Forward

Welcome to Friday's edition of the Reliable Sources newsletter. This is Oliver Darcy, filling in for Brian Stelter, and ready to walk you through a busy day of media news. I enjoy reading your feedback, so please do get in touch via email or find me on Twitter.

Scroll down for news on The Weekly Standard, Facebook's latest data breach, Mika Brzezinski's on-air apology, and more. But first, some breaking news...

BREAKING NEWS:

Federal judge rules ACA's individual mandate unconstitutional

There is some blockbuster news out of Texas tonight. A federal judge declared the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate unconstitutional, adding, "The court declares the remaining provisions of the ACA ... are inseverable and therefore invalid." CNN's story is here with all the details...

Expect this story to dominate a good portion of the news cycle as we head into the weekend. It's generating a lot of chatter -- among both journalists and politicians -- and Trump has already started to tweet about it...

The "acting" chief of staff is...

OBM director Mick Mulvaney. Trump announced the news in a tweet, naturally. He added a couple hours later, "For the record, there were MANY people who wanted to be the White House Chief of Staff. Mick M will do a GREAT job!" In an "acting" capacity, BTW.

So who actually wanted the job? That's unclear. As Irin Carmon quipped on "New Day" Friday morning, the chief of staff job is like the Oscars hosting gig -- it used to be a sought-after position! But now? It's "thanks but no thanks."

Trump was frustrated by the "growing perception that no one of stature wanted the job," the AP reported. Per CNN's Jeremy Diamond, "Trump was sick of the prevailing narrative & wanted to put an end to the speculation & bowing out of candidates" like Chris Christie. Enter Mulvaney. According to CNN's Kaitlan Collins, he was at the W.H. for a meeting about the "looming government shutdown." He wasn't there for a job interview! But he "walked out with a promotion..."

Did Christie's book play a part in his disinterest in the role?

Heading into Friday, Chris Christie seemed to be the frontrunner for Trump's CoS. Not only does he have a wealth of experience, but he shares chemistry with the president. So why did Christie publicly come out and say that he was not interested? Officially, Christie said "that now is not the right time for me or my family to undertake this serious assignment." But he has a book coming out in January titled "Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics." And multiple reporters say that was a factor.

WaPo's Josh Dawsey tweeted, "Christie's lucrative memoir, which is expected to settle some scores, will come out in January. It's finished. Being chief of staff would have complicated that." Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs said that Christie "damaged his standing with Trump with memoir he's publishing." And NYT's Maggie Haberman reported that the book "is expected to touch on his tenure as a federal prosecutor" during which Christie "prosecuted Charles Kushner, the father of Jared Kushner... a task that has since complicated his relationship with the Trump family."

"Trump can still convince people to look elsewhere"

The Atlantic's Elaina Plott wrote in her latest piece that Trump used the Apprentice-styled search for a new CoS, in part, to "manipulate the news cycle" and send send "journalists scrambling to report" the latest updates. "This week thus showcased not only how the White House's problems show no signs of ebbing, but also how, in spite of them all, Trump can still convince people to look elsewhere," Plott wrote...

All the president's investigations

Brian Stelter emails: Reporters are great at covering the minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour developments in Trump's assorted scandals. But what about the BIG story? That's a lot harder to capture...

CNN on Friday made a concerted effort to zoom out, WAY out. Multiple segments explained "Trump's deepening legal jeopardy" and "all the president's investigations." A graphic noted that the Trump Organization, Trump's foundation, his 2016 campaign, his transition, his inauguration, and his administration are all under investigation.

As Ana Cabrera said on Friday: "The one common denominator in each of those? President Trump himself, who is lashing out and blaming other people around him."

Dean: "Much more damning than Watergate"

Stelter continues: I think the segments were inspired, in part, by CNN contributor John Dean's viral tweet overnight. He wrote, "Trump's campaign. Trump's transition. Trump's inauguration. Trump's presidency. Plus Trump & family. All are now under state and federal criminal and civil investigations. This is much more damning than Watergate, and it is just getting started."

I know I've been a broken record about this, but 90-second nightly news packages and 500-word stories are not enough -- the audience needs a lot more to fully digest what's going on. This came up on Rachel Maddow's show on Thursday night, too. "What a moment we are all living through," she said... "I don't know who you know or how old they are, but nobody else has ever lived through a moment in the American presidency like this. We're the first." So what are the best ways to tell THAT story?

Cohen speaks to ABC

One of George Stephanopoulos's key questions for Michael Cohen: "How does this end for Donald Trump?"

Cohen's answer: "That sort of gets into the whole investigation right now between special counsel's office, the attorney general's office, you also have the SDNY -- I don't want to jeopardize any of their investigations." Translation: Much more to come…

This Sunday on "Reliable"

Brian Stelter emails: On Sunday morning I'll be joined by Edward Felsenthal, Joan Walsh, Matt Lewis, Olivia Nuzzi, and Will Bunch... Plus Michael Rothfeld, one of the WSJ reporters who broke the Cohen/Trump/Enquirer news... And Oliver too, if he's free! Darcy, are you available?

Darcy replies: Yes, I'll move my brunch plans, see you there 📺

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- Poynter asked 19 Facebook fact-checkers what they think of their partnership with the social media company. Most said it was a net positive, but there is more work to be done... (Poynter)

-- The Daily Beast reports via multiple sources that Jared Kushner served as an important conduit between National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and Trump... (Daily Beast)

-- Fox News is "fixated on an alleged wave of media attacks" on Melania Trump. In response, Mediaite points out some of the vicious attacks on Michelle Obama that aired on Fox News... (Mediaite)

-- Hossein Derakhshan writes, "The news is dying, but journalism will not -- and should not..." (NiemanLab)

The Weekly Standard is no more

It was the ending feared most by staffers at The Weekly Standard. On Friday morning, Clarity Media Group -- a media holding company owned by billionaire Philip Anschutz and the parent company of The Weekly Standard -- announced that after more than 23 years of serving as a voice for traditional conservatism, the magazine will cease publishing. Its final issue will be published on December 17. The announcement was delivered to staff in an all-hands meeting after the magazine's editor-in-chief, Steve Hayes, met privately with Ryan McKibben, who heads Clarity Media Group. My story has all the details here...

Inside the all-staff meeting

At the brief all hands meeting, which I obtained an audio recording of, McKibben told staff that they would be paid through the end of the year, and that afterward they would receive severance which would range in scale depending on factors like seniority. To receive severance, however, employees would need to sign a strict non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreement. "I know it's an emotional day, but I want to tell you, don't get on social media and attack anybody because it will put your severance in jeopardy," McKibben told employees.

McKibben was not eager to take questions. When staff raised some at one point during the meeting, McKibben replied, "I'm not going to take questions. This isn't a press conference."

TWS subscriptions transferred to new WaEx mag

Staffers at The Weekly Standard had suspected its owner declined to allow the magazine's leadership to find a buyer because the company wanted to retain access to its subscribers and use them to help launch the Washington Examiner magazine, another one of its media properties. McKibben disputed such speculation at Friday's meeting, but said that the publisher had a legal legal obligation to subscribers, and that it would be fulfilled by the new Washington Examiner magazine.

What happens to the archives?

McKibben stunned staff when he said at Friday's meeting that "at some point" The Weekly Standard's website is "going to come down." That left some with the impression that the archives would be removed. I reached out to Clarity Media Group asking about the magazine's archives, and a spokesperson told me that "at this time" they will remain online. The spokesperson added, "Clarity will determine the long-term future of the website as they work through additional details of the closure."

A shift in conservative media

A lot of ink has already been spilled about the death of The Weekly Standard. But the bottom line is this: It represents a broader shift in conservative media. Outlets on the right that are critical of Trump have lost influence or changed their tone, while media organizations on the right supportive of the President have flourished.

Hayes touched on this in an all-staff note he sent early Friday morning. Hayes wrote, "This is a volatile time in American journalism and politics. Many media outlets have responded to the challenges of the moment by prioritizing affirmation over information, giving into the pull of polarization and the lure of clickbait. I'm proud that we've remained both conservative and independent, providing substantive reporting and analysis based on facts, logic and reason."

"Needed now more than at anytime in our previous 23 years..."

After the shuttering of The Weekly Standard was announced, Hayes said in a statement that he was "profoundly disappointed in the decision to close The Weekly Standard," writing that its "unapologetically conservative" voice was "needed now more than at anytime in our previous 23 years."

Bill Kristol, who was the original and longtime editor, tweeted, "All good things come to an end. And so, after 23 years, does The Weekly Standard. I want to express my gratitude to our readers and my admiration for my colleagues. We worked hard to put out a quality magazine, and we had a good time doing so. And we have much more to do. Onward!"

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- The Week's Matthew Walther writes about "what made The Weekly Standard great..." (The Week)

-- John Podhoretz, a co-founder of The Weekly Standard, writes that the creation of the magazine was his "proudest professional moment" and adds, "The cessation of the Standard is an intellectual and political crime..." (Commentary)

-- The Weekly Standard's Alice Lloyd writes about "last lines" and how "the best last lines aren't endings at all..." (The Weekly Standard)

-- National Review's Ramesh Ponnuru: "Though the magazine was a competitor to National Review, our rivalry was friendly and respectful. The Standard was a reliable source of intelligent and felicitous writing..." (National Review)

-- Max Boot: "I devoutly hope a new [Weekly] Standard will arise to lead the Republican Party out of the moral and political oblivion to which the president is consigning it..." (WaPo)

Mika apologizes on-air for "vulgar" remark

Mika Brzezinski was back on "Morning Joe" Friday morning -- and she apologized at the outset of the show for what she characterized as her "vulgar" language earlier in the week. You'll recall, Brzezinski generated a storm of controversy when she asked on Wednesday if Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was a "wannabe dictator's butt-boy."

"Please allow me to say this face to face," Brzezinski said. "The term is crass and offensive and I apologize to everyone, especially the LGBTQ community and to my colleagues for using it." Brzezinski added, "I will work hard to be better. I just wanted to say on camera, looking people straight in the eye: I am really, really sorry."

CBS donates $20 million

Brian Stelter emails: On the day Les Moonves was forced out of CBS in September, $20 million from his severance was earmarked for donations. On Friday, CBS named the 18 groups that are getting grants. The goals, according to CBS: "Increasing the number of women in positions of power, promoting education and culture change, and supporting victims of harassment and assault." The CBS press release did not mention Moonves by name, but it didn't have to. Here's my full story...

What the recipients said

"We thank CBS for these donations," the groups said in a joint statement. "We also recognize these funds are not a panacea, nor do they erase or absolve decades of bad behavior." The recipients also said "we look forward to receiving the full results of the investigation into Mr. Moonves and an update on additional concrete commitments that CBS -- and all organizations -- will make to support lasting change."

Kadro says goodbye to "CBS This Morning"

Brian Stelter emails: In an internal memo on Friday morning, "CBS This Morning" exec producer Ryan Kadro said he'd been discussing his next steps with David Rhodes since September. Now he's officially stepping down, effective January 4. Kadro played a key role in building "CBS This Morning" from the very beginning. My impression is that he's well liked inside CBS. His exit is widely seen as a reaction to the morning show's shaky ratings. The #'s slumped after Charlie Rose was fired a year ago. "CBS News expects to name a successor soon," a spokeswoman told me...

--> In a Friday night memo to staff, Rhodes wished Kadro well and said "we have a number of compelling internal and external candidates" for his job. Rhodes said the new E.P. will "take the reins in January."

Speaking of CBS News...

Stelter adds: Why doesn't "60 Minutes" have a permanent executive producer yet? It has been three months since Jeff Fager was forced out. Bill Owens is just the "interim" E.P. This VF story by Joe Pompeo had an explanation earlier this week: The permanent appointment -- Owens, or maybe Susan Zirinsky, or a surprise candidate? -- "will not be made" until the law firms' investigation of CBS, Moonves, Fager, etcetera "is complete."

Pompeo noted that "staffers are eager for a decision, especially given the wider tumult and uncertainty within the company. The decision is ultimately Rhodes's to make, but it is expected to involve close input and scrutiny at the highest levels." I'm hearing more and more frustration from inside "60" about the situation...

--> Quoting from Rhodes' Friday night memo: "I continue to be assured in conversations with Joe Ianniello that our company is committed to positive change. We're working in concert to bring everything to fruition as quickly as possible on a number of fronts..."

Facebook announces another privacy problem

Another day, another massive user data issue announced by Facebook. On Friday, the social media company said that it had exposed some photos from as many as 6.8 million users without their permission. Facebook blamed a bug that allowed third-party app developers to access photos which might not have been publicly shared by the person. Donie O'Sullivan has details here...

The new king of the news dump?

Donie O'Sullivan emails: Facebook is becoming the new king of Friday news dumps. Today we learned a bug exposed millions of people's photos. In September, Facebook announced it had suffered its biggest beach in history. That announcement also came on a Friday. When Facebook admitted that Sheryl Sandberg did actually receive emails about the work Definers (the firm that pointed out George Soros' links to a group critical of Facebook) it chose to do so on Thanksgiving Eve. And, when Facebook released a report it had commissioned into its role in genocide in Myanmar it did so on the eve of last month's midterm elections. Maybe it's all a coincidence. But for a company that says it wants to be transparent it doesn't look great...

Dorsey's gov't-organized balloon ride in Myanmar

Jack Dorsey's trip to Myanmar -- a country that has experienced violence which activists say might have been fueled in part by social media -- has already resulted in a sizable amount of backlash. Ryan Mac's latest for BuzzFeed is sure to add more fuel to the fire. Mac reported that a now-deleted Facebook post showed Dorsey had taken a hot-air balloon ride in Myanmar arranged by the country's government. Mac said a Twitter spokesperson confirmed the balloon ride, but said Dorsey had no knowledge of the government's role with it. Yikes...

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- Daniella Emanuel emails: A new analysis from the Tow Center shows that Apple News editors in the UK rely on only six publications for over 75% of their top news stories...(CJR)

-- An Phung emails: A Kentucky appeals court ruled that Purdue's secret OxyContin papers should be released. This is a victory for the health and science news site STAT, which filed a motion more than two years ago to unseal the records... (STAT)

-- Phung emails another item: ICYMI: The NewsGuild and Writers Guild are having a "banner year for organizing and bargaining" according to this report by Poynter. As newsrooms grapple with layoffs and budget shortfalls, young staffers are unionizing to "take control of what they can..." (Poynter)

-- Shep Smith is really fed-up with the Hillary Clinton comparisons: "That investigation is over..." (Mediaite)

-- Kudos to WaPo for conducting this "Fact Checker poll…" It shows that the vast majority of Americans refuse to believe Trump's most egregious falsehoods… (WaPo)

THIS WEEK'S PODCAST

Inside Mic's collapse and Vox Media's growth

"Digital media companies fighting for their futures" is the theme of this week's "Reliable Sources" podcast. The guests: Two former editors from Mic, Kerry Lauerman and Colleen Curry, and Vox Media's publisher Melissa Bell. You'll come away understanding more about what works, and what doesn't work, for digital media players. Listen to the pod via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite app...

Tucker Carlson loses an advertiser

An insurance company said Friday that it would no longer advertise on Fox News host Tucker Carlson's show after the host seemed to suggest mass immigration makes the country "dirtier." On Thursday night's program, Carlson said, "We have a moral obligation to admit the world's poor, they tell us, even if it makes our own country poorer, and dirtier, and more divided."

Pacific Life responded by telling The Hollywood Reporter's Jeremy Barr that as a company it strongly disagreed with Carlson's comment, and that it would pause its advertising on his show "as we reevaluate our relationship with his program."

Fox calls it an "unfortunate and unnecessary" distraction

I asked a Fox News spokesperson on Friday afternoon for a comment about Pacific Life pausing ads on Carlson's program. The spokesperson responded by lacing into left-leaning groups like Media Matters that highlighted Carlson's comments, saying, "It is a shame that left wing advocacy groups, under the guise of being supposed 'media watchdogs' weaponize social media against companies in an effort to stifle free speech. We continue to stand by and work with our advertisers through these unfortunate and unnecessary distractions."

A streaming role for Turner's Kevin Reilly

Kevin Reilly, president of TBS and TNT and chief creative officer at Turner Entertainment, will now also oversee content strategy for WarnerMedia's forthcoming streaming service. Deadline has the details here...

>> Brian Lowry adds via email: Reilly's ascent follows a similar move by CBS to consolidate content -- including CBS All Access -- under chief Showtime's David Nevins, and both execs cut their teeth at NBC during the "Must-See TV" era. The two joined former colleagues in reminiscing about that period at a Hollywood Radio and Television Society panel last year...

What Rupert knows

Alex Koppelman emails: Brian previewed The Ringer's oral history of Fox's stunning move to take NFL rights away from CBS in this newsletter the other night. It is as good and interesting as advertised, but I wanted to highlight in particular what seems to me to be the most important quote from it.

It's from George Krieger, who served for years as a top executive at Fox Sports: "When he does a deal, Rupert's thinking about, 'What's this going to look like 10 years out, 20 years out? Will this help me build a network?' The other guys are trying to manage financials for the next quarterly financial report."

It's a quote that says a lot about the history not just of TV but of digital and print media over the past 10 years -- all the executives who've chased traffic for short-term wins with no concern for the long-term damage they're doing to their brands, for example. And it's something that executives should keep in mind if the economy cools off over the next couple years. You can cut and cut and cut and keep your investors happy for a while, but somewhere there's someone smarter and bolder than you who's thinking about the future -- and soon enough they'll be kicking your ass.

Alex Jones is now broadcasting on Instagram

InfoWars founder Alex Jones is banned by nearly every major social media company. He's not allowed on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Apple, Spotify, Pinterest, and other such platforms. But the one place he hasn't been barred from is Instagram -- and it seems he's now starting to take advantage of it.

On Friday, Jones used his Instagram account to broadcast live an episode of the InfoWars show "War Room." I reached out to Instagram to see if the company had any comment on the issue -- after all, Instagram's parent company Facebook has already banned Jones. An Instagram spokesperson said, "We will be continuing to review reports that we receive from the Instagram community and take action in line with our Community Guidelines."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

-- Kevin Roose writes about "how YouTube's year-in-review 'Rewind' video set off a civil war..." (NYT)

-- CJR interviews a 19-year-old college student who reported on decades of sexual misconduct allegations against a violin professor at the University of Michigan... (CJR)

-- White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley jokingly asked if Fox News host Bill Hemmer wanted a job in the administration after Hemmer seemed to offer some public relations advice on immigration during a segment... (Mediaite)

Apple strikes a Peanuts deal

"Apple has struck a deal with DHX Media to produce new series, specials and shorts based on the beloved characters from the animated world created by Charles M. Schulz," Sandra Gonzalez reports, citing "a source familiar with the deal." She says "the deal with DHX is a major get for Apple in the children-geared programming space..."

By Chloe Melas:

-- Here's the first look at the "Downton Abbey" movie...

-- Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger make their relationship IG official...

-- David Letterman's Netflix series has been renewed...

"If Beale Street Could Talk" finds epic quality in love story

Brian Lowry emails: Barry Jenkins took the Oscar two years ago for "Moonlight," and he could be in the mix again with "If Beale Street Could Talk," a beautifully rendered love story. It's based on James Baldwin's 1970s novel, but directly ties into themes about African-Americans and the justice system that resonate today.

Read Lowry's full review here...

"Springsteen on Broadway" gives fans best seat in the house

Lowry sends another one: Netflix gives Bruce Springsteen fans the best seat in the house for "Springsteen on Broadway," a marathon special that transfers his sold-out one-man stage show to the screen, shrewdly timed to drop right after its run closes.

Read Lowry's full review here...

That's a wrap on this edition of the newsletter. Enjoy your weekend. Brian will be back on Sunday!