Forward

EXEC SUMMARY: Welcome to the weekend! Here's our look ahead to the "Game of Thrones" finale, this weekend's other big TV events, Steve Kroft's final "60 Minutes" story, plus two sets of recommended reads and much more...

Too much of a good thing?

Let me start this edition of the newsletter with something a little different: A question about information overload.

"Do we owe it to society — and ourselves — to tune out the news?"

That's the headline on David Von Drehle's latest WaPo column. He, in turn, linked to a recent essay by The Guardian's Oliver Burkeman. Together, they're the two most interesting things I read this week.

Burkeman placed our current news saturation into historical context. "It's easy to assume that the reason you spend so much time thinking about the news is simply that the news is so crazy right now. Yet the news has often been crazy," he wrote. "What it hasn't been is ubiquitous: from its earliest beginnings, until a few decades ago, almost by definition, the news was a dispatch from elsewhere, a world you visited briefly before returning to your own. For centuries, it was accessible only to a small elite; even in the era of mass media, news rarely occupied more than an hour a day of an educated citizen's attention." Now it's possible to swim -- and maybe drown -- in a sea of information, some of it true and some of it sensationalized and some of it made-up.

But wait -- you might say -- surely you're not arguing for LESS news? No, but it's worth thinking about these issues and incentive structures every now and then. In his essay, Burkeman asks: "Could an endless torrent of notifications be harming democracy as well as our wellbeing?"

Von Drehle sounds persuaded. In his reaction column, he nails something that I've often tried to articulate: How "this news economy flattens the importance of information."

"The other day," he writes, "someone asked me if I heard what the city councilman in Georgia had said. With a few keystrokes, I learned that the mayor of a small town (perhaps 1,500 residents) about an hour from Atlanta was accused of saying her people weren't ready for a black city administrator, and a member of the city council chipped in his opinion that interracial marriage is not Christian. For my acquaintance, this was alarming evidence that hatred is spreading across America. I suggested another possibility: Information is so easy to come by that every stupid thing said by every small-town volunteer can be dangled before her worried gaze. Until recently, she would never have known that Hoschton, Ga., was even a place — much less that its officials say bigoted things."

His point: "A bigot of great power or influence is an important story; a bigoted councilman in a town smaller than my kid's high school — not so much. But news algorithms will feed reports of bigotry endlessly to news consumers with an appetite for them, whether the example is large or small. It's how the machine competes for their limited attention. If knowing every incident of bigotry or violence or environmental depredation were making us a better nation, this would be a service. It's not."

What do you think? Drop me a line...

WEEKEND PLANNER

-- Nearly 200 million people are expected to tune in to watch the Eurovision final on Saturday. Read Hadas Gold's preview...

-- Jim Sciutto will be talking about his new book "The Shadow War" at a Newseum event with Wolf Blitzer Saturday afternoon...

-- The "SNL" season finale on Saturday night... Paul Rudd is hosting...

-- Fox's next 2020 town hall is with Pete Buttigieg on Sunday evening...

-- And you know what's happening on Sunday night...

Steve Kroft's final story

Steve Kroft, the longest-tenured correspondent at "60 Minutes," is retiring after Sunday's season finale of the newsmag. Marisa Guthrie broke the news on Friday: "Kroft, 73, will announce his plan to step down at the conclusion of the broadcast. In September, '60 Minutes' will air a retrospective of Kroft's 50-year career in journalism."

Guthrie says "those who know him say he has been talking about retiring for some time." Read all about his extraordinary career via CBS here...

>> And here's a preview of Kroft's Sunday piece, featuring the first American TV interview with Howard Wilkinson, whose suspicions "led to the uncovering of an enormous money-laundering case involving approximately $230 billion, maybe the largest such scheme ever found..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- John Dickerson signed off "CBS This Morning" on Friday... He's heading to "60..." (CBS)

-- BuzzFeed's big investigation into Tony Robbins prompted numerous legal threats from Robbins' camp and an anti-BuzzFeed letter published by Robbins... (BuzzFeed News)

-- NBC is heading into Saturday's Preakness "without the main characters from Kentucky Derby drama," Ben Strauss notes... He quotes horse racing writer Andrew Beyer saying "it's a nightmare for NBC..." (WaPo)

-- Anthony Crupi tweeted: "Tough luck for Tiger Woods and CBS as the Masters champ fails to make the cut at Bethpage." He notes that last year's coverage of Wood's second-place finish was the "most-watched, highest-rated PGAC since 2009..." (Twitter)

Why the WhatsApp attack matters

Donie O'Sullivan reports: The WhatsApp vulnerability revealed earlier this week sounds terrifying. Hackers could call a person on the WhatsApp messaging app and place malicious code on their phone in order to see their personal information — victims may not even have needed to answer the call for their phone to be infected, an expert told CNN Business.

The vast majority of people were never at risk of having their private chats revealed by this attack. Regular users of messaging apps should still be concerned, however, and not just for themselves. No system is fully secure, experts say, and compromised high-profile targets could impact more than individuals. Attacks like this are so sophisticated and expensive experts say, that they're typically only used against individuals in the crosshairs of government intelligence agencies and other well-resourced entities. Read on...

"Climate emergency" instead of "climate change"

Hadas Gold emails: Sometimes when news organizations issue a style change, it's something that's fun to debate, like hyphens.

Other times it indicates a cultural shift.

The Guardian on Friday announced a change to how their reporters would now describe issues related to the environment. Instead of "climate change" they will use "climate emergency, crisis or breakdown" and "global heating" over "global warming."

"We want to ensure that we are being scientifically precise, while also communicating clearly with readers on this very important issue," EIC Katharine Viner said. "The phrase 'climate change,' for example, sounds rather passive and gentle when what scientists are talking about is a catastrophe for humanity."

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- Jane Lytvynenko is tracking misinformation about abortion access... (BuzzFeed News)

-- The Harvard Lampoon, a student-run "satirical" paper, has issued an apology for a smutty cartoon it ran that featured Anne Frank... (Boston.com)

-- Former NSA intelligence analyst Daniel Hale "pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he leaked classified information to a reporter..." (CNN)

-- "The chief judge of the DC District Court has opened a court proceeding prompted by CNN to consider more transparency in the Mueller investigation..." (CNN)

"WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT"

That's how Reuters labeled a video clip of President Trump talking on Friday.

In a tweet, the newswire also included a "GRAPHIC LANGUAGE WARNING."

Why? Because the president cursed twice while lying about the media during an appearance at the National Association of Realtors: "Everything is 'A source says.' There is no source. The person doesn't exist. The person's not alive. It's bullshit, OK? It's bullshit."

The crowd cheered. But the real B.S. was coming from Trump: "Just this week," The Hill's story noted, "an official from the Trump administration detailing its immigration plan did so on the condition they be referred to only as a senior administration official and not by their name."

>> Jim Acosta had a good line about this: "Much of the B.S. we hear over here at the White House is very much on the record..."

A strange thing...

"A strange thing about life in 2019 is that the president of the United States will wake up, watch television and then go online and accuse a bunch of people of treason," WaPo's Mark Berman tweeted Friday.

CNN analyst Carrie Cordero commented: "A president making statements about treasonous activity -- presumably directed at law enforcement & national security officials current & former for conducting a lawful investigation -- is just not something that can be ignored. Not by Congress, not by the media, not by the public."

But it largely IS being ignored. The nightly newscasts didn't even mention Trump's latest all-caps "TREASON" claim on Friday...

Attorney General Hannity?

Attorney General William Barr "is fueling the flames of conspiracy in a pair of new interviews," Anderson Cooper said Friday night. "He's doubling down, without evidence, on his comments" about "unauthorized spying on the Trump campaign." Barr's interviews were with the WSJ and Fox News...

Cooper said the hole in Barr's speculative comments to Fox is "so big you can back up 1,000 conspiracy trucks and just fill them up."

>> Earlier in the day on "The Situation Room," Jeffrey Toobin blasted Barr and said "Sean Hannity is the attorney general! I mean, every talking point from Fox News gets repeated!"

Looking back: The Seth Rich conspiracy theory

Oliver Darcy emails: Two years ago, this week, Fox News published its now-retracted story about Seth Rich, giving a burst of life to one of the most predominant conspiracy theories of the Trump era. When the story fell apart, Fox said it would investigate the matter. But two years later, we still have no answers from Fox about what the probe found. No results were ever announced. Neither was any disciplinary action for those responsible.

As Media Matters' Matthew Gertz reminded us on Friday, some of the key people involved have since actually received promotions following the journalistic disaster. Kertz also reminded me of a quote a senior Fox employee gave me back in 2017 when there was confusion inside Fox over the lack of answers over the network's Seth Rich probe: "Most other news outlets, these situations come up, but they are dealt with appropriately. People are held accountable. People are fired, they are disciplined or whatever. But this is like classic Fox. No one ever gets fired from Fox for publishing a story that isn't true."

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- Oliver Darcy emails: Fox's Chris Wallace continues to say that AG Bill Barr is "protecting" Trump, in direct contradiction to what his prime time colleagues have been telling the network's viewers... (Mediaite)

-- Matt McFarland reports: Spotify is "testing a voice-controlled device for cars..." It is characterizing the tests "as a way to better understand and serve customers who listen to music or podcasts..." (CNN Business)

-- Everyone is familiar with 9to5Mac, but 9to5 has grown "beyond Apple news and scoops," expanding into other verticals which collectively bring in 40M monthly views... (Digiday)

CBS eyeing Starz

Another Jessica Toonkel scoop at The Information: "CBS Corp. has expressed interest in acquiring cable channel Starz from Lions Gate Entertainment, according to four people familiar with the situation. CBS has been looking at the acquisition as a possible complement to Viacom, which CBS also is considering purchasing, said three of the people."

Lions Gate shares "jumped nearly 15%" on the news. Later in the day, Reuters' Kenneth Li and Arjun Panchadar reported that Lions Gate offered to sell Starz for $5.5 billion after rebuffing the initial offer.

>> The timing: "The news lands 12 days before a [CBS] board meeting where it will review its options that is believed to include initiating merger discussions with Viacom," the Reuters pair noted...

This Sunday on "Reliable"

NYT investigative reporter Susanne Craig will join me live... So will Catherine Hadro, the host of "Pro-Life Weekly" on EWTN... along with Irin Carmon, Jane Coaston, Oliver Darcy, Joe Lockhart, and Brian Lowry. Sunday at 11 a.m. ET on CNN! See you then...

Goodbye, Time Warner Center

That's a wrap -- Friday was CNN's last day broadcasting from Time Warner Center. The building had been the home of our New York offices and studios for 15 years. I'm pretty wistful because I learned so much about television in my five years working there. But: our new Hudson Yards home is a definite upgrade! CNN fans have been sending complimentary notes about the new studios.

"New Day" took a farewell photo from Studio 71 after Friday's show... You'll see "New Day," "AC360" and "Cuomo Prime Time" in their new digs on Monday...

My podcast with Ezra Klein

The "Reliable" podcast will be back next week -- we took this week off due to the big office move. But I traded seats and guested on a pod this week... "The Ezra Klein Show..." And Klein asked me about the medium of cable news, its political impact, the power of YouTube, and lots of other topics. We went deep. Here's the episode via Apple Podcasts!

Clarence Thomas cooperating with filmmakers for new documentary

Joan Biskupic reports: "Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is cooperating with producers for a documentary expected to debut in 2020, nearly 30 years after his polarized confirmation hearings and amid recurring speculation over whether he is considering retirement. Manifold Productions, which interviewed Thomas extensively for the project, entitled 'Created Equal,' said its film 'will tell the Clarence Thomas story truly and fully, without cover-ups or distortions.'"

The producers say the film "is intended for national audience on PBS and ongoing educational use in classrooms..."

Saying goodbye to "Game of Thrones"

We're bidding adieu a bit early, since Sunday's newsletter will come out after the series finale airs on HBO.

CNN Opinion is asking readers to weigh in with fan theories and stories of what the show meant to them. The roundup will be updated into the weekend and, after the episode airs, will incorporate takes from commentators and critics. I'll be talking with Lowry all about "GoT" on Sunday's "Reliable..."

"Winter is coming for the 'GoT' media economy"

So predicts Joe Pompeo for VF. He argues there was a GoT "gold rush " that, much like the "Trump bump," helped "to supercharge digital media during an era of intense pressure." But, "what will happen when it's over? And is this the end of appointment television?"

Re: his second question, no, it is not!

And re: the first question, Pompeo foresees "a cruel summer for publications that had been riding the tidal wave of 'Thrones' traffic..."

C'mon, people...

Brian Lowry emails: "Game of Thrones" hysteria has unleashed a certain level of silliness — first with the ridiculous do-over petition, and now offers of counseling, as Kendall Trammell reports, for those presumably in some stage of grief once the show ends.

Some related reads... 👓

-- LA Times' Meredith Blake looks at how "Thrones" helped transform Belfast "into one of Europe's most vital entertainment industry hubs and remade Northern Ireland's image across the world.".."

-- "Disappointment and fury are now the status quo for longtime fans." Kate Maltby's op-ed explains how we got here...

-- Luke Holland's retort for The Guardian, "Stop the nitpicking! This season of 'Game of Thrones' is miraculous..."

-- And finally, a more agnostic take from NYT's Wesley Morris, who "Ignored 'Game of Thrones' for 8 Years. Then Inhaled It in 5 Weeks..."

Shoutout to fellow never-Throners

As some of you know, I've never seen an episode of "GoT..." I have started telling people that I intend to binge-watch the whole thing now that it's over ;-)

Megan Thomas emails: You're in good company, Brian! Julia Roberts does not watch 'Game of Thrones' – this and more was revealed in a conversation between Roberts and Patricia Arquette for Variety's Actors on Actors series...

IN OTHER ENTERTAINMENT NEWS...

"Big Bang" leaves on top

Brian Lowry emails: "The Big Bang Theory" finished its 12th season as the No. 1 show on TV, according to CBS, the first time that's happened since "Seinfeld" did it in 1998.

Aside from filling the finale with promos for its new shows, the best news for CBS might have been the heightened tune-in for "Young Sheldon," which posted its highest rating since January 2018. The spinoff will slide into the "Big Bang" slot in the fall.

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

By Lisa Respers France:

-- A report that Robert Pattinson could be the next Batman is a dark night for some. A rep for Warner Bros. told me no deal has been set...

-- Tati Westbrook has dropped a new video in the wake of he James Charles drama...

-- Ruby Rose is fierce in the new "Batwoman" sneak peek...

Lowry's weekend box office preview

Brian Lowry emails: The third "John Wick" — which opened well on Thursday night — figures to break "Avengers: Endgame's" streak as the No. 1 movie this weekend, while the lineup of new offerings also includes "The Sun is Also a Star," the latest young-adult romance, featuring "Grown-ish" star Yara Shahidi and "Riverdale's" Charles Melton. It's a so-so film, but a testament to that latter CW show's cachet right now, representing the third movie headlined by one of its stars (the others being K.J. Apa and Cole Sprouse) in the last few months. More...

"Catch-22" now streaming on Hulu

One more Brian Lowry item: George Clooney brought his muscle to bear as producer and co-star of "Catch-22," a six-part Hulu adaptation of the Joseph Heller novel, which was previously turned into a movie during the Vietnam War. The miniseries captures the insanity of war, but dramatically speaking never quite takes off...

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

-- Microsoft announced a new free-to-play game for iOS and Android that will take the "sandbox video game" Minecraft "a step beyond Pokémon Go." In Minecraft Earth, users can "create and share whatever they've made in the game with friends in the real world" by way of holograms... (The Verge)

-- "Woody Allen has taken matters into his own hands and self-released the trailer for his film A Rainy Day in New York after Amazon decided to cut ties with the director..." (People)

-- "Disney veteran Kevin Brockman has been named head of communications for WarnerMedia Entertainment..." (Variety)

LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

What a world!

Earlier this month Christina Boniello took a picture of three Irish men in Times Square. "They said they didn't have their own smartphones or cameras," CNN's Ryan Prior writes, "so they asked her to use hers."

"We'll find it someday," one of them said.

He was right. "About a week after taking the photo, Boniello posted it to Twitter, explaining how she met the men and wondering whether anybody knew them. In less than an hour, Irish Twitter came up with the men's identities, and the picture was sent to those Times Square dreamers." Amazing. Full story here, with a hat tip to The Irish Sun...

Thank you for reading! Email me with additions, corrections, suggestions, tips, complaints -- anything! -- anytime. See you Sunday...