| | | | | SPECIAL EDITION: Matt Lauer has been fired... Garrison Keillor has been fired, too... There are new cutbacks at ESPN... And layoffs at BuzzFeed... And it's still barely past lunchtime on the East Coast. Oliver Darcy and I produced this recap of the day so far: | | Think back to October 1, before the first story about Harvey Weinstein came out. What if I'd told you that Matt Lauer would be out of a job by November 30?
Today is the latest -- and in some ways the BIGGEST -- example of the tipping point yet. Unlike Weinstein, Lauer is a household name. So his sudden ouster came as a shock to viewers -- but not as a complete surprise to his "Today" show colleagues. They knew that the NYT and Variety had been investigating Lauer's off-camera conduct. Rumors had been swirling for weeks. So... Now what? | | | Bill Carter emails: "Matt is probably the biggest star in the history of morning television. His fall is cataclysmic for NBC." | | -- Will other women now come forward with accusations against Lauer?
-- NBC says no one ever filed a HR complaint about Lauer before Monday. But did any NBC executives have any knowledge about allegations of sexual misconduct?
-- Lauer's contract was due to expire sometime in 2018. Will he be paid the rest of what he's owed under it?
-- Who will fill in for Lauer tomorrow? The rest of the week? How will NBC replace him?
-- And while we're at it, who's going to take over for Charlie Rose on CBS? | | | One of the outlets that is investigating Lauer, the NYT, was in touch with an accuser who then met with NBC lawyers and H.R. officials on Monday evening. An investigation ensued on Tuesday. By Tuesday evening, the decision had been made. NBC News chairman Andrew Lack, a close friend of Lauer's, called and talked with him, according to a source with knowledge of the process. Lack told staffers on Wednesday morning that Lauer was accepting of the decision and expressed remorse, the source said... Here's my full story... | | The misconduct dated back to 2014 | | | The source said the woman alleged that the inappropriate behavior occurred while Lauer was in Russia covering the Winter Olympics in 2014. An NBC News spokeswoman declined to comment, but Lack said in a memo to staff that "it represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company's standards." Remember, Lauer's former booker Matt Zimmerman was also fired earlier this month for violating NBC standards... | | Here's what the accuser's lawyer said | | Ari Wilkenfeld, the lawyer representing Lauer's accuser, said this in a statement obtained by Tom Kludt:
"My client and I met with representatives from NBC's Human Resources and Legal Department at 6pm on Monday. Over the course of several hours, my client detailed egregious acts of sexual harassment and misconduct by Mr. Lauer. In fewer than than 35 hours, NBC investigated and removed Mr. Lauer. Our impression at this point is that NBC acted quickly and responsibly, as all companies should when confronted with credible allegations about sexual misconduct in the workplace. It is our hope that NBC will continue to do what it can to repair the damage done to my client -- their employee -- and any other women who may come forward. While I am impressed by NBC's response to date, I am awed by the courage my client showed to be the first to raise a complaint and to do so without making any demands other than asking the company do the right thing. This is how the system should work." | | "At Variety, Ramin Setoodeh and I had been working on a Matt Lauer story for months and NBC was aware. There are multiple women we've spoken to with far-ranging accusations against Lauer. The power of journalism has never been more evident with this cultural change..."
--Variety's Elizabeth Wagmeister on Twitter... | | | Lauer has worked with Rubenstein Public Relations for several years. Today the agency is helping him prepare a response. But so far, no comment... No admission, no denial... Presumably Lauer and his reps are waiting to see what the NYT and Variety report... | | Savannah Guthrie delivered the news of Lauer's firing after learning about it herself "moments" before going on air. Guthrie said the "Today" family was "still processing all of this," but told viewers they "will be covering this story as reporters" and promised to share more details in the days ahead. Watch video of Guthrie's announcement here...
Guthrie added: "We are grappling with a dilemma that so many people have faced these past few weeks: How do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly? And I don't know the answer to that." | | A familiar situation for a female journalist | | | For the third time in weeks, a female journalist was tasked with delivering news about allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior against a male colleague. "CBS This Morning" co-hosts Norah O'Donnell and Gayle King reported on the firing of Charlie Rose, and MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski informed viewers of Mark Halperin's suspension. Here's Lisa Respers France's full story... | | | Lack: "We are deeply saddened by this turn of events. But we will face it together as a news organization -- and do it in as transparent a manner as we can." Read the full memo here... | | Since I wrote a book about Lauer and morning TV... | | | Lemme address something you might be wondering. When I was researching "Top of the Morning" back in 2012, allegations about Lauer's affairs kept coming up. His infidelity was an open secret within NBC. But I never picked up any information about alleged harassment or assault... | | Reactions to Lauer's firing | | -- Megyn Kelly at BI's Ignition conference: "I had heard rumors about Matt, but that's all..."
-- Jelani Cobb: "To recap, NBC shut down Ronan Farrow's Weinstein story, forcing him to pursue it on his own — a story that ultimately helped create a climate where NBC had to sever ties with their franchise player. Definition of a bad look..."
-- Janice Min: "Lauer's Hillary interview debacle; asking General Motors CEO if she could be 'a good mom' too; the mishandling of Ann Curry -- pretty sure he had woman problems long before this woman problem..."
-- Refinery29's Laura Norkin: "NBC knew of Lauer allegations last week and let us all show our kids the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade with his smiling mug..."
-- Max Boot: "The country is in a bad spot when TV hosts are held to higher standards than the president of the United States -- or a candidate for the Senate..." | | | Stelter's take: Craig Melvin and Willie Geist are the first two names that come to my mind. Perhaps Guthrie and Kotb will co-host along with TBD... a TRIO format... | | | Brian Lowry emails: When Sarah Ellison speculated last spring about Megyn Kelly being a possible replacement for Lauer eventually, the thought seemed wildly premature. With Kelly on the air and not exactly knocking them dead ratings-wise, she feels like less of an option. NBC News would appear to have a wider pool of in-house candidates if one expands the net to include MSNBC, but given the microscope under which the morning shows operate, that network's progressive brand raises some hurdles in terms of the criticism that NBC could face by drawing from its sibling's talent roster. (The first name that came to mind in my bleary-eyed response to the news was Brian Williams, although obviously, that would come with its own set of baggage...) | | | Oliver Darcy emails: NBC News cut ties with Matt Lauer faster than it acted when it was confronted with allegations against Mark Halperin. In the immediate aftermath of five women accusing Halperin of sexual harassment and assault, NBC only suspended him. It took days and multiple other women coming forward -- some on the record -- before NBC terminated Halperin's contract. This time around, NBC took noticeably swifter action, firing Lauer on the spot... | | What about Farrow and Weinstein? | | | I keep getting asked: Is there a connection between Lauer and NBC's decision to give up on Ronan Farrow's explosive reporting about Harvey Weinstein? Did someone at NBC fear that a Weinstein expose would cause this kind of domino effect? I don't know the answer... | | | "TOP OF THE MORNING," INDEED... | | Renewed interest in Tamron Hall and Ann Curry | | | Lisa France emails: It was a bad day for Lauer, but one of redemption for fans of former "Today" co-hosts Tamron Hall and Ann Curry. Hall walked away from the show in February after she lost her 9 a.m. slot to incoming former Fox News star Megyn Kelly and Curry was ousted from the show in 2012. In both cases some fans have viewed Lauer as a force behind the scenes in helping the female journalists out the door and they reveled in his dismissal. Famed blogger and social media star Awesomely Luvvie tweeted, "Shoutout to Tamron Hall's praying Black Grandmother and her guardian angel who is working overtime. All the people who didn't do right by her are falling by the wayside. #LOOKATGAWD." | | Trump calls for firing of NBC executives | | The president -- an avid morning TV watcher -- couldn't help but weigh in on NBC News' decision to fire Lauer. Just after the news broke, Trump tweeted about the firing and then asked when "the top executives at NBC & Comcast" would be "fired for putting out so much fake news."
As Chris Cillizza wrote here, "Most presidents wouldn't say a word about the firing of Matt Lauer. Trump not only said something but he used the firing to slander two other NBC people..." | | ...and pushes conspiracy theory | | Oliver Darcy emails: In his second tweet, Trump also floated a conspiracy theory about the 2001 death of an intern found in Joe Scarborough's congressional office, writing: "And will they terminate low ratings Joe Scarborough based on the 'unsolved mystery' that took place in Florida years ago? Investigate!" As Newsweek pointed out, an autopsy report from a medical examiner found that the intern, Lori Klausutis, had heart problems that resulted in her falling and hitting her head.
Joe Scarborough tweeted soon after: "Looks like I picked a good day to stop responding to Trump's bizarre tweets. He is not well." And Jake Tapper summed the episode up like this: "This is the president attempting to exploit the tragic death of a young woman — one who had heart problems and hit her head when she fell — to score a cheap spurious political point. Indecent. Inhumane." | | This raises an interesting question | | | Oliver Darcy adds: Will NBC News attend the White House Christmas party, in light of Trump's attacks on the network's leadership? After Trump attacked CNN International, the network decided to skip the annual event. So will NBC? I asked a spokesperson for the network on Wednesday morning, but the person said there would be no comment on that front today... | | | EVEN *MORE* BREAKING NEWS: | | Garrison Keillor fired over claims of inappropriate behavior | | | Minnesota Public Radio said on Wednesday it had fired Garrison Keillor over "allegations of his inappropriate behavior with an individual who worked with him." MPR said it was notified last month about the allegations which were in relation to his conduct for production of "A Prairie Home Companion." Keillor did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Read Danielle Wiener-Bronner's full story here... She's updating it now... | | ESPN announced Wednesday morning that it is laying off approximately 150 people. Most of the affected jobs in studio production, digital content, and technology, according to ESPN president John Skipper.
Read Ahiza Garcia's full story here... | | BuzzFeed lays off 100 people after revenue miss | | | BuzzFeed is laying off about 100 employees after its revenue miss. The cuts will be on the business and sales side, but also affect some editorial staffers in the U.K. "As our strategy evolves, we need to evolve our organization, too — particularly our Business team," CEO Jonah Peretti wrote in an internal memo to staffers. Read Frank Pallotta's full story here... | | Marvel's "Infinity War" is here | | Frank Pallotta emails: Marvel fans got their first glimpse of a movie event a decade in the making. The first teaser for "Avengers: Infinity War" debuted on ABC's "Good Morning America" this morning
The teaser brought together nearly every major superhero in Disney's Marvel brand from Captain America to Doctor Strange. "Infinity War" is in many ways the culmination of everything that the $13 billion franchise has been working toward since its first film, "Iron Man," in 2008... | | | We'll be back at our usual time with an evening edition of the newsletter... | | | Email brian.stelter@turner.com... I appreciate every message. The feedback helps us craft the next day's newsletter! | | | Get Reliable Sources, a comprehensive summary of the most important media news, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. | | | | | |
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