The WSJ closes regional bureaus as Emma Tucker continues restructuring, The Atlantic's union demands answers from management on OpenAI partnership, David Ellison's Skydance sweetens its deal for Paramount, Charles Barkley continues savaging Warner Bros. Discovery management, TikTok reportedly works to create a clone of its algorithm, Sony Pictures embraces A.I., and more. But first, the A1. |
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| CNN Photo Illustration/Fox News |
Donald Trump's media allies are demanding retribution in the wake of his conviction. Following weeks of attacks targeting the historic hush money case against the former president, prominent right-wing media figures immediately flooded the public discourse Thursday with extreme and disturbing rhetoric after Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts. On Fox News and other right-wing outlets, pro-Trump media personalities erupted in anger, blaming everyone from Judge Juan Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to President Joe Biden and the entire U.S. justice system for the "disgraceful" conviction.
While not surprising, the furious bluster reverberating across right-wing media still carried its intended effect, burning away public trust in America's core institutions and leaving a lasting impact on the legitimacy of the rule of law in the U.S.
The toxic commentary is also enflaming desires of retribution held by Trump supporters, with popular right-wing media figures openly declaring their hope that the GOP candidate to nakedly seek revenge against his critics, should he emerge victorious in November and return to the Oval Office.
Indeed, it is not only that MAGA Media personalities are assailing the unanimous guilty verdict returned by a jury of 12 New Yorkers, calling it unfair and rigged. Some of the right's most popular talking heads are openly calling for the weaponization of government to seek retribution against Trump's political opponents.
The Daily Wire's Matt Walsh, who commands a following of millions of subscribers on YouTube and social media, said after the verdict that Trump "should make and publish a list of ten high ranking Democrat criminals who he will have arrested when he takes office." The Federalist chief executive Sean Davis said he wants "to see lists of which Democrat officials are going to be put in prison." And Fox News' Jesse Watters declared, "We're going to vanquish the evil forces that are destroying this republic."
Suffice to say, that unhinged, reckless, and dangerous rhetoric is not normal. And it even exceeds some of the highly charged rhetoric that played out during Trump's administration when then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller probed the then-president over his ties to Russia. But as the legal walls actually begin to close in on Trump, the commentary in right-wing media is getting angrier, more menacing, and taking a markedly darker tone.
In the hours after the verdict was handed down Thursday, talk of the U.S. having transformed into a third-world dictatorship was the norm in pro-Trump media, with the term "banana republic" regularly tossed around. In fact, there was little room for disagreement with the radical and warped viewpoint.
"Import the Third World, become the Third World. That's what we just saw," right-wing extremist Tucker Carlson declared on X. "This won't stop Trump. He'll win the election if he's not killed first. But it does mark the end of the fairest justice system in the world. Anyone who defends this verdict is a danger to you and your family."
As has become the new normal, Fox News also promoted a parade of dishonest right-wing talking points to its sizable audience. Laura Ingraham declared that "the Democrats are showing [the country] what real power is ... the type of power we usually see dictators exercise in China and Cuba and North Korea." Sean Hannity complained that "the foundation of our constitutional republic" is "literally dying before your eyes."
That rhetoric is, obviously, detached from reality. The U.S. is not a third world country. Trump got his day in court and was treated by the judge, by all accounts, quite fairly. Biden did not direct so-called deep state forces to engage in "lawfare" against Trump.
But the endless streams of poison flooding into the public discourse comes with consequences. It not only offers a preview of just how ugly the 2024 race will soon become, it sets the stage for Trump, if he manages to make his way back into the White House, to abuse power and deform the federal institutions to serve his purposes. Perversely, it has primed a swath of Americans into believing that such behavior would not only be warranted, but necessary. |
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- Television news rushed into special coverage mode when the verdict came down. The big three broadcast anchors — David Muir, Lester Holt, and Norah O'Donnell — broke into normal programming with special reports. Jake Tapper led coverage on CNN, Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC, and Shannon Bream on Fox News.
- "The former president of the Untied States is now a convicted felon," Tapper told viewers after the verdict was handed down. "It is a remarkable moment in American history," Anderson Cooper said.
- On MSNBC, Rachel Maddow noted, "The test for us now as a country is whether or not this former president and his allies will have succeeded in trying to undermine the rule of law so that people reject this as a legitimate function of the rule of law in our country."
- Chris Hayes added, "What we were seeing in the Republican Party is basically rejecting that notion that if you lose an election, the election is no longer legitimate. If you're convicted at trial, that the system is no longer legitimate, it's rigged."
- Over on Fox News, chief political anchor Bret Baier was notably missing as the verdict was handed down, but MAGA Media hardliner Jeanine Pirro was allowed to rant on air for an extended period: "There is something that is very wrong here. We have gone over a cliff in America!"
For a complete breakdown, Jeremy Barr has a roundup for The WaPo on how the verdict was delivered to audiences, while Michael Grynbaum and John Koblin have a story for The NYT. - Looking ahead: Will we see any jurors grant interviews to the press?
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CNN Photo Illustration/Mary Altaffer/AP | ✂️ Tucker's Trimming: The WSJ on Thursday shuttered three of its regional U.S. bureaus and laid off a string of staffers. The layoffs, which prompted an hour-long protest from the paper's journalists, came "despite a surge in paid subscribers, strong profits at its parent company, and a new nine-figure licensing deal with OpenAI," NPR's David Folkenflik noted. At least eight staffers lost their jobs in the latest round of cuts, following layoffs implemented by editor-in-chief Emma Tucker in the paper's D.C. newsroom. In a memo to staffers, Tucker explained the decision was part of a "reader-first strategy" and that the outlet was "moving away from regional and local general news." She added, "We have made a lot of changes in recent months, and I can say that we are very much delivering for our readers." A spokesperson for The WSJ said Tucker "is reshaping our newsroom with an eye towards digital growth, subscription growth and high-quality journalism. While we recognize change can be difficult, it is necessary to ensure we have the right structure in place to support our objectives." Folkenflik has more.
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- The Atlantic's deal with OpenAI is not going over well with the editorial side of the business. The outlet's unionized staffers released a blistering statement saying they are "deeply troubled by the opaque agreement... and especially by management's complete lack of transparency about what the agreement entails and how it will affect our work."
- The Atlantic's top editor, Jeffrey Goldberg, went out of his way to note on X that OpenAI did not respond to his reporter's questions about the partnership. "Quite something," Goldberg wrote, adding that OpenAI "should answer questions from reporters, particularly those from affected journalism organizations."
- Across the pond, OpenAI executive Tom Rubin said the deals with media companies are "largely not" about training the company's A.I., but instead focused on displaying news content in its products. (Press Gazette)
- Staying on the topic of A.I., this is an important read from Hadas Gold: "A national network of local news sites is publishing A.I.-written articles under fake bylines. Experts are raising alarm." (CNN)
- Switching gears: Zoë Schiffer spoke with the owner of a small publisher who saw their traffic collapse 90% after Google made a tweak to its all-powerful search ranking system. (Platformer)
- Seven anti-Kremlin reporters and activists were targeted with Pegasus inside the E.U. (Guardian)
- CNN plans to include advertisements during its June 27 presidential debate, Brian Steinberg reported. (Variety)
- Jeremy Barr wrote about how Robert Allbritton's NOTUS fellowship aims to train the next generation of political reporters. (WaPo)
- The Wrap unveiled a new logo design. "This polished look retains the essence of our brand while aligning with our vision for the future," Sharon Waxman said. (The Wrap)
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- David Ellison's Skydance "has submitted a sweetened offer for a merger with Paramount Global that Parmaount's directors are expected to review shortly," Jessica Toonkel and Lauren Thomas reported. (WSJ)
- Dylan Byers reported earlier that he is "hearing some buzz from well-placed sources" that the special committee "is expected to announce its approval" of the Skydance deal "within a week or so." (Puck)
- Tom Kludt reported on how Charles Barkley has gone "rogue" and blasted Warner Bros. Discovery management amid the company's NBA rights fiasco. (Vanity Fair)
- Barkley continued to bring the 🔥 against WBD management on Thursday, telling Jimmy Traina: "They've done a really shitty job of keeping us abreast. Just say, 'Hey guys, we're in the middle of negotiations. It's 50-50.' Just say something. And I don't mean for me. The people who work there, they're the ones on pins and needles." (Sports Illustrated)
- Meanwhile, WBD boss David Zaslav talked up the company's other sports offerings at a Thursday conference: "We've been very strategically focused on making sure that we have a robust offering of sports for each of our sports channels." (THR)
- Zaslav also said he sees M&A "opportunities" emerging in the next few years: "I think some companies will be for sale." (Variety)
- It's almost Sun Valley time — and it appears our invitation was once again lost in the mail! Matt Donnelly and Brent Lang have the dish on who did receive invites to this year's secretive retreat. (Variety)
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- Skydance Media named Jean Chi president of global business and legal affairs, hired Jodi DiCenzo as executive vice president of human resources, and added co-president of business operations to the titles of Larry Wasserman and Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon. (Deadline)
Brian Weinstein was named co-chief executive of 3 Arts Entertainment. ( The Wrap) - The NYT hired Alex Pena as a senior video journalist. (NYT)
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CNN Photo Illustration/Jason Redmond/AFP/Getty Images |
Machine-Generated Misinfo: The dystopian — and distressing — future is here. OpenAI said Thursday that Russia, China, and Iran had weaponized its artificial intelligence products to wage information warfare across the world. OpenAI said the disinformation operations, which it ultimately disrupted, focused on a wide-array of topics, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While the Sam Altman-led company said that the operations do not appear to have "benefited from meaningfully increased audience engagement," it did acknowledge that using A.I. allowed the actors to generate content "in greater volumes and with fewer language errors than would have been possible for human operators alone." The NYT's Cade Metz has more. 🔎 Zooming in: The weaponization of A.I. products such as ChatGPT has been a worry of disinformation and cybersecurity experts since the technology went mainstream last year. Harnessing the powerful technology will allow bad faith actors to churn out deceptive propaganda in far greater volumes than was possible only a few years ago. That will leave companies such as OpenAI with a great responsibility to identify influence campaigns before they are able to infiltrate the public discourse. |
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- Elon Musk's X and NewsNation are planning to hold live town halls with conspiracy theorists and presidential candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump, Sara Fischer reported. (Axios)
- Former "Apprentice" producer Bill Pruitt published a tell-all about what it was like to work on the reality show. Pruitt, who said his 20-year NDA just expired, accused Trump of having used the N-word and disparaged women behind the scenes. The Trump campaign denied the accusations. (Slate)
- The Biden campaign "is trotting out big names to deliver their message to voters, but leading up to the 2024 election, many in Hollywood are wary of jumping into the fray amid a hyper-divisive political landscape," Priscilla Alvarez and Elizabeth Wagmeister reported. (CNN)
- Despite being banned in Europe, content from Russia's propaganda outlet RT is still spreading across the continent, Tiffany Hsu and Steven Lee Myers reported. (NYT)
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CNN Photo Illustration/Ore Huiying/Bloomberg/Getty Images |
Cloning the TikTok Algo: TikTok is preparing for a scenario in which it is actually banned in the U.S. That's according to Reuters' Krystal Hu and Sheila Dang who reported Thursday that the company "is working on a clone of its recommendation algorithm for its 170 million U.S. users that may result in a version that operates independently of its Chinese parent." The duo added that the work commenced before the divest-or-ban law legislation was passed. TikTok said in a statement that the Reuters story was "misleading and factually inaccurate." A Reuters spokesperson said the outlet stood by its reporting. Read the full story here. |
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- During an interview with The Atlantic boss Nicholas Thompson, Sam Altman addressed the Scarlett Johansson scandal: "It's not her voice, it's not supposed to be. I'm sorry for the confusion, clearly you think it is. People are going to have different opinions about how much voices sound alike, but we don't. It's not her voice." (THR)
- Altman has discussed turning OpenAI into a regular for-profit company, Amir Efrati and Wayne Ma reported. (The Info)
- Meta said ThreadDeck is now rolling out to everyone! (The Verge)
- Elon Musk agreed to testify for the SEC's probe into his acquisition of Twitter. (Reuters)
- Twitch axed all members of its safety advisory council. (CNBC)
- Google, Amazon, TikTok, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Reddit landed on the TIME 100 Most Influential Companies for 2024. (TIME)
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CNN Photo Illustration/Damian Dovarganes/AP | Moviemaking With Machines: Sony Pictures is ready to embrace generative A.I. The studio's boss, Tony Vinciquerra, said at a conference Thursday that the company is "very focused" on the rapidly advancing technology and will work to integrate it into its workflow. "We'll be looking at ways to use AI to produce films for theaters and television in more efficient ways, using AI primarily," Vinciquerra said. THR's Winston Cho has more. 🔎 Zooming in: The major studios, of course, are constrained on what they can and cannot do with A.I. by the agreements they have with writers and actors. And while studio executives might foresee a time when A.I. can be deployed in meaningful ways, most acknowledge that the technology in its current state is not capable of producing premium content. But this is, unquestionably, where the industry is heading. |
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Travis Kelce is actively "looking for movie deals," the NFL player said on the podcast he hosts with his brother. ( THR) - "Deadpool and Wolverine" is launching a rather overtly sexual "Dune"-inspired popcorn bucket. (Variety)
- The cast keeps getting better! Mila Kunis and Jeremy Renner joined the new "Knives Out" movie. (Deadline/Deadline)
- Chris Hemsworth is in talks to star in a "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" crossover film from Paramount. (Deadline)
- The trailer for "Moana 2" broke the record as the most-watched Disney animated film, with 178 million views in 24 hours. (Collider)
- Speaking of records, "Nikki Glaser: Someday You'll Die" has set a streaming record for HBO. (Deadline)
- Ahead of its season three debut, "The Bear" will air on FX via a marathon on June 2. (Variety)
- Max renewed "Hacks" for a fourth season. (The Wrap)
- Amazon ordered "Kevin," an animated comedy series from Aubrey Plaza and Joe Wengert. (THR)
- Netflix released the official teaser trailer for the final season of "The Umbrella Academy." (YouTube)
- Paramount said the forthcoming podcast, "The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart," will premiere June 6. (The Wrap)
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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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