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Thursday, August 01, 2024

The "CBS Evening News" pivots to an ensemble cast, Al Jazeera "strongly" rejects Israel's claims about its dead correspondent, a judge throws out the $4.7 billion "Sunday Ticket" verdict, Venu gets a price tag (it isn't cheap), Don Lemon sues Elon Musk, Harris Faulkner criticizes Rachel Scott, Apple's Services division surges in revenue, Universal Pictures acquires the rights to Britney Spears' bestselling biopic, "Inside Out 2" passes "The Avengers" at the box office, and so much more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

Jubilation at The Journal

CNN Photo Illustration/US Government

Champagne bottles popped. Thunderous cheering filled the room. Smiles animated faces from corner to corner.

When official word made its way to The Wall Street Journal newsroom that Evan Gershkovich had been released Thursday from Russian custody, unadulterated elation washed over the journalists who had taken part in a 16-month-long pressure campaign to seek his freedom. One staffer described the mood to me as "a collective massive relief." The business-focused broadsheet's long national nightmare had finally come to a close.

"It's a joyous day for all of us," Emma Tucker, The Journal's editor-in-chief, told the joyful newsroom, offering up a toast in the New York newsroom to Gershkovich and all those who made his release possible.

For 491 days, Gershkovich had been wrongfully detained and imprisoned by Vladimir Putin's regime, an unwitting pawn in the former KGB officer's geopolitical games. The 32-year-old Journal reporter was arrested last March while reporting from the Russian city of Yekaterinburg and been held at the notorious Lefortovo prison outside Moscow. Last month, a sham trial led to him being convicted of supposed espionage and sentenced to 16 years in a harsh penal colony.

While Gershkovich was unjustly detained, the state of affairs inside Russia worsened for journalists and human rights advocates. Opposition leader Alexey Navalny died in prison and the Russian-American Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was also wrongfully detained.

But, despite the circumstances, Gershkovich's colleagues back at home kept hope alive, never wavering from their task of keeping his story in the public consciousness. In addition to The Journal's unrelenting coverage of Gershkovich's case, which always made it evident to readers that he had been wrongfully detained, employees at the newspaper held read-a-thons, global runs, and social media storms to draw attention to their colleague's plight.

To mark the one-year anniversary of Gershkovich's detention, The Journal made an unmistakable statement on the front page of its print edition, intentionally leaving a large section of its front page blank to represent the missing journalism from Gershkovich.

"A year in Russian prison. A year of stolen stories, stolen joys, stolen memories. The crime: journalism," the paper stated above the empty section.

Meanwhile, throughout it all, The Journal labored behind the scenes with President Joe Biden and his administration on efforts to secure Gershkovich's release. On Thursday, their persistent efforts finally paid the dividends they had hoped it would. Gershkovich, Kurmasheva, and 22 other detainees were exchanged in the largest and most complex prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War.

Robert Thomson, chief executive of News Corporation, which owns The Journal, offered his "sincere gratitude" to the U.S. government for its efforts. Thomson added that Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, who control the company, were "particularly pleased" Gershkovich would be reunited with his loved ones. And, in a letter to readers, Tucker thanked Biden for "working with persistence and determination to bring Evan home rather than see him shipped off to a Russian work camp for a crime he didn't commit."

"We are also grateful to the other governments that helped bring an end to Evan's nightmare, in particular the German government that played such a critical role," she wrote.

Tucker and Almar Latour, the newspaper's publisher, however, strongly criticized Putin, blasting the authoritarian for his anti-free press record in a blistering joint statement.

"At the same time, we condemn in the strongest terms Vladimir Putin's regime in Russia, which orchestrated Evan's 491-day wrongful imprisonment based on sham accusations and a fake trial as part of an all-out assault on the free press and truth," the duo said. "Unfortunately, many journalists remain unjustly imprisoned in Russia and around the world."

HOME AT LAST

The Wall Street Journal

The Gershkovich family: "Our family has felt so much love and support from Evan's fellow journalists, his wonderful friends, and many, many people around the world. It made a difference to Evan and to us." (WSJ)
"I'm glad we're at the end of this journey": Pavel Butorin, husband of RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, said he was "overwhelmed with emotions" and "still trying to process what actually happened." (RFE/RL)
It's impossible to recommend enough The WSJ's behind-the-scenes story detailing the "secret negotiations to free" Gershkovich. It's a remarkable piece of journalism and Joe Parkinson, Drew Hinshaw, Bojan Pancevski, and Aruna Viswanatha deserve accolades for it. (WSJ)
The piece detailed how The WSJ's reporters "unavoidably" became part of the story, being "followed through the streets of Vienna and Washington and, in one case, summoned for questioning by Russia's Federal Security Service." (WSJ)
Before being released from Russian custody, Gershkovich requested an interview with his captor, Vladimir Putin. (The Hill)
"Members of his family had an inkling before the sentencing that they might see him much sooner," Katie Robertson reported, explaining that Almar Latour "said that in mid-July, they received a signal that a deal for a prisoner swap" might soon be underway. (NYT)
Prior to his arrest, Gershkovich "had been living his dream life," Manuel Roig-Franzia reported. (WaPo)
Notably, while Emma Tucker credited President Joe Biden for his efforts to free Gershkovich, Fox News and other right-wing media outlets spent much of Thursday portraying the White House as weak.
One popular narrative in right-wing media was that Russia only released the prisoners because the country is supposedly afraid, believing Donald Trump is about to win. The Dispatch's Jonah Goldberg described the narrative on CNN as a "very stupid" take. (Mediaite)

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Mary Altaffer/AP

The CBS Ensemble News: The days of a single anchor helming the "CBS Evening News" are ending. After Norah O'Donnell gives up the chair following the election, the Tiffany Network's nightly program will feature two hosts, John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois. CBS News said the program will also feature "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan, who will lead politics news from Washington. Additionally, other journalists such as Steve Hartman and Jim Axelrod will have prominent roles. And Lonnie Quinn will serve in the new position of chief weathercaster. The new ensemble program will be helmed by "60 Minutes" boss Bill Owens. "The strength of CBS News has always been in its ensemble of journalists, both in front of and behind the camera, and our goal with John, Maurice, Margaret and Lonnie at the Evening News is to elevate the best in their fields every night for our viewers," Wendy McMahon, CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures, said. Variety's Brian Steinberg has the details.

THE INDUSTRY

THE FOURTH ESTATE

Al Jazeera said it "strongly" rejects "baseless" allegations from Israel that one of the Qatari-funded network's correspondents, killed in a strike this week, was a Hamas operative. (Al Jazeera)
Pod Save Problems: Ashley Carman reports that inside "Pod Save America," staffers are divided on a number of issues such as Gaza, in a battle that has pitted "members of the young, idealistic staff against the more moderate hosts and founders." (Bloomberg)
BuzzFeed hit Trending Now, an A.I. news aggregator, with a cease-and-desist letter that alleged the start-up logo breaches copyright. Then, when Charlotte Tobitt covered the story for Press Gazette, BuzzFeed also sent that outlet a cease and desist. (Press Gazette)

IN THE BIZ

🚨 Out goes the verdict! A judge has thrown out a $4.7 billion anti-trust verdict against the NFL over its "Sunday Ticket" package. The NFL said it is "grateful" for the ruling. (CNN)
Venu, the joint Disney-Fox Corporation-Warner Bros. Discovery sports streaming venture, announced that a subscription will cost $42.99 per month. (Variety)
The Hollywood Basic Crafts union ratified their three-year deal with the major studios. (THR)
Shares in Altice USA fell 10% after a poor earnings report. (THR)
Shares in SiriusXM closed down Thursday more than 6% after the company reported a loss of subscribers. (THR)
SiriusXM said it will be hiding its top podcasts behind a paywall, launching SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Aug. 5 for $5.99 per month. (The Wrap)

MEDIA MOVES

THR named Steven Zeitchik senior awards editor. (THR)
Bloomberg tapped Patrick Winters as team lead of Asia wealth. (TBN)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/The Don Lemon Show

Sour Lemon Sues: Don Lemon is taking Elon Musk to court. The former CNN anchor on Thursday sued the erratic billionaire and his embattled platform, X, alleging he suffered fraud and reputational damage after Musk abruptly canceled a planned partnership which would have seen Lemon create a talk show for the social media company. According to the lawsuit, Lemon would have been paid a base salary of $1.5 million, in addition to added incentives, such as revenue sharing. The lawsuit stated that Lemon was repeatedly assured by X chief executive Linda Yaccarino that he would have total control over the editorial content of the show. Here's my full story.

► X did not respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit, but Lemon's attorney, Carney Shegerian, described it as a "straightforward" case. "X executives used Don to prop up their advertising sales pitch, then canceled their partnership and dragged Don's name through the mud," Shegerian said. "You don't have to be a genius to see the fraud, negligence, and reputational damage here."

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

After Donald Trump's offensive and false attacks on Kamala Harris, Matt Gertz notes that his stable of loyal propagandists "are delighted that he's joined them in the sewer." (MMFA)
Harris Faulkner, always seeming to rush to Trump's defense, criticized ABC News' Rachel Scott on Thursday for the tone of her tough questions at the NABJ event: "I was so disappointed." (The Hill)
Karen Attiah, who stepped own as co-chair of this year's NABJ conference, writes that Trump was "both a missile and a mirror to Black journalists this week." (WaPo)
Dan Froomkin argues that the president "is complicit in spreading Trump's racist calumnies." (Press Watch)
Noah Shachtman reports on how "celeb-news accounts like Pop Crave are suddenly coconut-pilled, posting nonstop about the Harris campaign to their millions of followers." (Vanity Fair)
Fox News said it is open to muting microphones as it tries to score a Harris-Trump debate. (Variety)
Bookmark this article: Elon Musk told Damon Beres he would accept the results of the 2024 election if Harris won. (The Atlantic)
Sorry, Mark Zuckerberg, you'll apparently have to wait! Musk, who has sparred online with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in recent days, agreed Wednesday to fight him. (WSJ)
Megyn Kelly, who has really leaned into becoming a right-wing flamethrower in recent years, will host a limited lifestyle-focused talk show for Sirius XM. (The Wrap)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Apple Services Soar: Shares in Apple slid about 2% in after-hours trading on Thursday amid mixed results in its earnings report, with iPhone sales dipping about 1%. In its services sector, however, the results were anything but mixed. Apple's revenue surged 14% to $24.2 billion, up from $21.2 billion last year, beating analyst expectations. Apple's services division, of course, houses Apple Music and Apple TV+, among other services. Variety's Todd Spangler has more.

TOO MANY TABS

Amazon closed Thursday down nearly 2% after a disappointing Q2 and soft projections for Q3. (CNBC)
Tweet No More: Twitter has officially vanished from the Mac App Store. (TechCrunch)
Microsoft has officially labeled OpenAI, in which it has sunk a $13 billion investment, a rival, per an SEC filing. (TechCrunch)
The E.U.'s Artificial Intelligence Act, the first A.I. law globally, went into effect on Thursday. (AP)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Kevin Mazur Archive/WireImage/Getty Images

Britney's Biopic: This just might be worth a scream and shout. Universal Pictures has landed the rights to Britney Spears' bestselling memoir, "The Woman in Me," which will be directed by Jon M. Chu, The Ankler's Matthew Frank scooped Thursday. The movie will be produced by Oscar-nominated producer Marc Platt. Spears confirmed the project, writing on social media, "Excited to share with my fans that I've been working on a secret project with #MarcPlatt. He's always made my favorite movies … stay tuned!" CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more here.

PARIS 2024

A number of celebs were in attendance to see Simone Biles make history on Thursday, including Seth Rogen, Martha Stewart, Kendall Jenner, and Stephan Curry. (Deadline)
Dominic Patten reports that Tom Cruise is "poised for an Olympics Closing ceremony stunt." (Deadline)
Ina Fried explores what the Paris Games' use of A.I. means for the future of the Olympics. (Axios)
"The best way to watch the Olympics is on TikTok," Mia Sato argues. (The Verge)

OFF STAGE

"Inside Out 2," which is closing in on $1.524 billion at the global box office, overtook "The Avengers," putting it in the Top 10 highest-grossing movies ever internationally. (Deadline)
Meanwhile, "Deadpool & Wolverine" has slashed another record, passing the $310 million domestic mark and putting it on track to surpass "The Passion of Christ," the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever at $380 million, by Sunday. (Deadline)
On the topic of Marvel: Jamie Lee Curtis apologized for saying the MCU is in a "bad" phase, promising to "do better" and adding she "reached out to Kevin Feige. (Variety)
The week of July 4 was the biggest ever for streaming in the U.S., with Americans watching 313 billion minutes across platforms. (THR)
Netflix's much-anticipated second season of "Squid Game" will hit the streamer on Dec. 26. Netflix additionally announced a third season for the K-drama, which it said will be its last. (CNN)
Carrie Underwood will fill the "American Idol" seat left vacant by Katy Perry's departure. (CNN)
Punkie Johnson won't return for the 50th season of "Saturday Night Live." (LateNighter)
Adam Driver will star in Kenneth Lonergan's Off-Broadway revival of "Hold On to Me Darling." (NYT)
Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter will star in Jamie Lloyd's Broadway production of Samuel Beckett's "Waiting For Godot." (Deadline)
Atlantic Records will release Lin-Manuel Miranda's and Eisa Davis' concept album on Oct. 18. (NYT)

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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