Forward

EXEC SUMMARY: Hey! Here's the latest on Reed Hastings, Hillary Clinton, Mark Zuckerberg, and Lachlan Murdoch, plus Hadas Gold's interview with Tony Blair. And on a more personal note, Story turns three months old on Thursday, so scroll down for a GIF...

"Protect Press Freedom"

Coming Thursday: Some of the country's best-known media companies, tech companies, and nonprofits are supporting a national campaign called "Protect Press Freedom."

Two nonprofit orgs, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) and the Committee to Protect Journalists, are leading the effort. And 30+ partners, including CNN, are on board.

The Protect Press Freedom campaign "will educate Americans about the threats to press freedom, reinforce the values underpinning the free press, and celebrate the diverse journalism that keeps the public informed," the groups said. And: "Through video, radio, digital, print, and social media assets, the campaign communicates a simple, powerful truth: In order to be free, we must be informed."

The partners who have agreed to run PSAs and ads include: CBS, CNN, NBC, Reuters, Facebook, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Sinclair, NPR, Twitter, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Barron's, McClatchy, Scripps, Gannett/USA Today Network, and Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting.

>> RCFP exec director Bruce Brown: "We're proud to bring news outlets and organizations together to have a conversation with the public about press freedom and encourage people to stand up for their right to information."

>> Big picture: This campaign gets at a gnawing concern that journalists frequently bring up with me. They say that President Trump is framing the discussion about modern news media with his hateful, destructive "enemy of the people" rhetoric. They wonder about who/what is countering his claims with a more honest portrayal of the press corps. This campaign is part of the answer...

FIRST LOOK

TIME's feature inside the Capital Gazette

TIME magazine is coming out with a new story and TIME Studios film about the aftermath of the Capital Gazette shooting. "One Year Later: Inside the Capital Gazette," directed by Moises Saman, with Paul Moakley, will be online after midnight ET at this link... And Sean Gregory's story will be in this week's issue of the magazine...

>> What the paper's editor Rick Hutzell told TIME: "After the shooting, I set three milestones. Keep the paper going. Get us into a new office. And get through the trial. Two down."

>> The killer recently pled guilty, but the remainder of trial, which will be "focused on the murderer's mental state," will still be difficult for the staff, Moakley wrote...

>> "Putting out the paper has value besides what's in the paper," Hutzell said. "Every day you're here is another day farther away from what happened. Every day you're here is another day when you're alive. And we have friends who are not. Every day here is another day we can honor their memories, and do the work we love."

FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE

-- The lead story on Page One of Thursday's NYT: "Giuliani led push to sway Ukraine, top witness said..." (NYT)

-- Adam Schiff's big announcement: the House will begin televised hearings in the impeachment inquiry next Wednesday... (CNN)

-- C-SPAN's reminder: The networks will carry "full, uninterrupted, and unfiltered video coverage..." You can "sign up to get a daily, complete C-SPAN Program Guide..." (C-SPAN)

-- While Trump and his allies brace for open hearings, White House officials "are gripping for another consequence: a President consumed by the developments," CNN's W.H. team reports... (CNN)

-- "Impeachment transcripts reveal a consistent, damaging narrative for Trump," Andrew Desiderio writes: "The witness testimonies released so far are all aligned, offering Democrats a powerful political weapon in public hearings..." (POLITICO)

SNEAK PEEK

An "anti-endorsement"

The Nation is coming out with "Joe Biden: An Anti-Endorsement" on Thursday morning. The progressive magazine is calling on Biden "to put service to country above personal ambition and withdraw from the race." The editorial will be live early in the A.M. at this link.

The magazine is coming out with an investigative piece by Joseph N. DiStefano at the same time... It is titled "Joe Biden's Friends and Backers Come Out on Top—at the Expense of the Middle Class..."

THURSDAY PLANNER

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle are booked on "The View..."

Disney earnings are out after the bell...

Viceland is starting a Thursday night show, "The Impeachment Show," at 10pm ET...

Sessions is running

"Jeff Sessions is poised to announce his comeback Senate candidacy on Thursday," CNN's Jeff Zeleny reported. "He faces not only a GOP primary in Alabama, but also President Trump, who has never forgiven Sessions for recusing himself in the Russia probe. Is his fate in Trump's hands?"

After the announcement, Sessions will join Tucker Carlson live: Fox says "the interview will be Sessions' first since resigning from office" this time last year...

The whistleblower...

The I.D. of the whistleblower is becoming less and less important. This banner on "Cuomo Prime Time" captured the situation perfectly: "Multiple impeachment witnesses corroborate quid pro quo." But the pro-Trump media remains fixated...

Fox brass to Hannity and other hosts: Do not identify the whistleblower

Oliver Darcy emails: Sean Hannity is obsessed with the whistleblower. Other hosts and commentators on Fox also seem to want to name the person. But Fox's guidelines have said not to do so, and network officials have instructed talent not to name anyone, sources told me and Brian Stelter.

Some necessary context: Right-wing media has spent the past week hyping a report from a website which claimed it had likely identified the whistleblower. Fox is really the only major component of the right-wing media machine that has, thus far, refrained from naming the person identified by that story...

The guidance...

Darcy adds: In an October 31 email we obtained, a Fox News exec told staffers the network had not "independently confirmed [the] name or identification of the anonymous whistleblower." The email further advised production staffers to "NOT fulfill any video or graphic requests" on the identity. That guidance, according to a source, has been extended to Fox's prime time talk shows.

Some of the hosts have alluded to this guidance while on Fox. More in our story here...

FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO

-- Jeremy Barr's latest on this subject: "TV networks, newspapers aren't publishing Ukraine whistleblower's name..." (THR)

-- A political journalist's Q in Joe Pompeo's story: "What does the media do when or if the president names him?" (VF)

-- WaPo's Wednesday night scoop: "Trump wanted Barr to hold news conference saying the president broke no laws in call with Ukrainian leader..." (WaPo)

-- Here's a taste of Daniel Dale's thread from Trump's Wednesday evening rally: "He is saying false / misleading / bizarre things in rapid succession, faster than I can type." The thread starts here... (Twitter)

Fox's "PC" mistake

Oliver Darcy emails: Talk about a humiliating mistake. Fox on Tuesday published an online story based on a new book from Doug Wead, a regular guest on the network. The book claimed that Obama held regular "political correctness" meetings. Fox aggregated the claim for its story titled, "CIA staff complained about Obama White House's political correctness, new book claims."

The problem? It appears Wead totally misunderstood what "PC" meant in that context. As many people pointed out on Wednesday, "PC" likely referred to the "Principals Committee" in the context of White House meetings, not "political correctness."

After the glaring mistake circulated online, Fox updated the story with an editor's note that said, "The author has since informed Fox News this was due to a misunderstanding between him and his source and that the initials referred to 'Principals Committee.'" Fox changed the story throughout and altered the headline to read, "CIA staff complained about Obama White House, new book claims."

DEALBOOK CONFERENCE

Clinton and Sorkin

Re: social networks and political ads: "Twitter got it right," Hillary Clinton told Andrew Ross Sorkin at the NYT's DealBook conference on Wednesday.

Clinton said Facebook should follow Twitter and ban political ads -- something the company seems exceedingly unlikely to do. "Clinton called the proliferation of misleading political advertising 'a real threat to our democracy,'" per the NYT's story...

Here's what Reed Hastings said

Notable quotes from the Netflix CEO:

-- Re: the so-called streaming wars: "It'll be some more competition for us, but we've already got a lot of competition."

-- "The real measurement will be time -- how do consumers vote with their evenings." He said "Nielsen and others" will provide metrics...

-- Re: Disney's impending streaming service launch: "We admire them... I'll subscribe, they've got great shows."

-- When Sorkin asked about Apple and its new streaming service, Hastings notably pivoted back to Disney, calling it "the one that we have the most to learn from."

-- When asked about Quibi: "When's Quibi coming out? Next year some time?"

-- What about the notion of Hollywood "exporting our values" to the world? "I think about it as mutual sharing," Hastings said...

-- Re: the episode of "Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj" that was blocked in Saudi Arabia: "We're not trying to do truth to power" like news outlets do. "We're trying to entertain..."

FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE

-- "'Disneyland' for Fox News fans:" Fox Nation held its first-ever Patriot Awards in St. Petersburg on Wednesday night... (Tampa Bay Times)

-- BuzzFeed News' Craig Silverman IDed a "network of fake local news sites" in the United States and Canada that researchers say have "generated millions of pageviews as part of an ad fraud scheme..." (BuzzFeed New s)

-- Peter Kafka's scoop: Jim Miller's next book is an oral history of HBO, for Holt, publishing date TBD... (Recode)

-- "Mark Halperin's first book since his career was upended by allegations of sexual harassment is clearly no Game Change. 'How to Beat Trump' sold just 502 copies in its first week..." (THR)

The NYT still isn't "failing"

Kerry Flynn writes: The NYT is up to 4.9 million total subscribers, according to Wednesday morning's Q3 earnings report. That's approaching the halfway point of its 2025 goal of 10 million.

The NYT also revealed its international readership for the first time, reporting 500,000 digital subscribers. While its subscriber growth is on track, advertising was weaker than expected, down 6.7% from the year prior. Here's more from Edmund Lee...

FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR

-- Fox Corporation posted "impressive quarterly financial results — largely due to rising affiliate fees and its decision to rent the Fox Studios Lot to Disney and others — that had" shares up 5% in after-hours trading, Paul Bond reports... (THR)

-- Fox also announced a $2 billion stock repurchase program and said the Murdoch family and their trust will be limited to owning "no more than 44% of Fox's outstanding voting shares..." (TheWrap)

-- Missed this yesterday: "Fox Corp. has cut a deal with Nexstar Media Group to acquire three stations in Seattle and Milwaukee for $350 million. The pact also calls for Fox to sell two of its stations in Charlotte, N.C., to Nexstar for $45 million..." (Variety)

The latest at G/O Media

Kerry Flynn writes: Eric Ahlgren of Great Hill Partners, who oversaw the G/O Media deal, has disappeared from his firm's site, The Daily Beast reported. People noticed his profile page was removed Tuesday, following G/O Media editorial director Paul Maidment's resignation. On Wednesday, Ahlgren was removed from Great Hill's page about G/O Media. I reached out to Great Hill about the matter but haven't heard back with a definitive answer on if he's still there...

Vox x New York

Kerry Flynn writes: New York Media and Vox Media officially closed their merger on Wednesday. The combined company is now more than 1,250 people. Among the changes, New York Media's office is starting a "snacks program," per Jim & Pam's memo. Vox Media also is rolling out a new logo for the corporate brand "to anchor the expressive logos of our diverse editorial properties and lines of business," per the memo.

>> This part stood out to NYMag staffers: "All employees who are eligible for benefits will be able to participate in Vox Media's 401(k) plan, which includes a company match with no vesting period." New York Media's 401(k) was a casualty of the 2008 financial downturn...

FOR THE RECORD, PART FIVE

-- Brian Steinberg's newest story: "Viewers Return to Third Hour of 'Today' After Era of Tumult." He interviewed Jackie Levin here... (Variety)

-- Kerry Flynn notes: Drew Magary has taken his Deadspin column "Funbag" to Vice -- for now... (Vice)

-- The National Association of Hispanic Journalists has launched palabra. The concept: "We will commission freelance journalist members to cover stories & communities that have traditionally been disregarded in larger news outlets, based on the ideology that 'Latino news' is only a minority issue, & not a human issue..." (palabra.)

The toll of reporting from the Hong Kong protests

Katie Pellico writes: Laurel Chor is one of the many local journalists and photographers working from the front lines of the Hong Kong protests -- and she's been documenting much of her experience on her Instagram. In a recent post, she describes how "physically and emotionally exhausting" the job is, sharing an image taken of her by fellow photographer Jerome Favre. "This is me on Saturday in Causeway Bay, on one of the city's busiest streets and one I've probably crossed thousands of times... Sometimes it's not until you get some rest that you realise how tired you are." Chor says she will "choke up... seeing a neighborhood I know like the back of my hand descend into violence in the middle of the day."

>> In another post on Wednesday, Chor describes feeling "helpless" watching bystanders get teargassed. She writes, "I'm sick of seeing shopkeepers... elderly people and children teargassed."

VF: "How Mark Zuckerberg Became the Most Reviled Man in Tech"

Megan Thomas emails: In Silicon Valley circles, VF's Nick Bilton writes, "perhaps the only person who is now consistently persona non grata, no matter whom you ask, is Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg -- and not necessarily for the reasons you might think." Bilton reports having received a "litany of complaints" during a recent visit:

>> One venture capitalist "who has known Zuckerberg for more than a decade" tells Bilton, "He's f***ing destroyed this town... Any time there's an inkling of innovation here, any time a new idea comes up, Zuckerberg either buys it and shuts it down, or copies it and shuts it down anyway." The unnamed source, Bilton writes, "said the problem with Facebook goes far beyond fake news. It's as if the company has sucked the air out of Silicon Valley itself."

>> For Bilton, he writes, "My guess is that Zuckerberg is too far down the road to turn back." Read on...

Hadas interviews Tony Blair

Hadas Gold writes: Hello from Lisbon, where I had a fascinating Web Summit conversation with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and US Rep. Ro Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley. We talked about the relationship between tech and the public and politics. One thing that I took away from Blair was this warning: "Politicians are very simple people -- what they don't understand, they don't like, and what they don't like, they will regulate but often badly, so what is necessary is to get that engagement between tech and politics," he told me. Governments "can't just regulate based on individual stories," and that "there is a risk that the whole debate about technology becomes a debate about big tech. Technology is more than about big tech. We need that energy to be in the political room as well."

Blair also said the answer to challenges from more populist attitudes (which he said "exploit pessimism") lies in the collaboration between politicians and technology.

Khanna said "it's important our values drive tech, not the other way around" and that the United States has deferred too much on the regulatory framework to Europe: "Whether you agree or disagree with the EU framework I think you should have a competition of ideas and the US should have that. We should have our own framework." To watch our whole conversation (including a couple questions I snuck in about British politics) click here for the YouTube video...

FOR THE RECORD, PART SIX

-- The state of California revealed Wednesday that it has been investigating Facebook for more than a year over the technology giant's privacy practices -- and "the company has failed to comply with multiple requests" for info... (CNN)

-- Aaron Calvin, a former reporter for the Des Moines Register, revisits the story that led to his getting fired. He explains how his profile of a local celebrity presented "a narrative of growth, maturity, and compassion -- not an accusatory, 'gotcha' moment..." (CJR)

-- Taylor Lorenz's latest for the NYT unpacks I'm Shmacked, the media startup that, she reports, has "exploited thousands of college kids" by "promising them Instagram fame..." (NYT)

-- Chris Richards puts together "Trump's rap sheet," a complete chronology of "rappers name-dropping the president, and what it all means..." (WaPo)

WaPo Guild releases revealing "Study of Pay"

Katie Pellico writes: The Washington Post Guild released a comprehensive "Study of Pay" at the publication -- the first of its kind -- conducted by data journalist Steven Rich and "dozens of other Post Guild members." The Guild explains its belief "that true progress can only be achieved when we begin with the facts. And the facts tell us that The Post has a problem with pay disparity."

>> Here's the finding making the most rounds on Twitter: "Women of color in the newsroom receive $30,000 less than white men -- a gap of 35 percent when comparing median salaries." Read the full report here...

>> The Post prescribed a series of "recommendations," from ensuring "pay disparities do not begin during the hiring process," to hiring "an equity, diversity and inclusion chair/consultant" and forming "a diversity committee."

Lowry reviews "Marriage Story"

Brian Lowry writes: Although "The Irishman" has gotten much of the attention, "Marriage Story" is actually receiving a longer theatrical window as Netflix makes its awards push this fall. Reviews have been mostly rhapsodic, although I was a bit less moved by writer-director Noah Baumbach's look at the dissolution of a marriage, allowing Adam Driver (who also shows up next week in "The Report") and Scarlett Johansson to flex some different muscles than they do in their blockbuster works for Disney...

And Lowry reviews "Last Christmas"

Brian Lowry writes: The weekend also brings "Last Christmas," a dragon-free vehicle for "Game of Thrones'" Emilia Clarke that confounds some of the expectations associated with rom-coms. The big attraction, meanwhile, will be the Stephen King sequel to "The Shining," "Doctor Sleep," review to come...

FOR THE RECORD, PART SEVEN

-- "TV networks and tech companies have until Friday to submit bids for UEFA Champions League (UCL) media rights that currently belong to Turner and Univision. Media execs expect to hear a decision within two weeks," John Ourand reports... (Sports Business Daily)

-- Sharon Waxman has a new deep dive into Kevin Mayer: "The Disney+ boss and potential successor to Bob Iger is widely admired for his dealmaking prowess but he's also feared internally for an unrelenting personal style..." (TheWrap)

-- Brian Lowry emails: This is an interesting stat courtesy of Joe Adalian: Stephen Colbert's "The Late Show" last Thursday -- with Nancy Pelosi as guest -- drew more viewers than any of NBC's comedies that night, despite lower HUT (homes using TV) levels in late-night. It's a reminder some broadcast franchises are resisting the erosion trend better than others...

-- Longtime THR TV critic Tim Goodman announced his departure via Twitter earlier this week, overcoming his self-professed hatred of tweet threads in the process... (Twitter)

Disney+ will launch with "Avengers: Endgame"

Frank Pallotta writes: "Avengers: Endgame," the highest-grossing blockbuster in history, will be on Disney+ on November 12 when the new streaming service launches in the United States.

The film was originally slated to begin streaming on December 11th, but Disney moved it up a month. Hey, Iron Man waits for no man! So with it and "Avatar," Disney+ will have the two highest-grossing films in box office history on day one. "Oh snap!" is right.

FOR THE RECORD, PART EIGHT

By Lisa Respers France:

-- "NCIS: New Orleans" had a shocking death this season...

-- Chris Brown drew a crowd for his yard sale in which he shared his address in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Tarzana...

-- People thought Keanu Reeves was dating Helen Mirren. Seriously...

-- Sharon Osbourne is not a fan of John Legend and Kelly Clarkson's remake of "Baby It's Cold Outside..."

Hi Story!

As promised, here he is... Jamie took these photos on Tuesday... His smile is something to behold:

Thanks for reading! Email me your feedback anytime...