Forward

Bezos v. Enquirer

Who's sleeping easier tonight -- Jeff Bezos or David Pecker?

With Bezos accusing American Media Inc. of attempted "extortion and blackmail," the company's legal troubles are just beginning. On Friday we learned that federal prosecutors are once again examining the conduct of AMI.

Have AMI and Pecker violated last year's immunity deal? That's what prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are trying to determine, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN's Evan Perez and Kara Scannell.

>> The Washington Post's story notes that it is "unclear how long such a review might take..."

>> AMI did not respond to my request for comment about whether law enforcement has been in touch...

Is Pecker investigating himself?

After AMI said the company "believes fervently that it acted lawfully in the reporting of the story of Mr. Bezos," it said the AMI board had convened and "determined that it should promptly and thoroughly investigate the claims" made by Bezos. Pecker is one of the four board members, so mark me down as skeptical about this...

Is Bezos distracted?

WaPo Silicon Valley correspondent Elizabeth Dwoskin brought this up in a Friday story titled "Does Jeff Bezos's behavior put Amazon at risk?" Dwoskin said some experts pointed out to her "that if the fight between Bezos and the National Enquirer drags on, either legally or publicly, it will become a distraction for the Amazon founder."

For now, she wrote, "people in Bezos' orbit appeared unfazed or rallied around him." That's the same impression I have. A well-placed source said the CEO's work schedule hasn't changed despite his personal scandal -- he was at Amazon HQ in Seattle last week, leading hours-long meetings, and on Thursday he was working on a project with Amazon business execs, even as the blog post was about to come out...

Inside the Post newsroom

"By standing up to the Enquirer at the expense of his own personal privacy... Bezos also seems to have made himself even more popular among his own employees at the Post," VF's Joe Pompeo wrote Friday...

>> Eugene Robinson on "Morning Joe:" "There is a certain amount of badassness about Jeff Bezos that I think makes us all proud to work for him..."

>> Carl Bernstein on "AC360:" Bezos "in this instance has acted heroically, in terms of establishing that neither he nor the Post will be intimidated." He likened Bezos to Katharine Graham...

Who will be next?

Oliver Darcy emails: In his blog post, Bezos hinted that others have shared their "similar experiences" with the Enquirer to his investigative team. Then Ronan Farrow came forward and said he had been threatened by AMI. And a source familiar with the National Enquirer's operation told me that there were similar situations between the tabloid and others. So who is next? Will we see another major figure step into the spotlight in the days and weeks ahead to share their story? The dam seems to be breaking, and once it does break, there's no telling what we might learn…

>> Farrow's forthcoming book, "Catch and Kill," will go into detail about this subject...

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- Kara Swisher's latest: "Bezos clearly is winning here. He should use the opportunity to reflect on how he can lead the fight to protect everyone's privacy and digital dignity, even as he takes back his own..." (NYT)

-- Jill Abramson lifted paragraphs of text from other sources, made slight tweaks, and printed the paragraphs in the book. That's plagiarism. But she still isn't coming to terms with that. She admitted to "missing citations and errors" in this new interview with Sean Illing, but denied lifting passages of text... (Vox)

-- Biggest story of the day that risks getting overshadowed: Joshua Partlow, Nick Miroff and David Fahrenthold reported that more than 100 undocumented immigrants have been employed by Trump's Bedminster golf course over the years... (WaPo)

-- This weekend: Elizabeth Warren formally enters the 2020 race on Saturday, and Amy Klobuchar is expected to do the same on Sunday...

Virginia's political crisis

The Friday night edition of Chris Cillizza's newsletter: "The story of this week, the lasting story with long-ranging implications, isn't President Trump's quickly-forgotten State of the Union speech or acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker's super-contentious testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee. It was the utter collapse of the political futures of the top three Democratic elected officials in Virginia." Read on...

-- Last Friday was filled with calls for Gov. Ralph Northam to resign. He didn't...

-- Now, this Friday, numerous top Dems are calling on Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax to resign after a second sexual assault allegation was made public...

-- The "Hannity" banner during coverage of the Virginia chaos: "THE LEFT IN CRISIS"

This comment by Whitaker was "deeply concerning"

What'd you think of Friday's hearing with the acting A.G. Matt Whitaker? I thought it was sad to see how some GOP lawmakers subscribed to pro-Trump media B.S. about the arrest of Roger Stone. It's yet another example of the alternative media universe -- with people who should know better promoting a conspiracy theory about CNN. Whitaker fueled the fire, commenting that "it was deeply concerning to me as to how CNN found out" about the raid at Stone's home.

Two points: First, CNN has been very clear that the exclusive video of the raid was the product of perceptive reporting, not a tip. Second, citizens should be able to see how law enforcement officials conduct these sorts of operations. It's a very good thing that the camera crew was there...

Zurawik: Hearings will "make a difference"

Balt Sun media critic David Zurawik wrote that these hearings are "infuriating" but essential. "As angry as I was by the end of the day, I remain convinced these hearings are valuable and will ultimately make a difference in exposing the incompetence, callousness and disregard for the rule of law by the Trump administration," he opined...

Chris Wallace calls out 'outraged' Republicans

Oliver Darcy emails: It was another one of those moments in which an actual journalist at Fox broke from the chorus to offer the audience valuable context. "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace said he found it "rich that Republicans are so outraged" over the Whitaker hearing, given that the GOP held many, many hearings on things like the IRS, Benghazi and Fast & Furious. Mediaite has the full clip here…

Inside the latest leak hunt

"The White House is aggressively investigating several leaks" of the president's private schedules, Politico's Daniel Lippman and Eliana Johnson reported Friday evening. "West Wing officials managing the hunt have enlisted the help of the White House's IT office, and believe they are making progress in narrowing the search for potential suspects..."

This Sunday on "Reliable Sources..."

I'll be talking about W.H. leakers with Cliff Sims... And I'll be joined by Michael Moynihan, Kelly McBride, Marc Fisher, Lachlan Markay, Suzanne Nossel, and Laurie Segall... See you Sunday at 11 a.m. ET!

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- Which platforms are driving more traffic to news websites? Which platforms are fading? This analysis of Parse.ly data finds that SmartNews and Flipboard are "soaring" while Twitter and Linkedin are "dropping..." (NiemanLab)

-- Wired mag has named five new contributors to its IDEAS section: Molly Wood, Noam Cohen, Collier Meyerson, Rose Eveleth, and Gretchen McCulloch...

-- Peter Kafka interviewed the Gimlet Media founders about their sale to Spotify... (Recode)

-- Gerry Smith tweeted: "NBC guaranteed that commercials for the new Kevin Hart movie would bring a certain number of ticket sales, not just viewers. It could be a new way of doing business in the TV ad world." Here's his story... (Bloomberg)

Trump blows off congressional deadline in Khashoggi case

POTUS "refused to meet a legal mandate Friday to tell Congress whether the White House thinks Saudi Arabia's crown prince is personally responsible for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi." CNN's Nicole Gaouette and Kevin Liptak have the full story here...

-- Plus, here's Gaouette's story about Bezos flagging the "Saudi angle..."

-- New NYT editorial: "The pressure must continue..."

"Mistakes happen" ?!?!

Oliver Darcy emails: In perhaps one of the most outrageous explanations yet, the Saudi foreign minister told reporters on Friday that Khashoggi's murder amounted to a mere "mistake." According to WaPo, the Saudi FM said, "These things happen. Mistakes happen; we acknowledge that this is a huge mistake," and the people responsible "will be held accountable."

The statement immediately prompted outrage in journalism circles. CBS News' Alex Wagner tweeted, "I mean this is just a patently insane way of excusing the kidnapping, murder and dismemberment of an adversary." NYT's Maggie Haberman chimed in, "'Mistakes were made' applied to a bonesaw killing."

Karen Attiah on this week's "Reliable" podcast

On Thursday evening, I interviewed WaPo global opinions editor Karen Attiah and Boston Globe editorial writer Marcela Garcia on stage at the Newseum. The event was a followup to the Globe-led free press editorial campaign from last August.

We've shared the audio on the "Reliable Sources" podcast. Part one is about threats against journalists in the US, and part two is about threats around the world. Attiah was Jamal Khashoggi's editor at the Post -- and she says "this is a story that has been a slow-moving twist of the knife."

Listen to the pod via Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, or Spotify...

Vice "reviewing" its Saudi business deal

Picture this: "One sunny afternoon in August on a yacht off the Red Sea coast, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Vice Media Executive Chairman Shane Smith discussed an unlikely collaboration."

The WSJ's Rory Jones, Benoit Faucon and Keach Hagey used this meeting to illustrate Saudi attempts to build "alliances with western news outlets." Friday's story said "the talks with Vice about a business partnership are unlikely to move forward,"

As for its existing partnership, "Vice said it was reviewing its deal with government-controlled Saudi Research and Marketing Group, or SRMG, to produce documentaries about Saudi society..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

By Katie Pellico:

-- In his latest for VF, Gabriel Sherman says Bill Shine has "told friends he's angry that Trump has singled him out for the bad press during the government shutdown." And he's not the only disaffected staffer. Sherman, citing ten sources, says "what's driving a lot of the frustration is that Trump, now more than ever, runs the West Wing as a family business..." (VF)

-- A new pro football league will strap up Saturday on CBS. WSJ reports the Alliance of American Football is "positioned as a complement to the National Football League," with added "souped-up fantasy" and wearable devices that will track and stream players' positions with "betting potential," all of which is starting to entice advertisers... (WSJ)

-- Rep. Devin Nunes tried to partake in the "learn to code" meme, "amplifying a mass harassment campaign that started on 4chan's politics board..." (Verge)

Why Lea Gabrielle's new job is so important

Amid all of Thursday's Bezos news, I missed the announcement about former Fox News reporter Lea Gabrielle's new role leading the State Department's efforts to counter foreign propaganda and disinformation.

Donie O'Sullivan emails with context: The State Department's Global Engagement Center (GEC) should play an important role in informing America's counter disinformation efforts ahead of the 2020 election. In 2014, the GEC helped combat Russian disinformation targeting Ukraine. That same troll would strike again in the US in 2016. So what the GEC is seeing today abroad should help inform a national strategy for 2020. There were missed opportunities in the Obama administration — former CIA director Michael Hayden drew parallels between the intelligence failures in the lead up to 9/11 and social media meddling in 2016. Now a former Fox reporter is on the frontlines...

Journalists, advocates face "heightened U.S. law enforcement scrutiny" at the border

Katie Pellico writes: Don't miss this. "Through interviews with journalists and advocates who have worked in the Tijuana area recently, The Intercept has uncovered a pattern of heightened U.S. law enforcement scrutiny aimed at individuals with a proximity to the migrant caravans," Ryan Devereaux reported Friday.

Devereaux described a process by which journalists and advocates are documented by Mexican police, and later questioned, detained or, in at least two cases, denied re-entry into Mexico. One Mexican officer told a photographer the information they were gathering was "for the Americans." Sen. Ron Wyden told The Intercept that he is launching an investigation into CBP and their "newly revealed border crackdown..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

By Daniella Emanuel:

-- Amazon is trying another QVC-style streaming video effort... This one is called "Amazon Live," where "hosts talk about and demonstrate products available for sale on Amazon... (TechCrunch)

-- Kathy English, The Toronto Star's public editor, details the benefits of "engagement journalism," when newsrooms and journalists reach out to readers and engage them "in the process of gathering and publishing information" that matters to them... (The Star)

-- Max Read begs the question, "Can subscriptions save all media companies, or just the New York Times?" (NYMag)

-- Nicole Martin writes about how the use of artificial intelligence to create content could impact journalism. "How do you know I am really a human writing this article and not a robot?" (Forbes)

"HBO's big spring" is coming...

Brian Lowry emails: "Game of Thrones" is the centerpiece of HBO's programming schedule this year, but the network is surrounding it with a lot of high-profile fare. Those given premiere dates at the TCA Press Tour on Friday include the Michael Jackson documentary "Leaving Neverland" (March 3-4); the final season of "Veep" (March 31); and "Big Little Lies," which will begin its second season in June, shortly after the "Thrones" finale...

Beto documentary coming to HBO

Via HuffPost's Marina Fang: "A documentary crew followed former U.S. Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke and his insurgent 2018 Democratic campaign in Texas for a movie set to air this spring on HBO, the premium cable channel revealed Friday..."

"Cold Pursuit" landed Liam Neeson in hot water

Brian Lowry emails: Liam Neeson stepped into a public relations maelstrom with an interview promoting the movie "Cold Pursuit," trying to explain its revenge theme by saying he had harbored such thoughts himself in the past. The footnote to that would be that this remake of a Norwegian film by the same director turned out to be an utter mess in terms of its tone...

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

By Frank Pallotta:

-- "The Walking Dead" is losing one of its biggest stars: Danai Gurira. The actress who plays the sword-wielding Michonne is leaving, but may still pop up in films about the series... (THR)

-- It's been a dry season at the cineplex, but that will change this weekend with "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part," which could have a solid $40 million weekend for Warner Bros... (Deadline)

Getting ready for the Grammys

Via Chloe Melas, here's everything you need to know for Sunday night's Grammys telecast... Also check out CNN.com's feature about first-time nominees...

-- Lisa Respers France emails: Kendrick Lamar and Drake are No. 1 and No. 2 in terms of Grammy nominations. But they along with fellow rapper and nominee Childish Gambino reportedly turned down the opportunity to perform at the awards show...

-- More from Lisa: Ariana Grande dropped her new album and fired back at the Grammys about her not attending...

"Miracle Workers" and "PENI15" work wonders for serialized comedy

Brian Lowry emails: Thus far 2019 is shaping up to be an interesting year for serialized comedies, with two more arriving in the next week: Hulu's "PEN15" looks back at the confusion associated with those pubescent years, the twist being that two adult actresses play themselves at that age, surrounded by kids; and TBS' "Miracle Workers" casts Steve Buscemi as a rather mercurial God who decides to destroy the world, and Daniel Radcliffe as one of the angels trying to convince him to spare it. The lesson seems to be that comedies are taking bigger conceptual bets, with the rewards and risk that entails...

Mourning Kristoff St. John

Lisa Respers France emails: "The Young & the Restless" paid tribute Friday to Kristoff St. John, who died this week at the age of 52. To myself and so many others in the black community St. John was both a trailblazer and a deeply personal part of our heritage. Here's why I mourn him...

Thanks for reading! Hope you had a good week. Email me anytime with feedback, story ideas, etc... And I'll see you Sunday...