EXEC SUMMARY: Scroll down for the details about Money mag's fate, the writers guild's lawsuit, Beyoncé's documentary... oh, and Thursday's biggest story:
Mueller Eve
This is where I'm supposed to say something smart about the impending release of the redacted Robert Mueller report. But I just want to read it!
Look: Some things matter regardless of whether they change anyone's mind. The Mueller report is one of those things. It is important to know what Mueller found about Trumpworld and Russia -- regardless of the impact. Persuasion is not the point. Information is the point.
I just hope that everyone will pay attention to what the report actually says, not what partisans SAY it says. But with Attorney General Bill Barr trying to control the day's narrative by holding a 9:30 a.m. press conference before the report is released, the information environment is going to be... confusing... to say the least. Lawmakers have been told they will receive the report in the 11 a.m. hour... So expect to know a lot more by lunchtime...
What to expect...
The cable news networks will have day-long coverage. NBC, ABC and CBS will start their special reports around the time Barr speaks. NBC's Lester Holt and Savannah Guthrie will anchor from New York, with Chuck Todd, Andrea Mitchell and others joining them from DC. George Stephanopoulos will anchor the special report on ABC. Gayle King, Norah O'Donnell and John Dickerson will lead the coverage on CBS...
Some more coverage notes:
-- Brian Williams will anchor MSNBC's coverage starting at 9...
-- Vice News will be reading the Mueller report, in full, on a YouTube live stream, as soon as it drops...
-- At least two publishers are coming out with the report in book form. Skyhorse's version is now in the top 100 on Amazon's best seller chart... and WaPo's version is in the top 200...
The latest updates
-- Top headline in Thursday's NYT: "MUELLER RESULTS WERE PREVIEWED FOR WHITE HOUSE." Here's the story...
-- The WaPo says the report will only be "lightly redacted." It will offer "a detailed blow-by-blow of the president's alleged conduct..."
-- CNN's Laura Jarrett reports: "The publicly released version of Mueller's report is expected to have relatively minimal redactions in the section on obstruction of justice, according to a source familiar with the report."
-- Chris Cuomo's simple question, after ticking through Barr's presser plans, the pre-holiday release date, etc: "If you have nothing to hide, why do it this way?"
Top notes and quotes
-- Jake Tapper on "The Lead" Wednesday afternoon: "Newsrooms, make sure you have enough toner in your printer. It is Mueller eve, and the redactions are color coded."
-- The Daily Beast's Jackie Kucinich tweeted in the third person: "She sat back and looked at her meticulous Mueller Report Day planning memo and smiled. Sure, this will be trash in less than 24 hours, but right now, on paper, all is in order and right."
-- USC law professor Orin Kerr wrote: "When the Mueller report comes out, just remember: The people selling something will have strong and instant reactions. Those who actually read the report will take longer."
-- CNN's Marshall Cohen tweeted: "It's been a long 2+ years on the Trump-Russia beat for CNN. What a privilege. Our team has been though bombshells, actual bomb threats, weddings, babies, breakups, and literally everything in between. We've all aged tremendously. Tomorrow closes one chapter... and begins another." | |
Let's really dig in...
I was talking about this with CNN's John Avlon at work on Wednesday... I asked him to elaborate via email... He writes: "The news media has perfected the art of the pregame conversation: spending weeks and months debating and predicting what might occur -- whether it's an election or the release of the redacted Mueller report. But when it comes time to analyzing what actually happened, we too often default to short attention span theater. There's a desire to quickly move on once we know who won and who lost -- as opposed to really digging in to analyze what happened and why. This is a particular pet peeve after elections, where we'll spend *maybe* 72 hours digging in to the results after spending two years pumping up the election based largely on horse race polls. We've got to get better at this."
Avlon adds: "The useful information is all in the results -- not in the anticipation of the event. So when it comes to the release of the redacted Mueller report, journalists and citizens alike should resist the temptation to echo conventional wisdom narratives and instead really dig in to the new information being presented. Yes, news is what's new -- but our main job as journalists is to make the important stories interesting."
Learning from the coverage of the Barr letter...
When the Barr letter came out last month, "plenty of media figures and news organizations picked up Trump's spin and ran with it — at least at first. Cooler heads — and more-nuanced reporting — eventually prevailed. But by then, the story line had been set," WaPo's Margaret Sullivan wrote Wednesday. "Now, the press gets a chance to try again and to apply the lessons of last month. One of the trickiest elements, of course, is that the report will have some information blacked out. That, too, needs to be part of the reporting." Read her full column here...
Why Thursday?
"Trump's allies are also betting on the timing of the report's release -- just before two major religious holidays leading into the weekend -- will also help dampen any potential media storm," Yahoo's Hunter Walker and Luppe B. Luppen wrote Wednesday.
They quoted a source saying (hoping?) that "this is a 24 hour to 72 hour news cycle and nothing more..."
Trump will probably tweet -- will he speak on camera too?
Per ABC's Meridith McGraw, "President Trump did three radio interviews today at the White House with Larry O'Connor, David Webb, and Frank Beckmann." In one of the chats, Trump told O'Connor that "you'll see a lot of very strong things come out tomorrow." Strong things? Trump revealed Barr's presser plans and said "maybe I'll do one after that. We'll see." Just a guess here, but Trump's definition of a press conference is not the same as the press corps... I bet he'll say something on camera, but I strongly doubt he'll hold a formal presser.
Now, let's talk about Trump's sources of talking points...
Hannity's prebuttal
One minute, I was watching David Corn on MSNBC saying that "the original sin" of the Trump presidency was "aiding and abetting the Russian attack."
I ate some dinner, switched to Fox, and there was Sean Hannity saying this was all a "baseless, vengeful hoax." Hannity spent the first 40 minutes of his show prebutting whatever embarrassing details are included in Mueller's documents. "Talking is not a crime!" Hannity insisted, dismissing obstruction of justice concerns. He repeated all the usual talking points over and over -- "no collusion, no conspiracy, no obstruction," Trump's the victim, Dems tried to commit a coup, etc -- and said "the real investigation begins" now.
Don't underestimate the power of the twisted story he's telling. Untold millions of people buy it. Here's another example of the pro-Trump media in action...
Limbaugh says the media will lie, lie, lie...
Oliver Darcy emails: Rush Limbaugh was already working on Wednesday to undermine the media's coverage of the report. "No matter what, we are going to be lied to," Limbaugh said in audio flagged by the liberal group Media Matters. "No matter what it says, the Democrats and the media are going to lie about what's in it." This is, of course, nonsense. It is also part of a larger trend that has been occurring in right-wing media for years. Personalities like Limbaugh regularly aim to delegitimize credible news organizations, telling their followers that only they will provide them with the truth. Ironically, reality is actually the reverse of that! When the Mueller report drops, the last place anyone should go to for an objective look at the facts is the partisans on either the left or the right...
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- Something to keep in mind when the Mueller report hits: "A cognitive scientist explains why humans are so susceptible to fake news and misinformation..." (NiemanLab)
-- Here's a helpful column by Elie Honig: Here is "the control-F search you should do on the Mueller report..." (CNN)
-- One of Thursday's OTHER events: The Overseas Press Club is holding its annual awards dinner in NYC... Marty Baron is the keynote speaker...
IN OTHER NEWS...
Viral video shows Fox's hypocrisy
NowThis dropped another viral video about Fox on Wednesday, and it's a must-watch. The title: "What If Fox News Covered Trump the Way It Covered Obama?" On Twitter, the video has more than 2 million views already.
NowThis producer Michael Lester told CNN's Jeanne Moos that he worked on the video for a couple of months and compiled "so many instances of hypocrisy." That's for sure...
🔌: I'll be talking about this on "CNN Tonight" with Don Lemon in the 10 p.m. hour...
"The hedge fund trying to buy Gannett faces federal probe..."
WaPo's Jonathan O'Connell started the day with this scoop: "Alden Global Capital, a prominent hedge fund that controls more than 100 local newspapers, moved nearly $250 million of employee pension savings into its own accounts in recent years, an unusual move that is now triggering federal scrutiny."
Alden absorbed up to "90 percent of retirees' savings into two funds it controlled," per Department of Labor filings. "Most of the money has now been moved back out of the hedge funds," O'Connell reports, but the DOL is still investigating. Read on...
--> With its bid to buy Gannett still on the line, Alden will have some explaining to do. O'Connell points out that Gannett's board had already "raised concerns about how MNG might manage its pensions, writing to shareholders March 26 with 'grave concerns...'"
NYT's interview with Susan Wojcicki
This piece by Daisuke Wakabayashi is Wednesday's must-read. He examines how and why YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki "has managed to keep a low profile and avoid much of the blame" for YouTube's many problems amid a broader reckoning over Big Tech's power.
"At the top of the world's largest and most volatile video platform is a calm, levelheaded person," Wakabayashi wrote. "But her deliberate style may be at odds with the pace and scale of horrors and just plain stupidity that relentlessly arises on YouTube."
Key graf: "She said each horrible incident helps the company be better prepared for the next one. And there will always be a next one, as long as YouTube remains open to allowing anyone with an internet connection to upload a video.."
"China is using Facebook to build a huge audience around the world"
"Squillions of foreigners" see Facebook posts from China's state-run news outlets, this new Economist story observes. "The English-language page of CGTN, a state mouthpiece, has 77 million fans—the most of any news site. China now runs five of the six media outlets with the biggest Facebook followings. None had more than 3 million fans in 2014..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- Want to read something scary? Read this by Nina Jankowicz: "Ukraine's Election Is an All-Out Disinformation Battle" (The Atlantic)
-- Disney has pledged $5 million for the Notre Dame restoration effort... Apple says it will make a donation as well... (CNN)
-- One of Robert Caro's biggest fans, Conan O'Brien, finally got a chance to meet him. And interview him on stage. John Koblin was there... (NYT)
-- Chelsea Handler's new book is debuting at No. 1 on the NYT nonfiction print/ebook list... Caro's "Working" is at No. 10... and Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer's "The Hill to Die On" is at No. 13...
| | Monica Crowley in talks to become top spox at Treasury
Oliver Darcy emails: Another former Fox News personality might soon be joining the Trump administration. Bloomberg broke the news, which was later confirmed by CNN and others, that Monica Crowley is in talks to become the top spokesperson for Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. You'll recall that Crowley had nearly joined the Trump administration back in 2017, but withdrew after CNN's Andrew Kaczynski reported that her book contained more than 50 instances of plagiarism. It will be interesting to see if that factors into whether she gets this new role or not…
Klobuchar commits to a Fox town hall
Fox News said Wednesday that Amy Klobuchar will participate in a town hall on the network on May 8.
Several other 2020 contenders have said they're open to it, following Bernie Sanders' appearance earlier this week. Pete Buttigieg's campaign told CNN that they're in talks about a town hall. Beto O'Rourke told HuffPost that "we will speak to Fox viewers." And Kamala Harris, speaking on "Pod Save America," said "I'll think about it. I plan to compete for every vote." She added, "I think there's a whole other conversation to be had about how Fox News does their work and the bias with which they do it."
This openness to Fox is causing consternation among some prominent progressives. Former Obama aide/"Pod Save America" co-host/CNN contributor Dan Pfeiffer tweeted: "Putting an imprimatur of legitimacy on one of the most destructive forces in American politics has long-term consequences... Fox News will use these Democrat town halls to attract new advertisers which will help keep Hannity, Tucker etc. on the air undoing a lot of grassroots pressure on advertisers."
>> Michael M. Grynbaum and Sydney Ember have more about this on the front page of Thursday's NYT. "There is an unlikely new hot spot for Democratic candidates: Fox News..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- The Intercept celebrated its fifth birthday with an event in Brooklyn on Tuesday night... (Intercept)
-- Happy 30th birthday to CNBC! Here's a trip back in time... (CNBC)
-- This is something different: The Washington Post Magazine is releasing "an all-cover issue ahead of Earth Day with each cover highlighting a single aspect of climate change that The Post wrote about in the past year," per WaPo PR... (WaPo)
-- Media names on the TIME 100 list: Gayle King, Bob Iger, Maria Ressa, Shonda Rhimes, Julianne Moore, Trevor Noah, Alicia Keys, Viola Davis, Jordan Peele, Robert Redford... (TIME) | |
🎧 The "Reliable" podcast is all about the Pulitzers
This week's pod is a two-parter: First, I spoke with Pulitzer Prize administrator Dana Canedy, who addressed the importance of these awards, "particularly now, when the media is under such tremendous threat and scrutiny." Then, I spoke with one of this week's winners, AP photojournalist Nariman El-Mofty, who was recognized for on-the-ground reporting on the war in Yemen and the devastating famine there.
Reflecting on her win, El-Mofty offered some sage advice to her fellow journalists: "Work so hard, and don't think of the prizes. You have to love it. You have to be there 100%. Respect people like they're your own. Don't victimize people; personalize the story. And keep going back. You're going to fail a lot, and it's okay. But if you love it, you'll just keep pushing."
Listen via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your app of choice...
Alex Trebek signs off "Jeopardy" for the summer, but intends to be back
Sandra Gonzalez writes: It's hiatus time for the crew at "Jeopardy," but beloved host Alex Trebek — who is fighting a battle with cancer — says he intends to be back. In a video filmed on the show's set on the last day of taping for its current season, Trebek says "despite what you may have heard, I'm feeling good, I'm continuing with my therapy and we...[are] already working on our next season, the 36th year of 'Jeopardy.' I look forward to seeing you once again in September with all kinds of good stuff." More...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR
-- Three new hires at The New Republic: Gregg Levine, Walter Shapiro and Alex Pareene... Shapiro will be part-time...
-- Donie O'Sullivan's latest: "Instagram and its parent company, Facebook, began removing pages and accounts run by people associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps this week after the US government officially designated the IRGC a terrorist organization on Monday..." (CNN)
-- The podcast gold rush continues: "Universal Music Group says it is working with podcast production firm Wondery on audio stories that could later be developed into films or TV shows..." (LAT)
-- The road to the 2028 LA Olympics: NBCUniversal has inked a nearly decade-long deal with the organizing committee, "combining to package commercial time on all the network's platforms with opportunities to sponsor the American team through 2028..." (AP)
Money mag is going out of print
"Money magazine is the latest print title to fold in a fading magazine industry," the NYPost's Keith J. Kelly reported Wednesday. Meredith "said it is taking down the for sale sign it had up for the 47-year-old personal finance title it bought just over a year ago. It will stop printing the monthly after the upcoming June issue, but will keep the web site alive." Big picture: "The once ground-breaking concept of full-time personal finance reporting struggled to stay relevant in the modern world, where financial news is constantly updated and often free..."
BuzzFeed's "AM to DM" co-hosts quit for lit
| | Katie Pellico writes: Saeed Jones and Isaac Fitzgerald are leaving BuzzFeed's morning show "AM to DM" in advance of a series of book releases. EIC Ben Smith tweeted, "Two of the greats, drawn back to literature of all things!!"
Jones' "How We Fight For Our Lives" comes out in October, and he plans to be "writing full-time" after the press tour. Fitzgerald has three books in the mill from Bloomsbury. The "new chapter" means new talent. Smith said in a memo that the search for new hosts is underway, and extends "outside of BuzzFeed." Jones and Fitzgerald's final show airs on Twitter, May 24 at 10 a.m. ET...
World Press Photo winner disinvited for undisclosed "inappropriate behavior"
CJR's Kristen Chick reports: "The World Press Photo Foundation disinvited an award-winning photographer from its annual awards ceremony Thursday following allegations of 'inappropriate behavior.'" Andrew Quilty, a freelance photographer based in Afghanistan, was notified by organizers on April 2 that "he was not welcome," according to the foundation's director Lars Boering.
Still, Quilty's award cannot be revoked. Boering explains, "On the basis of the contest entry rules we do not currently have the grounds to do so. ... [T]he jury was not aware of his identity or his alleged misconduct when making the award. We will be reviewing our rules for the 2020 contest." Quilty won third in the Spot News, Stories category, for his photographs following a bombing in Kabul.
The "number or nature of the accusations" has not been made public, and per a statement from Quilty's lawyer, "No allegations of inappropriate behavior have been made known" to Quilty either. Read the full report here...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE
-- "Paul Pope, one of the heirs of National Enquirer founder Generoso Pope Jr,. said he is dropping out of the hunt to buy the troubled supermarket tabloid from American Media Inc., clearing the way for Hudson News mogul James Cohen as the leading bidder..." (NYPost)
-- Dirk Smillie says this is what Roger Lynch needs to know as he takes charge of Condé Nast... (Forbes)
-- Joshua Benton rings in the latest round "in the eternal fight over social media boundaries," asking, "Is it okay for a journalist to block a critic — not a troll, just a critic — on Twitter?" (NiemanLab)
Writers Guild sues the Big Four
Brian Lowry emails: The Writers Guild has escalated its war against the talent agencies and the practice of packaging, announcing a lawsuit against the four major agencies -- CAA, WME, ICM and UTA -- at a press conference Wednesday. The questions at the event provided some indication of how difficult this issue is for reporters to translate into "What does this mean for consumers?" dialogue. It's unclear whether the prospect of protracted litigation might grease the wheels for some sort of negotiated settlement -- or conversely, cause the parties to dig in even further. More...
Instagram memers uniting to unionize
| | Katie Pellico writes: The Atlantic's Taylor Lorenz is on the story, writing, "Before you write off IG Meme Union Local 69-420 as a joke, the organizers of the collective would like you to know that they are very serious."
These single-user content mills are huge engagement boosters for Instagram, but say the platform should pay them for it. The "memebership" application summarizes, "The purpose of this union is to allow for solidarity actions when pages we love are deactivated, shadowbanned, or otherwise messed with by Instagram."
Lorenz says, "Memers represent a burgeoning sector of the labor force that currently has no job security or formal protection." Although the "IG Meme Union will probably never be recognized by the National Labor Relations Board... organizers say it can still act as a union for all intents and purposes."
| | Beyoncé's 'Homecoming' doc on Netflix is black excellence
Lisa Respers France writes: While the uninitiated may have thought they were just enjoying a hell of a Beyoncé concert at last year's Coachella festival, her new Netflix documentary "Homecoming" lets it be known how intentionally and lovingly black it all was. Filled with quotes from famed black intellectuals, as well as snippets of an audio diary in which the superstar shares how and why her Coachella performance came to be, "Homecoming" is a love letter to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as well as further evidence that the superstar is not shying away from issues of race and culture. I attended a screening prior at famed HBCUs Spelman and Morehouse colleges prior to the doc's release early Wednesday, and there was much emotion and gratitude for Beyonce both seeing and celebrating them. Read on...
Mike Myers is making a six-episode series for Netflix
Sandra Gonzalez writes: Mike Myers is coming back to television in a comedy for Netflix that will have the comedian once again doing what he does best: creating characters. In the half-hour limited comedy series, Netflix says the "SNL" alum will play multiple roles and also act as an executive producer. No premiere or production start date yet...
What about DC Universe?
Brian Lowry emails: What's the future for DC Universe, a dedicated site devoted to the Warner Bros.-owned comics arm? A little unclear, in terms of WarnerMedia's over-arching streaming plans, and further clouded by THR's report that the service is cutting short its order for a live-action series based on "Swamp Thing," a popular DC title previously turned into a not-very-distinguished 1982 movie and a syndicated TV show...
>> /Film, however, says "potential issues with Swamp Thing's production do not reflect the health of the DC Universe service..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX
-- Chloe Melas writes: Lori Loughlin felt she had "no choice" but to plead not guilty...
-- The directors of "Avengers: Endgame" are asking fans not to ruin the movie's ending...
-- The Lollapalooza lineup is out...
-- "Game of Thrones" has used 12,137 hairpieces and 4,000 gallons of fake blood...
| | | Thank you for reading. Email me anytime! See you tomorrow... | | | |
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