| | | | | Exec summary: A potential buyer for TheBlaze. A tense situation between Weinstein Co. and the NY AG. A new funding battle for PBS. And an apology from the makers of "Peter Rabbit." Scroll down for details... | | Dishonesty is a recurring theme of the Trump presidency. That's what connects all the scandals and controversies and cringe-worthy moments. You can see it right now in the coverage of the Rob Porter scandal. Someone's lying about who knew what when. The White House supported Porter even after the black eye photos came out. As Jake Tapper said on "The Lead," it "sounded like last Wednesday they were nominating him for sainthood... And now they're talking about this as if they're activists on behalf of domestic violence victims." The W.H. still hasn't cleared up the timeline.
At Monday's briefing, Sarah Sanders repeatedly said "the president supports victims of domestic violence" when his actual tweets and sound bites suggest differently. Anderson Cooper called it a "master class in attempted gaslighting." My view: This Porter story has had staying power -- it's almost a week old -- because there's alleged domestic abuse combined with rank dishonesty... | | On "Fox & Friends," of all places, W.H. spokesman Hogan Gidley was challenged about this. Gidley said "the president has been very clear, that all forms of abuse, all forms of battery against women are horrible and disgusting." Brian Kilmeade fact-checked: "He hasn't said that." Points to Kilmeade!
During the interview, Gidley claimed Trump has denounced abuse "multiple times in the past" and said Trump "thinks that domestic violence is grotesque, he has said that on multiple occasions." When? I searched Factba.se for tweets, quotes, statements, etc of Trump saying the terms "abuse," "battery," and "domestic violence." I found zero relevant hits. So what is Gidley talking about? | | "That doesn't answer the question" | | | On days like this, the frustration of the W.H. press corps is palpable. ABC's Cecilia Vega tried to ask Sanders, "Does he believe Rob Porter's accusers? Or are they lying?" Sanders repeated her line that "the president supports the victims of domestic violence." Vega interjected: "That doesn't answer the question." And Sanders said, "I'm not going to go beyond that. That's where we are right now." Yep, that's where we are... | | Tuesday morning's news... | | | Porter's first wife Colbie Holderness has an op-ed in Tuesday's WashPost. It's the most-read story on the Post's site right now. She says Jennie Willoughby and I "didn't seek to tell our stories in such a public way. Rather, others sought us out in the course of investigating Rob..." | | "The people who head Ben Shapiro's conservative news site are in talks to buy Glenn Beck's troubled media empire TheBlaze," The Daily Beast's Betsy Woodruff and Lachlan Markay reported Monday. "Two sources familiar with the conversations said this appears quite likely, though the deal isn't final."
So who's buying? I have to admit I didn't know this: "The Daily Wire is owned by members of the Wilks family, billionaire fracking tycoons from east Texas. They have been looking to expand their holdings in conservative media..." | | What's Comcast going to do? | | No new updates in the Comcast / Disney / Fox drama on Monday. But there's lots of chatter! At the Code Media conference on Monday evening, 21st Century Fox prez Peter Rice sidestepped a Comcast Q: He said "we struck a deal that we thought was good for Fox shareholders."
Good for shareholders AND good for the Murdoch family. In this column, Jennifer Saba wondered if Comcast's continued interest in Fox will lead Disney to raise its $$ offer. She also made the point that "Fox's fate depends on what best suits the Murdoch family."
This came up during the Code Media session too. Rice said James Murdoch's future is "up to James.... I think he'll be captain of his own ship in terms of what he wants to do. I think he'll get to choose what he wants to do..." (Via Dylan Byers and Sara Fischer) | | What are BuzzFeed's investigators finding out? | | Since BuzzFeed is being sued for publishing the Trump dossier, the company has a team of investigators "led by a former top FBI and White House cybersecurity official" working to verify parts of the dossier, Jana Winter reports for Foreign Policy. "If it's fact, it's not libel, that's the idea," a source told her.
BF spokesman Matt Mittenthal says "we can't comment on the specific legal tools used to defend BuzzFeed's First Amendment rights in this case..." | | -- If you haven't read the new Wired cover story about Facebook's "two years of hell," make time for it... (Wired)
-- "The Department of Homeland Security on Monday pushed back against a recent NBC News report claiming that Russian hackers 'successfully penetrated' U.S. voter roles before the 2016 elections, calling it misleading." But NBC says "our story is accurate, and makes all of the very same points this statement accuses us of not making..." (The Hill)
-- Daniel Funke reports: "PolitiFact, one of the largest and best-known fact-checking outlets in the United States, has moved its organization from the Tampa Bay Times to The Poynter Institute..." (Poynter)
-- Snap's head of sales, Jeff Lucas, "is leaving the social-media company less than two years after joining from Viacom..." (WSJ) | | Layoffs coming to CNN Digital this week | | CNN Digital is preparing for "dozens of layoffs," VF's Joe Pompeo reported Monday. He said "several high profile digital initiatives are being scaled back" and cuts will come from CNNMoney, video production, and social publishing, among other areas.
After Pompeo's scoop came out, a CNN spokesman confirmed to me that the imminent pink slips are part of an effort to "restructure and streamline" CNN's digital operation. Some of the cuts are about spending less money on X to spend more money on Y. And some of the cuts are symptomatic of broader digital media biz model problems -- the ad sales climate is bleak and getting bleaker. (BuzzFeed similarly went through a round of layoffs and restructuring last November. There have been cutbacks at the NYT, Vice, Mashable, and numerous other companies.)
--> Pompeo's story said as many as 50 jobs could be cut. No comment from CNN. Variety added this: "A person familiar with the matter said the number of employees affected was not immediately known, as some of those jobs may be 'repurposed' in other parts of the organization..." | | A "rare cutback" at Amazon | | That's what the Seattle Times calls this news: "Amazon is laying off hundreds of corporate employees," both at the HQ and elsewhere. "The layoffs are primarily focused on Amazon's consumer retail businesses." Here's Sara Ashley O'Brien's story for CNNMoney...
--> The Information's Priya Anand says "it shows that Amazon, a behemoth that has grown across a variety of businesses, isn't immune to the corporate bloating that plagues many big companies..." | | No, the Weinstein Co. deal is not dead yet | | | Some of Sunday's stories went too far. The NYPost, for example, said Maria Contreras-Sweet was "pulling" her offer for The Weinstein Company's assets. Other outlets said the deal talks had collapsed. But the talks are still underway. My latest story is up on CNNMoney... | | Schneiderman says he's "prepared to talk" with Weinstein Co. buyers | | When NY AG Eric Schneiderman filed suit against Weinstein Co. on Sunday evening, people involved with the sale warned that he had just "effectively killed the deal." But they didn't rule out the sale altogether. There's obviously some posturing and negotiating going on.
On Monday, Schneiderman held a midday presser, and he said he's not opposed to a sale of the studio in theory -- but he IS opposed to the plan that's on the table right now. He says he wants three things: "Any deal must ensure first that victims will be adequately compensated;" that employees will be protected; and that executives who knew about Weinstein's alleged acts "will not be rewarded." Read more...
--> What now? "We are prepared to talk to anyone," Schneiderman said at the presser. He's clearly willing to settle. But when I pressed him, he said there is no current meeting scheduled with Contreras-Sweet's investor group. So: Maybe they'll meet on Tuesday? | | By Oliver Darcy:
-- Elaina Plott's latest is about how Doreen Gentzler has grappled with the death of Jim Vance: "For nearly 30 years, they were the First Couple of local TV in Washington. Then Vance died of cancer. How do you grieve for your work husband, and still read the news every night?" (Washingtonian)
-- Erin Gloria Ryan is taking a leave from The Daily Beast to write for "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia..."
-- Speaking of the Beast: It is launching a SecureDrop system allowing for tipsters to anonymously leak documents or submit tips... (The Daily Beast) | | A new round of the PBS budget battle | | Warning: This episode is a repeat. Just like it did last year, President Trump's budget proposal -- published on Monday -- eliminates almost all federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. And just like last year, this specific proposal is probably going to be ignored by Congress. PBS/NPR/etc have lots of friends on Capitol Hill. Still, public broadcasting advocates have to take the threat seriously. It's a predictable back-and-forth at this point. Here's my recap...
--> This isn't happening in a vacuum: Trump's budget also "drastically" reduces funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, etc... Again, though, this is highly unlikely to be implemented... | | -- "NBC has removed" Olympic analyst Joshua Cooper Ramo "after he made a comment about Japan and South Korea which sparked anger among South Koreans..." (BBC)
-- Al Roker fronted a sponsored segment for Intel on Monday's "Today" show. There was only one problem: The "sponsored" graphic didn't show up on screen... (TVNewser)
-- Megan Thomas emails: Feel-good story of the day via Vulture: U.S. Olympic skater Adam Rippon just wants to make Reese Witherspoon proud... (Vulture) | | | Brian Lowry emails: Thanks to the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics, NBC is now the most-watched network this season among total viewers -- the first time that's been true "at any point during the season" since the network finished first 16 years ago. Of course, NBC is the first network to air the Super Bowl and Winter Games in the same year since 1992, and -- excluding sports -- still trails CBS by nearly 2 million viewers. What's most interesting is that NBC would brag about this metric, given that the network has traditionally downplayed the 2-plus numbers that CBS regularly cites, noting that key adult demos are the basis for negotiating ad rates and thus the only yardstick that genuinely matters. (Fox, incidentally, is fourth among the major broadcasters in total audience, but currently second in adults age 18-49...) | | There but for the grace of God... | | | Via the Chicago Tribune: On Saturday morning WLS in Chicago "accidentally broadcast a report about the political backdrop to the Winter Olympics, illustrated with the graphic, 'P.F. Chang 2018.'" Ooof. The station says this graphic was for a "satirical piece" on Friday, and it was accidentally used again on Saturday... | | The "lack of self-awareness is remarkable." | | Oliver Darcy emails: Some folks at Fox News are apparently suffering from a bit of amnesia. Just a few days ago, the network was was publishing stories about the "flashy arrival" of Kim Jong Un's sister. Fox described how she "smiled" as she landed in her "white private jet" at the airport, and even characterized her as a "moderating force" in North Korea. One headline went as far as to refer to her as "Kim Jong Un's Ivanka." Another video was titled, "Kim Jong Un's sister steals show at Olympic ceremony." But now Fox is raking CNN and other media outlets over the coals for similar coverage. On "Fox & Friends," co-host Pete Hegseth complained, "Think about the headline from the Washington Post: Ivanka Trump of North Korea?" Co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy replied, "It's unbelievable."
Fox pushed this "media praising North Korea" theme all day long. "The Five" host Kimberly Guilfoyle said of headlines comparing Ivanka Trump to Kim Yo Jong, "You can't even make this stuff up, it's so Looney Toons. And they seem to get away with it." And Martha MacCallum, Tucker Carlson, and Sean Hannity also hosted similar segments. Sebastian Gorka told Hannity the "lack of self-awareness is remarkable." Indeed, when it comes to Fox News, it is... | | | For the record, part three | | | -- On "Power Lunch," NYT CEO Mark Thompson reiterated his belief that the newspaper will be available in print for "at least 10 years..." But he can't necessarily see much further in the future for print... (CNBC)
-- Megan Thomas emails: Great New Yorker profile on Ksenia Sobchak, the Russian reality-TV star "running" against Vladimir Putin... (The New Yorker)
-- "Few people in or close to the White House have any idea what Michael Roman does all day." Great lead on a great Politico story about the "mysterious oppo researcher working in the White House lawyer's office..." (Politico) | | Peter Kafka and Kara Swisher's Code Media confab got underway Monday afternoon... Some highlights:
-- Campbell Brown says it's NOT her job to convince publishers to stay on Facebook. She responded to Rupert Murdoch's call for "carriage fee" style compensation this way: "If someone feels that being on FB is not good for your business, you shouldn't be on FB. Let's be clear about this..."
-- FB says its priority is "meaningful social interactions," but how are those being measured? Adam Mosseri says "we're trying to figure out how to best measure and understand that..."
-- One of TechCrunch's takeaways: "Facebook is going to create a new news section in its video streaming platform Facebook Watch to feature breaking news stories..."
-- HuffPost EIC Lydia Polgreen talking about parent company Verizon: "In 2018, the best owner you could have is the phone company..."
-- Susan Wojcicki is on stage at the time I'm sending this out... And Jonah Peretti is up next... Check Recode for notable quotes later. | | Some things you should know from IAB's conference | | | Here's the PDF of IAB CEO Randall Rothenberg's address about the "21st century brand economy," and here are his slides. He said "you must become a Direct Brand, or serve the needs of Direct Brands..." Direct relationships with consumers require trust, "for truth equals data equals growth..." | | Unilever's warning: Just a "power play?" | | Unilever CMO Keith Weed's challenge to social networks -- threatening to cut off ad $$ spending -- "prompted a wave of headlines, but little concern among investors," CNN Tech's Seth Fiegerman wrote Monday afternoon."
--> Nicole Perrin of eMarketer told him that it's more of a "power play" than a legit threat: "We've heard a lot of talk [from advertisers] for the last year. We haven't seen much action in pulling back spending..." | | Bold statements from Hulu CEO | | Per some tweeters, Hulu CEO Randy Freer threw down the gauntlet at IAB: "There are only two companies going forward that have the ability to deliver a seamless, direct to consumer premium video experience, Hulu and Netflix," he said. "Apple and Facebook don't have platforms that have this in their DNA."
--> I also appreciated this factoid, because I definitely veer from drama to comedy: Freer told conference-goers that most people who watched "The Handmaid's Tale" watched a comedy next...
--> Later in the day at Code Media, Peter Rice predicted that Hulu will have more than 20 million subscribers by the time the Disney-Fox deal closes... | | T-minus three days til "Black Panther" | | THR's Pamela McClintock reports: "The forecast keeps getting better and better for Disney and Marvel Studios' Black Panther, which opens in North America on Friday. Hollywood's leading tracking service, NRG, on Monday revised its opening weekend estimate to $165 million or more for the four-day Presidents Day weekend -- which if it holds would be the top February launch of all time -- according to sources with access to tracking."
Check this out: "When Black Panther first came on tracking two weeks ago, NRG forecast a domestic opening of $125 million. By last week, that number had shot up to $150 million-plus... Of course, tracking often misses the mark..." | | It's already the "most tweeted movie of 2018" | | | Frank Pallotta emails: According to Twitter, the film is the most tweeted movie of 2018 to date with more than 5 million tweets so far. Obviously tweets don't equal box office dollars, but the chatter can be a gauge of excitement... | | "Three Billboards" backlash | | Brian Lowry emails: The brewing backlash against "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" has made the movie the latest Oscar contender to receive what Vox referred to as a "ritual social-media dunking." But as the film hits DVD this week, I think some of the criticism misreads what the movie says, or doesn't, about the ability of an odious character to earn redemption.
>> Read Lowry's column here... | | An apology from the makers of "Peter Rabbit" | | | This is quite the statement: "Food allergies are a serious issue. Our film should not have made light of Peter Rabbit's archnemesis, Mr. McGregor, being allergic to blackberries, even in a cartoonish, slapstick way... We sincerely regret not being more aware and sensitive to this issue, and we truly apologize..." | | A fresh look at Fallon's challenge | | | Frank Pallotta emails: The Ringer's Allison Herman watched a few weeks of "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" to get a feel for what has caused Fallon's fall from the top spot. I thought this quote was really interesting: "I found out that watching The Tonight Show in 2018 is an exercise in watching an entertainer stick to what they do best, even as 'what they do best' no longer aligns with what the broadest possible audience wants. For Jimmy Fallon, it seems there's no better option." Here's the rest... | | | For the record, part four | | | By Lisa Respers France:
-- Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker's unfortunate feud is back in the news, but it's not new... Here's the backstory...
-- It's that time of the year... And Jennifer Garner is selling Girl Scout cookies too...
-- Amy Schumer has made her new relationship with chef Chris Fischer "Instagram official..." | | Sunday's "Reliable Sources" 👉 | | -- Sesno and Hadas Gold discussed the recent UK parliament hearing about "fake news..."
-- Ken Doctor made his "Reliable" debut, talking about the fates of the LA Times and Newsweek... | | | Get Reliable Sources, a comprehensive summary of the most important media news, delivered to your inbox every afternoon. | | | | | |
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