| | | | | Exec summary: New revelations about Bill O'Reilly... Updates about Harvey Weinstein... Plus, the World Series starts on Monday... and Justin Timberlake will perform at the Super Bowl... | | Bill O'Reilly claims Saturday's NYT bombshell was just "another smear article." He says "my investigative team has done a superb job in exposing the lies and smear." Via Twitter, he says he'll have more to share on Monday.
Bill. C'mon, Bill.
His secret settlement with longtime Fox News colleague Lis Wiehl was the story of the weekend. He agreed to pay $32 million after she threatened to sue him for alleged sexual misconduct. The settlement stayed secret until Saturday, when the NYT's Emily Steel and Michael Schmidt published this jaw-dropping story... | | -- Why was O'Reilly willing to pay $32 million to Wiehl in January? Was this just the "cost of doing business," in his mind?
-- Why did the Murdochs renew his contract in February despite knowing there was a brand-new settlement? Why didn't they insist on knowing the details?
-- Will this revelation play into the ongoing Justice Department investigation into Fox News?
-- Via an emailer: "What does this do to the approval process for Sky?" | | Another O'Reilly accuser will speak out on Monday morning | | Former Fox Newser Juliet Huddy, who accused O'Reilly of harassment last year and then struck a settlement deal with 21st Century Fox, will be on "Megyn Kelly Today" Monday morning. It's a big exclusive for Kelly -- because it's the first time Huddy has spoken publicly since the O'Reilly allegations became national news.
-- Context: Kelly and Huddy used to be colleagues. Kelly, who described harassment by Roger Ailes, will be talking with Huddy, who alleged wrongdoing by O'Reilly... | | | --> Women who previously thought they had to keep these secrets to themselves are speaking publicly -- not just in the TV news world, but in politics, fashion, finance and other industries. The "Weinstein effect" is extraordinary... | | | Monday's NY Daily News is highlighting what Gretchen Carlson said on Sunday's "Reliable Sources..." | | "I think it's horrifying and outrageous," Carlson said, summing up how a lot of people feel about this new O'Reilly revelation. (She tweeted: "Nobody pays $32m for false allegations - nobody.")
On "Reliable," she specifically reacted to the fact that Fox welcomed O'Reilly back to the network last month for a special show with Sean Hannity. "I think it's horrifying and outrageous that any company, after dismissing somebody for allegations such as that," would "allow that person to come back on the air," Carlson told me... | | | Brian Lowry emails: O'Reilly's contention that he was the victim of a politically motivated "hit job," portraying himself as a victim, suffered another significant blow over the weekend. More than anything, the NYT story reinforces the theory that seemed apparent all along -- that Fox was eager to keep him and maintain the stability of its lineup, even more so after Megyn Kelly's announced departure, and reluctantly cut him loose only when the situation became untenable... | | -- David Zurawik on "Reliable:" "This deal looks really bad..."
-- CNN's Don Lemon reacted to the NYT story with this tweet on Saturday: "Brought to you from the network that constantly criticizes other networks on morals & integrity. Hypocrisy much?"
-- Erik Wemple's take: "The NYT sacks O'Reilly. Again."
-- Emily Steel told me that the NYT chased tips about Wiehl before publishing April's story about the secret settlements between O'Reilly and other accusers. The Wiehl deal "wasn't something that we were able to report until our story published" on Saturday, she said... A reminder of how complicated these stories are....
-- Jim Rutenberg's Monday column: "Bill O'Reilly and Harvey Weinstein may have come from different ends of the political spectrum, but it turns out they have a lot in common..."
-- Given Fox's intensive Weinstein coverage, Mediaite's Justin Baragona tweeted: "Can't wait to see Tucker tear into the Murdochs on his show..." | | | Oliver Darcy emails: I couldn't help but wonder all weekend how many people would NOT see the NYT's shocking O'Reilly story. There's a sizable swath of the population that only watches Fox News, listens to talk radio, and reads sites like Breitbart. It's unlikely they will even encounter the O'Reilly news, but if they do, you can bet it's likely to be framed in a way favorable to the disgraced Fox star. "The liberal New York Times is out to get O'Reilly and conservative voices!" It's an alternate reality far too many are living in... | | "A significant setback for Fox" | | | Given what Darcy said, we've gotta give some credit to (former "Reliable Sources" host and my time slot rival) Howard Kurtz here. On Sunday morning's "MediaBuzz," he acknowledged that this new story was "embarrassing" for Fox. Via Mediaite's Josh Feldman: "21st Century Fox has been trying to move on from this mess - hiring a bunch of new female executives and on-air hosts, among other steps. But this is a significant setback for Fox. There's no question about it, it's embarrassing, it's disappointing that O'Reilly was given a new contract under these circumstances..." | | Breaking: Justin Timberlake will headline the Super Bowl halftime show | | | CNNMoney's Robert McLean writes: Justin Timberlake is returning to the Super Bowl stage for the first time since Janet Jackson's notorious wardrobe malfunction. The NFL announced Sunday that Timberlake is set to perform in Super Bowl LII's halftime show on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis... | | World Series starts Monday! | | | "As NFL Wobbles, Is This Baseball's Time?" That's the headline on Jason Gay's latest piece for the WSJ. "It may not be the TV ratings bonanza of Los Angeles vs. New York, but Dodgers-Astros has its upsides, too..." First pitch is scheduled for 8:09pm ET Monday, 5:09 PT at Dodger Stadium... | | Sgt. La David Johnson's wife on "GMA" | | | Every major network wanted this interview: Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, will be on "GMA" Monday morning. I hear George Stephanopoulos will be conducting the interview... ABC started promoting it on Sunday afternoon... | | -- America's "forever wars" sometimes feel far, far away. But the life and death of Sgt. Johnson brought it home...
-- Sgt. Johnson was laid to rest on Saturday. CNN and other cable channels showed parts of the ceremony live...
-- John Kirby on Sunday's "Reliable:" "If there's a silver lining to this sad, sordid week we've had, it is that the American people are becoming more acquainted with the sacrifices and the struggles of Gold Star families..." | | -- In Monday's NYT, Sopan Deb takes an in-depth look at the Newseum's budget crisis... (NYT)
-- Also in Monday's paper: Sydney Ember has a peek inside BuzzFeed's studio in Hollywood... (NYT)
-- Margaret Sullivan's Monday column: "Conservative media was Scottie Nell Hughes's world. Now it's her enemy..." (WashPost) | | Essay: Would the W.H. ever act without media pressure? | | | That's the question I raised in this essay on Sunday's "Reliable." The opioid crisis... Hurricane Maria... the Niger ambush... that $25,000 check... Time and time again, media Q's cause President Trump to take action.... | | | Quick #HusbandBrag here -- my better half Jamie is launching something new on Monday -- a three-hour live morning show on NY1 called "Mornings on 1." For those of you in NYC, you know that NY1 is an essential part of the city like bodegas and bagels... so I'm excited to see what viewers think of this new A.M. show. Pat Kiernan and co. will be live from 6 til 9am... the NY Daily News published this curtain-raiser over the weekend... Jamie's alarm clock is set 2:54 a.m. (!!) which means I'll be up early... | | Jemele Hill will return to ESPN on Monday after a two-week suspension, Frank Pallotta reports.
Over the weekend Hill told a TMZ crew that "I would tell people, absolutely, after my Donald Trump tweets, I deserved that suspension. I deserved it. Like, absolutely. I violated the policy. I deserved that suspension." But: "I will never take back what I said..." | | Four new books you should know about | | Hitting bookshelves on Tuesday:
-- Joe Hagan's "Sticky Fingers" biography... Jann Wenner enlisted Hager to write it, but Wenner is angry with the finished product... All the more reason to read it, I figure...
-- Jeff Fager's "Fifty Years of 60 Minutes," billed as "the inside story" of the newsmag...
-- Ken Stern's "Republican Like Me," a former NPR CEO's book about "how I left the liberal bubble and learned to love the right..."
-- And Khizr Khan's memoir "An American Family," a followup to his speech at the DNC last year... The book tour began on "Face the Nation" Sunday morning... | | Media week ahead calendar | | -- Tuesday after the bell: AT&T earnings...
-- Tuesday night: NYMag (see above) is holding its 50th anniversary party at the iconic Katz's Delicatessen...
-- Thursday before the bell: Comcast and Twitter earnings...
-- Thursday after the bell: Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft earnings...
-- Thursday night: The Knight-Bagehot annual gala in NYC... | | -- William D. Cohan: "The bankruptcy of the Alaska Dispatch News is a cautionary tale for those who think billionaires can save journalism from its lack of a viable business model..." (The New Yorker)
-- Jim Bankoff to Shannon Bond: "We've moved beyond the point of wanting to compare ourselves" to Time Inc. You guessed it, this story is focused on Vox's TV/web video ambitions... (FT)
-- A clip from "Reliable:" Noah Rothman on why "fake news will never die..." (CNN) | | "ELITIST clickbait!" (Huh?) | | | When the NYT's Eric Lipton presented the EPA with interview requests and a detailed list of questions about this story, the agency responded with a Trumpian attack: "No matter how much information we give you, you would never write a fair piece..." The agency accused Lipton of a fixation on "writing elitist clickbait..." | | "There is no truth to be found anywhere in that press room. It's all theater."
--Brian Karem, a W.H. briefing room regular, on Sunday's "Reliable Sources..." | | "'60 Minutes' is having a moment" | | `Brian Steinberg's Variety headline is right: "From Opioid Report to Oprah Winfrey, '60 Minutes' Is Having a Moment." He describes exec producer Jeff Fager's challenge to the staff last spring: "The crew had enjoyed a good run during its 49th season, he told them, according to two people present at the event. But Fager wanted more. '60 Minutes' shouldn't only produce high-quality reporting, he said. The stories had to be more relevant, more of the moment, more timely." Now, Steinberg says, "Fager seems to be getting his wish..."
-- BTW: I'll be interviewing Fager later this week... In conjunction with his book launch... | | | Not much news on the Harvey Weinstein front over the weekend. Just a couple notes: As I reported on "CNN Newsroom" Sunday evening, Weinstein's spokeswoman says he'll remain in treatment for the next month or so... TMZ says he's at a facility in Arizona... Meantime, Weinstein Co. leaders are still in talks about a sale... Hopefully we'll learn more about that in the days to come... | | Even more examples of the "Weinstein effect" | | I highlighted several examples in Friday's newsletter. Since then, there have been even more:
-- "38 women have come forward to accuse director James Toback of sexual harassment," Glenn Whipp of the L.A. Times reported Sunday...
-- NOLA's Brett Anderson: "John Besh restaurants fostered culture of sexual harassment, 25 women say..." | | The DGA is booting Weinstein too | | | Late Saturday, Directors Guild of America president Thomas Schlamme announced "disciplinary charges against DGA member Harvey Weinstein..." | | | For the record, part three | | | By Francesca Giuliani-Hoffman:
-- The FT says Google plans to take a cut of the revenue from publishers who benefit from its digital subscription tools. Media industry experts are optimistic about the arrangement... (FT)
-- Eric Johnson offers a handy guide on how to quit Facebook... (Recode)
-- Susan Fowler, the Uber whistleblower whose essay sparked the ouster of CEO Travis Kalanick, gives her first interview since penning the essay to Maureen Dowd... (NYT)
-- Hmm: Jason Schwartz says millennials are subscribing to legacy news organizations at a faster pace than any other age group... (Politico)
-- Tony Romm says tech companies spent over $14 million lobbying the government in the last quarter. Russia, sex trafficking and immigration are among the hot button issues... (Recode)
-- HuffPost asked Harvard Kennedy School students what they are learning from visiting scholar Sean Spicer... (HuffPost) | | | This pic is one for the ages -- five ex-presidents plus Lady Gaga in between the two Bushes... | | "Walking Dead" is back... | | Kim Masters' reporting led to the resignation of Amazon exec Roy Price earlier this month. On this bonus "Reliable Sources" podcast, Masters told me she knew about the harassment allegations against Price six months ago... But struggled to get the accuser on the record... And struggled to get her story cleared by lawyers.
Listen to our conversation here... And/or read Francesca Giuliani-Hoffman's recap for CNNMoney... | | | 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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