THE MARKET

Jeff Zucker's RedBird IMI completed its $1.45 billion accusation of All3Media from Warner Bros Discovery and Liberty Global. (THR)

MEDIA MOVES

The NYT hired Orlando Mayorquin as a reporter. (NYT)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/The Tucker Carlson Show

Tucker's Troubles: Little more than a year since he was fired from Fox News, it seems rather evident that Tucker Carlson is not doing so well. The right-wing extremist has been lampooned by many of his former allies on the right, particularly after he traveled to Russia and churned out Kremlin propaganda. His web-based show has seen a precipitous decline in viewership, failing to impact the right-wing political apparatus as his Fox News show once had. He recently abandoned his studio, instead opting to film his conspiracy-laden chat with Aaron Rodgers at his home's dining room table. And his longtime producer, Justin Wells, has now exited his fledgling media company, per reports from Puck's Dylan Byers and Semafor's Max Tani and Shelby Talcott. It all spells bad news for Carlson, who saw a meteoric rise to the top of right-wing media, only to lose it all when Rupert Murdoch decided to exile him from the Fox News kingdom.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Another debate? The Biden-Harris campaign accepted CBS News' invitation for a debate, which would take place either in July or August. The Trump campaign has yet to respond, but a running mate for the GOP frontrunner has not yet been selected either. (POLITICO)
It seems the folks at Fox News might be a little jealous that they were shut out of the presidential debates! The channel's hosts have been lashing out at the networks that received them, with propagandists like Sean Hannity particularly keen on assailing Jake Tapper's character. (Mediaite)
Disgraced New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is "on the brink" of losing his Newsmax show, Diana Falzone reported. (Mediaite)
BUT: Newsmax strongly pushed back on the report, telling me that it has not discussed nor does it have any intention to drop Giuliani. "Newsmax always accepted all legal and certified election results, we believe the 2020 election results were legal and final," the outlet said. "While we may disagree with the Mayor's viewpoint on the election we see him as an important voice on matters like national security and other issues facing the country."
C'mon, The NYT! Why are you engaging in such brazen bothsidesism, suggesting that the coverage of the hush-money trial is as honest on Fox News as it is on MSNBC? These outlets are not two sides of the same coin. It is baffling how a story with this frame was published in 2024. (NYT)
Incredible! Laura Ingraham, who infamously told LeBron James to "shut up and dribble," praised a conservative athlete as courageous for sharing his politics. 🤔 (Mediaite)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Meta

ThreadDeck Is Here: 10 months after Mark Zuckerberg launched Threads as a competitor to Elon Musk's X, the Meta platform is launching its own version of the popular TweetDeck. ThreadDeck, if you will, started to rollout as a test Thursday to select users. I've been demo'ing the product and believe it to be a game changer. Suddenly, my feed feels a lot more urgent and displays information on a rolling basis in real-time. The new experience also allows users to create columns based on searches or various other options. Sure, there is room for improvement. (It doesn't yet support lists and there are a few bugs to squash.) But, by and large, the launch of the product marks a significant turning point for the platform — particularly for power users, whom I'm sure Meta is hoping to attract. As The Verge's Tom Warren wrote, "Threads on web is getting more powerful." Warren has more here.

🔎 Zooming in: When Threads first launched, many Twitter users complained that the nascent platform was lacking basic features. There is no desktop option! There is no search feature! There are no trending topics! You're familiar with the gripes. But over the last 10 months, Meta has (rather quickly) integrated all of these features and more to the platform. With the coming launch of ThreadDeck (it's still in test mode), Threads is quickly amassing the features that once made Twitter a firehose of information.

TOO MANY TABS

As OpenAI readies to take on Google, the company announced Thursday a major licensing deal with Reddit, ensuring it also has access to some of the most authoritative information on the internet. (WSJ)
📈 Reddit shares spiked more than 11% in after-hours trading after the deal was announced.
Meanwhile: "Google Search, that powerful, white, oblong textbox that became the default portal for organizing, showcasing, platforming, exploring, optimizing, and determining the ultimate reach of every single webpage across the entirety of cyberspace ... is becoming something else entirely: a self-ingesting singular webpage of its own, powered by the breadth of web information to which it once gave you access," Nitish Pahwa writes. (Slate)
In the E.U., Meta is being probed over concerns that its products "may exploit the weaknesses and inexperience of minors and cause addictive behavior." (CNN)
TikTok is trialing 60-minute video uploads. (TechCrunch)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/American Zoetrope

'Megalopolis' Misses: The reviews are trickling in for Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis," the highly anticipated film that premiered Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival. And the early reaction is — well, not so great. With 19 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the epic is boasting a staggeringly low 47% score. To be fair, a few critics have said they enjoyed the film, which boasts a strong cast led by Adam Driver. But the vast majority of the critics who have weighed in, thus far, have not been fans. Vanity Fair chief critic Richard Lawson wrote that it was a "passion project gone horribly wrong," calling the film "the junkiest of junk-drawer movies, a slapped together hash of Coppola's many disparate inspirations." Oof!

NOW PLAYING IN CANNES

Speaking of "Megalopolis," the film will get the IMAX treatment. (THR)
Shia LaBeouf made a rare return to the red carpet at the premiere of "Megalopolis." (PEOPLE)
Anya Taylor-Joy praised the on-set safety of the stunt-laden "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga," saying "it doesn't make any sense how safe this film was." (The Wrap)

OFF STAGE

The CW told Peter White it will be probing the Miss USA & Miss Teen USA pageants and determining whether to broadcast the event, which it just struck a three-year deal last month to be the home of. (Deadline)
Judd Apatow ended his 30-year relationship with UTA, Mike Fleming Jr. reported, adding that the filmmaker will be meeting with CAA and WME. (Deadline)
So much for it being a limited series! FX and Hulu are doubling down on "Shōgun," ordering not just one extra season but two. (THR)
"Civil War" will be released in China on June 7 — a first for A24. (THR)
The BET Awards announced its nominations, with Drake leading the pack with seven nods. (Rolling Stone)
Annie Potts, who for seven seasons played Meemaw on "Young Sheldon," was baffled by CBS' decision to end the show, asking in an interview with Jacqueline Cutler: "Are they stupid?" (Daily Beast)
Speaking of "Young Sheldon": John Koblin explains how the show's seven-year run reflected the changes to the TV industry. (NYT)
Oscar Isaac will voice Jesus opposite Forest Whitaker's Peter in the star-studded animated film "The King of Kings." (THR)
Prime Video dropped the trailer for "You're Cordially Invited," starring Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon. (YouTube)
Lionsgate released the official trailer for "Never Let Go," starring Halle Berry, Percy Daggs, and Anthony B. Jenkins. (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 next week.

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