Forward

Global white supremacy terrorism

Call it what it is: global white supremacy terrorism. Supercharged by the internet. Spreading like a virus.

This time it happened in New Zealand instead of the United States. But extremism is a threat on both sides of the ocean. The Saturday edition of the NYT has a six-column banner: "EXTREMIST HATE FUELS NEW ZEALAND MASSACRE." The paper's coverage notes that the suspect "seemed to be inspired by the social media world and performing for it."

This attack was, among other things, "about the rise of white supremacy online and the power of social media in spreading that message," Jenni Marsh and Tara Mulholland wrote for CNN Business. From the suspect's manifesto to his live-streamed rampage, it was an "internet-driven hate."

And as Sherisse Pham noted here, tech companies struggled to stop it from spreading.

"A consistent, hateful and contagious worldview"

So let me begin the way Anderson Cooper did on "AC360" Friday night. "There's not much we know about the victims at this point," Cooper said. "We wish we could tell you more about who they were in life, to give you a sense of what has now been taken away. So how then do we honor them tonight? Well, at the very least, we're not going to insult their memory by suggesting they died as the result of an isolated individual acting for incomprehensible reasons as if he were some human version of a natural disaster that randomly strikes from time to time. If reports -- including the so-called manifesto he apparently left -- are to be believed, the man who fired shot after shot at hundreds of men, women and children at prayer, targeted them for a clear set of reasons. It was inspired, it now appears, by a consistent, hateful and contagious worldview."

Cooper continued: "He did it... because of who these people were. He did it because of the God they worshipped and because of the threat he seemed to think they posed to the white race. To him, a 3-year-old immigrant girl was a threat, as was her father, as were their neighbors. That thinking is obviously racist and it's repugnant. But to say also that it's random or that it just sprang from nowhere? That dishonors the facts as we are learning them, just as it dishonors the lives that were lost."

Online radicalization

Oliver Darcy emails: Kevin Roose's NYT column is on the front page of Saturday's paper. It makes the point that online extremism is "distinct from the extremism that took form in the physical world."

Yes, he wrote, racism and bigotry flourished before the Internet. But online extremism puts "regular extremism on steroids." Roose wrote, "There is no offline equivalent of the experience of being algorithmically nudged toward a more strident version of your existing beliefs, or having an invisible hand steer you from gaming videos to neo-Nazism. The internet is now the place where the seeds of extremism are planted and watered, where platform incentives guide creators toward the ideological poles, and where people with hateful and violent beliefs can find and feed off one another." The whole column is worth reading...

A "24 hour hate buffet"

That's what is available online -- a "24 hour hate buffet" where vulnerable people "can feast all night long," former white supremacist Christian Picciolini told CNN's Chris Cuomo Friday night...

Donie's take

Donie O'Sullivan emails: Reading tweets from some of our colleagues in the media on Friday, one might think the only people to blame for the New Zealand massacre are the people who run the social media platforms in Silicon Valley. That is obviously not the case. But Facebook does have some questions to answer.

The live stream of the attack ran for about 17 minutes on Facebook. Facebook took it down after the police contacted the company.

But why didn't the company take action sooner? If the artificial intelligence systems built by one of the richest companies in the world can't identify and take action on a video containing weaponry, repeated gunfire and murder, what can they identify?

Or, are we expecting too much of these companies that have billions of users -- and do we need to accept that? I wrote about that here...

Even if Facebook was perfect...

And even if Google was perfect... And even if Twitter was perfect... White supremacists would still find places to congregate in the internet's shadows. Daniel Byman, writing for Slate, made this point in a piece on Friday. No matter what the tech giants do, "white genocide" type content "is likely to survive on at least some platforms and, as its author intended, inspire others to act." So the solution has to be deeper than just "fix the algorithms."

Oliver has a similar point to make:

It's not just relegated to the far-flung corners of the web

Oliver Darcy emails: There was a lot of talk on Friday about the racist/bigoted conversations that take place on fringe message boards like 4-chan and 8-chan, far-flung corners of the web where the terrorist apparently spent some time. But you don't need to go to these dark corners of the Internet to see vile comments about immigrants and race. Just take a look at the comment sections on some of the far-right websites in the US.

Websites like Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, and InfoWars had comment sections littered with reprehensible commentary on their stories related to the New Zealand terrorist attack. Some of these disgusting, overtly racist ideas rear their head on the Internet a lot more than people might think...

Rush Limbaugh floats false-flag conspiracy theory

Darcy emails: It is probably time someone adds "conspiracy theorist" to Rush Limbaugh's Wikipedia bio. The widely-listened to talk show host suggested on Friday that the New Zealand attack might be a false flag operation aimed at smearing conservatives. Speaking on his radio program, Limbaugh said, "There's an ongoing theory that the shooter himself may in fact be a leftist who writes the manifesto and then goes out and performs the deed purposely to smear his political enemies, knowing he's going to get shot in the process. You know, you just can't -- you can't immediately discount this."

Of course, this isn't the first time Limbaugh has floated a false flag theory before. He previously did so after the so-called "MAGA bomber" sent explosive devices to CNN and high-profile Democrats.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE COVERAGE...

Getting to NZ

Given New Zealand's long distance from Asia and the Americas, TV networks had to rely on freelancers and local network reporters for the first 20 hours after the attacks. NBC had Miguel Almaguer in Christchurch in time for Friday's "Nightly News." ABC had Will Carr there. CBS utilized Daniel Sutton of Australia's Network 10, "which is owned by CBS's CBS Studios International," NewscastStudio noted.

Alexandra Field was the first CNN correspondent to reach Christchurch. She spoke with several residents, including some parents who brought their children to the vigil site. On "AC360" she said, "one parent told me it's because 'this is a problem that will be inherited by the next generation.' He called it 'a filthy international disease' that has now reached New Zealand."

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- Max Boot identifying a problem: "Not all terrorism is treated equally." (WaPo)

-- Brandy Zadrozny and Ben Collins identifying another problem: "New Zealand shooting leaves online extremism researchers 'hopeless and furious.'" (NBC)

-- "Sky Network Television, New Zealand's biggest satellite television provider, has removed Sky News Australia from its platform, citing concerns about the broadcasting of footage" from the shooter... (Bloomberg)

Trump: "I don't know enough about it yet."

The headline on Philip Bump's latest: "Trump finally found a 'small group of people' that doesn't constitute a crisis: White nationalists."

--> Chris Cuomo on "Prime Time" Friday night: "The president must start acting like he cares about this..."

--> Kirsten Powers on "AC360:" "However Donald Trump identifies himself, all we know for sure is that the white supremacists SEE HIM as an ally. There's just no question about that."

Trump v. the experts again

Trump's personal view -- that white nationalism is NOT a rising global threat -- flies in the face of many expert assessments. As Obama W.H. aide turned CNN analyst Sam Vinograd said on Twitter, this is "yet another time he's undercut his own intelligence and law enforcement professionals..."

--> And here's Julian Zelizer on "what a president SHOULD say after a hate-driven massacre..."

On this Sunday's "Reliable"

On the TV edition of "Reliable Sources," I'll speak with Andy Parker, whose daughter Alison was murdered on live TV in 2015 by a gunman who wore a body camera and shared the gruesome video on social media. He's now challenging Google and other tech giants to clean up their sites. I'll also speak with Nayyera Haq, Dan Rather, Katie Rogers, and David Zurawik... Plus Nancy Erika Smith, the attorney for ex-Fox News employee Diana Falzone, who's trying to get out of her NDA...

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- Laura Hazard Owen's latest: "One year in, Facebook's big algorithm change has spurred an angry, Fox News-dominated — and very engaged! — News Feed..." (NiemanLab)

-- Donie O'Sullivan emails with a flashback: "One year ago this weekend The Guardian newspaper in London broke the Cambridge Analytica scandal..."

-- Will Oremus is moving from Slate to Medium... He'll be a senior writer for the tech and science pub OneZero... (Twitter)

-- Detente?! THR reveals that Ted Sarandos and Steven Spielberg "sat down with each other this week" at "San Vincente Bungalows, the new private club in West Hollywood..." (THR)

-- And Ian Mohr says the club "wants to expel whoever let word out" about Spielberg's meal with Sarandos... (Page Six)

-- Congrats to WaPo's Paul Farhi, this year's winner of the Bart Richards Award for Media Criticism... (PSU)

More cuts at the Cleveland Plain Dealer

"In a late Friday email news dump, Plain Dealer editor George Rodrigue announced a 'painful adjustment': The paper would be reducing its newsroom staff by 12 reporters, photographers and editors within the next two weeks. He attributed the decision to declining revenue from print advertising," Cleveland Scene's Sam Allard wrote.

>> Quoting from Rodrigue's memo and message to readers: "The essence of a reduction in force like this is that good people lose their jobs, through no fault of their own. That is a kind of tragedy, and one that will be deeply felt by everyone at The Plain Dealer."

Hot Pod founder on just how hot pods are right now

Hot Pod founder and Vulture critic Nick Quah questions all the talk of podcasting's "peak," saying the jury is still out about "what money will do to change the fundamental nature of the medium." If you haven't listened to this week's "Reliable" podcast, you can find Katie Pellico's write-up right here. Listen to our chat by way of Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your player of choice...

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- Fun read in the WSJ: "When corporate America gets in on the podcast craze, 'it gets boring fast'" (WSJ)

-- Kurt Wagner's followup piece about this week's FB exec changes: "Mark Zuckerberg is taking total control again" (Recode)

-- Via Oliver Darcy: Trump phoned Erick Erickson "on more than one occasion" earlier this year to "court the blogger's public support and allegiance ahead of the campaign," Asawin Suebsaeng and Lachlan Markay report. And it worked... (Daily Beast)

-- Dems-on-Fox watch: Pete Buttigieg will be on "Fox News Sunday" this weekend...

The Kellyanne Conway Q

Brian Lowry emails: Both Bill Carter and NPR's Eric Deggans tweeted out various conditions that they would impose when booking Kellyanne Conway, in response to last night's newsletter item about the debate between Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon over the value of having her on. Frankly, if you have to jump through those kind of hoops to justify booking a guest, it makes a pretty strong case for Lemon's argument and simply not bothering...

Stelter, as always, with the counter-argument: She's speaking for the White House! Cuomo's interviews expose the holes in the admin's arguments... And so the debate rages on 😉

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Via Glamour mag, NBC's Cynthia McFadden reflecting on her recent reporting trip to the Central African Republic:

"The goal of the work is to ultimately make a difference. I don't want anyone to be able to say they don't know. If we turn our backs on these people, we do it knowingly now. We know what's happening."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

-- Snapchat is planning a new in-app platform for games from outside developers, set to launch in April... (Cheddar)

-- After what may have actually been "the most dramatic series ending in 'Bachelor' history," ABC Reality Chief Steve Mills assures THR, "We thought it was great! Because it was real..." (THR)

-- "In a bid to keep himself involved as the Scarlet Speedster, actor Ezra Miller is taking a hands-on approach to The Flash. Miller is taking a stab at writing the script for the Warner Bros. project..." (THR)

Second day fallout about "One Day" decision

One day after Netflix's cancellation of "One Day at a Time," the reactions are still pouring in.

Megan Thomas emails: The show has a passionate base of supporters and its creators are reportedly shopping for a new home. This story by Kelly Connolly for The Atlantic is a great read about the impact of the series and loyal fans in the time of Peak TV...

-- Ric Sanchez wrote about why Netflix's Twitter announcement was not satisfactory for fans... (WaPo)

-- James Poniewozik said the takeaway is that "Netflix is not your friend..." (NYT)

Disney rehires James Gunn

Brian Lowry emails: Did Disney react too precipitously when it fired James Gunn? It seems the studio is acknowledging as much -- by reinstating him as the director of the next "Guardians of the Galaxy" sequel. Late last year the studio dropped him in response to old tweets surfaced by conservative activists seeking to undermine him.

And one footnote to all this: Will some of the conservative voices that might otherwise criticize Disney be forced to hold or at least mute their comments given the obvious parallels between the Gunn situation and Fox's Tucker Carlson? If nothing else, it would seem to be further evidence that there's no one-size-fits-all response to these kind of controversies...

Neil deGrasse Tyson's shows are returning to NatGeo

"National Geographic Channel has completed its investigation into 'Cosmos' and 'StarTalk' host Neil deGrasse Tyson, and will move forward with both shows," Variety's Michael Schneider wrote Friday. "The channel didn't elaborate on its findings, however," and said it's not going to...

"Billions" is back on Sunday

"Billions" is beginning its fourth season on Sunday night... "Everything about the show is juicy -- starting with the key performances -- and its sense of the current political moment is savvy without needing to be especially specific," Brian Lowry writes here...

"Game of Thrones" is going super-sized

Frank Pallotta emails: Every single morsel about the upcoming final season of "Game of Thrones" is getting gobbled up. Case in point: On Friday HBO released the dates and the running times of each episode. The premiere, as we know, arrives on April 14 and the finale is May 19. The longest episode will be episode 3 at a hearty 1 hour and 22 minutes. This, I suspect, will be the big battle at Winterfell that was teased in the trailer.

However, the final three episodes all clock in at roughly the same amount of time, so don't be surprised if we see more than one epic battle before the end of TV's biggest show...

Lowry reviews "Five Feet Apart"

Brian Lowry emails: The romance built around sick teens or young adults is one of Hollywood's most durable genres, and there's another this weekend, "Five Feet Apart." Infused with a "Live like you were dying" message, the movie mostly serves as an earnest vehicle for its young stars, Haley Lu Richardson and "Riverdale's" Cole Sprouse...

'Avengers' poster reissued after Danai Gurira backlash

Lisa Respers France emails: Marvel Studios has reissued the official poster for "Avengers: Endgame" after a backlash over star Danai Gurira not receiving top billing.

Gurira, who is the only black woman on the poster, is hardly an unknown. In addition to her role in "Black Panther," she's a Tony-nominated playwright and one of the stars on "The Walking Dead." The studio said "she should have been up there all this time..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

By Lisa Respers France:

-- Alex Trebek is grateful for the support he's getting after his cancer announcement...

-- Lori Loughlin's "Fuller House" fate is currently unknown in the midst of the college admissions scandal. Loughlin has been a recurring guest star on the reboot of the series which first made her famous...

--Here's the iHeartRadio Music Awards winners list...

LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

We could all use a hug from Big Bird right about now

Anderson Cooper and Big Bird were both on hand for the Hudson Yards ribbon-cutting on Friday. Cooper grammed a picture with Big Bird and said "a photographer kept shouting 'Bird, look this way!' I thought Mr. Bird would be more appropriate, or Big, but Big Bird seems cool with it. He is very upbeat!"

"Mr. Bird" tweeted out this picture of the pair:

Thanks for reading! Email me feedback anytime. See you Sunday...